Muzzy in Gondoland

I'm Muzzy. Big Muzzy.

Muzzy in Gondoland is an animated film created by The BBC in 1986 for the purpose of teaching English to young children. It stars a green furry clock-eating alien called Muzzy, who lands his spaceship in Gondoland, a country mainly inhabited by Petting Zoo People. He gets arrested for eating parking meters, and in the jail he meets and befriends Bob the Gardener, who is imprisoned by the King of Gondoland for trying to elope with his daughter, Princess Sylvia. Meanwhile, the King's evil scientist Corvax, after failing at making Princess Sylvia fall in love with him, uses his computer to create a clone of her -- just to mess it up and accidentally create lots of clones of her. It's up to Muzzy and Bob to escape from prison and clean up the mess.

The main plot is interrupted through and through by short segments featuring a human called Norman. These segments are usually for explaining or showing other examples of the language and grammar used in the scene they follow.

Three years later, a sequel called Muzzy Comes Back was released. The film's plot focused on Corvax and his bumbling sidekick, Thimbo, kidnapping Bob and Sylvia's daughter Amanda.

Since the main purpose of the movies is language education for beginners in an entertaining way, they have very simple grammar. Spanish, German, French and Italian versions are also available. Both films were released on TV in series format as well, split up to 20 episodes.

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Contains examples of:

• Adaptation Expansion: The Muzzy's family has been shown in neither of two cartoons, but gets introduced in, perhaps, extremely big amounts inside the activity books.
• Adipose Rex: Averted with the King; played straight with the Queen.

I'm fat. I'm fat. I'm fat. I'm fat.

• AI Is a Crapshoot: After Corvax gets upset and smashes his computer, it begins creating lots of copies of Sylvia and then traps the King inside itself.
• Aliens Speaking English: In a movie that teaches English.
• Amazing Technicolor Population: While most of the dognose cast have skin colours ranging from white to dark brown, Muzzy and Corvax have green skin. Justified in Muzzy's case, him being an alien; in Corvax's case it's probably just an emphasis on his ugliness.
• Art Shift: Between the main plot and the Norman sequences, the latter looking like chalkboard drawings.
• Big Eater: Both Muzzy and the Queen. The former eats clocks.
• Big Guy, Little Guy: Muzzy and Bob on the good side, Corvax and Thimbo on the bad side. The roles are inverted in the latter, as Corvax is a lot smarter than Thimbo.
• Billions of Buttons: Corvax's computer.
• Bowdlerise: In some versions, the words "stupid" and "idiot" (the most offensive words used) are dubbed over - rather clumsily - with "silly".
• Breaking the Fourth Wall: In the beginning of both films, all characters greet the audience and introduce themselves. And in the end, they all say goodbye.
• Cats Are Mean: Subverted with Corvax's Right-Hand-Cat, who belongs to the villain, but is rather nice herself. Played straight in one of the Norman sketches, where he buys a large and rather violent cat for his wife.
• Character Title
• Disguised in Drag: In the sequel, Corvax and Thimbo disguise themselves as Amanda's grandmother and mother, respectively. Even though it's paper-thin, it's good enough to fool one truck driver.
• Disney Acid Sequence: The song AEIOU I love you.
• Educational Song: Many songs. Because it's an educational film, it's no surprise.
• Edutainment Show: A balanced mix of adventure and teaching the language.
• "Everybody Laughs" Ending: Not exactly at the end, but after Corvax is beaten by Bob and taken away, all the main characters give a hearty laughter.
• Everyone Calls Him "Barkeep": The King and the Queen. Unofficial sources refer to them as King Nigel and Queen Ezra.
• Everything's Better with Bob: Bob the Gardener.
• Everything's Better with Princesses: Sylvia.
• Evil Chancellor: Corvax. He manipulates the king into arresting Bob.
• Evil Sorcerer: Corvax again, thanks to his Magical Computer.
• Extreme Omnivore: Muzzy, but it would be more fair to say that this trope is in fact inverted: the food that we consider normal is definitely going to be yucky for him. What he's all about are clocks (and maybe a couple of chip boards for a dessert).
• Furry Confusion: While the main characters are Petting Zoo People (although their species is unclear -- the King is obviously a lion and Thimbo is a bulldog, the Queen, Sylvia and Bob are generic dognoses), Corvax (who looks like a green goblin) owns a talking cat.
• Gag Nose: Corvax sports a very long one.
  • Sinister Schnoz
• Genius Bruiser: Muzzy. While being a Gentle Giant, he is also very skillful with computers which helps him stop Corvax's malfunctioning computer and get rid of Sylvia's clones.
• Gentle Giant: Muzzy.
• Hair of Gold: Sylvia.
• Hey, It's That Voice!: Professor Sprout as the Queen!
  • ...and Princess Eilonwy as Princess Sylvia.
• Horrible Judge of Character: The King and the Queen completely trust Corvax in the beginning.
• I See London: In the sequel, Corvax sets a trap that catches the King by the foot, turning him upside-down to reveal his royal underpants under his robe.
• King of Beasts: The King looks like an anthropomorphic lion, even though his family members don't.
• Lean and Mean: Corvax.
• Magical Computer: Corvax's computer can create thousands of exact copies of Sylvia. In the sequel, he has a device that turns him invisible.
• Minion with an F In Evil: Thimbo in the sequel. Even though he calls himself "Thimbo the Terrible", he is very nice to Amanda and fails to follow Corvax's schemes.
• Never Learned to Read: Thimbo, to Corvax's annoyance.
• Nice Hat: Corvax has a few of them. In the first film he wears his yellow trademark hat all the time except for the end. In the second film he wears a chef's hat, a captain's hat and a headscarf (when he is Disguised in Drag) until he gets reunited with his yellow hat. Look at the expression of his face when he puts it on.
  • The old farmer in the sequel lampshades this by saying "He wears funny hats" when describing Corvax.
• Rebellious Princess: Sylvia.
• Right-Hand-Cat: Corvax owns a cat, although he is never shown patting it.
• Talking to Himself: Derek Griffiths voices both Bob and Corvax.
• Tiny Guy, Huge Girl: Bob is at least one head shorter than Sylvia. Norman is also a bit shorter than his wife. The King is taller but much thinner than his obese wife.
• Trademark Favourite Food: Clocks for Muzzy.
  • Norman's favourite food seem to be hamburgers.