Blue Meanies (Yellow Submarine)
Encyclopedia
The Blue Meanies are a fictional army
of fierce, if buffoonish, music-hating creatures in the surreal
1968 Beatles film Yellow Submarine
. They allegorically
represent all the bad people in the world.
Their visual appearance was mostly designed by Heinz Edelmann
. Producer Al Brodax
said that the chief blue meanie resembled production coordinator Abe Goodman.
- albeit with blue faces, and a taller stature.
, the former Commander
now newly-appointed Lord Admiral "Old Fred" (or "Young Fred" according to the even older Lord Mayor) to fly out in the Yellow Submarine of the title to find the Beatles
, who, as musicians, would be able to restore harmony (and indeed melody) to Pepperland. The Meanies, in his absence, cause Pepperland to turn into a very dull and oppressive place, wrought with thorns and thistles.
Later in the story, a Meanie abducts the Beatles' companion, Jeremy Hilary Boob
, the Nowhere Man, and we see, when the Beatles arrive in Pepperland, how they have laid waste and petrified the natives. The Beatles find the stored-away instruments and their doubles, the Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
, and bring music back to Pepperland. This restores colour to the hills and plants and life into the natives (who had been petrified by various weapons in the Meanies' possession). With their spell thus broken, the Meanies cease to have a hold on Pepperland: even their guns start shooting flowers instead of missiles. Those that do not flee are invited by the Beatles to stay and "mingle" and they make peace with their former enemies.
Army
An army An army An army (from Latin arma "arms, weapons" via Old French armée, "armed" (feminine), in the broadest sense, is the land-based military of a nation or state. It may also include other branches of the military such as the air force via means of aviation corps...
of fierce, if buffoonish, music-hating creatures in the surreal
Surrealism
Surrealism is a cultural movement that began in the early 1920s, and is best known for the visual artworks and writings of the group members....
1968 Beatles film Yellow Submarine
Yellow Submarine (film)
Yellow Submarine is a 1968 animated musical fantasy film based on the music of The Beatles. It is also the title for the film's soundtrack album, released as part of The Beatles' music catalogue. The film was directed by animation producer George Dunning, and produced by United Artists and King...
. They allegorically
Allegory
Allegory is a demonstrative form of representation explaining meaning other than the words that are spoken. Allegory communicates its message by means of symbolic figures, actions or symbolic representation...
represent all the bad people in the world.
Their visual appearance was mostly designed by Heinz Edelmann
Heinz Edelmann
Heinz Edelmann was a German illustrator and designer. He was born in Ústí nad Labem, Czechoslovakia, into a Czech-German family of Wilhelm Edelmann and his wife Josefa née Kladivová...
. Producer Al Brodax
Al Brodax
Al Brodax is an American film and television producer. He was sometimes credited as "Al Broadax."-Career:At the age of eighteen, Brodax enlisted in the US Army and served in World War II...
said that the chief blue meanie resembled production coordinator Abe Goodman.
Description
They are set on the occupation (and silencing) of the colourful, musical world of Pepperland. The majority are furry, six-clawed creatures, but some are humanoidHumanoid
A humanoid is something that has an appearance resembling a human being. The term first appeared in 1912 to refer to fossils which were morphologically similar to, but not identical with, those of the human skeleton. Although this usage was common in the sciences for much of the 20th century, it...
- albeit with blue faces, and a taller stature.
History
The Blue Meanies arrive in Pepperland and do everything they can to oppress the place. This prompts one of Pepperland's sailorsSailors
Sailors is the plural form of Sailor, or mariner.Sailors may also refer to:*Sailors , a 1964 Swedish film*Ken Sailors , American basketball playerSports teams*Erie Sailors, baseball teams in Pennsylvania, USA...
, the former Commander
Commander
Commander is a naval rank which is also sometimes used as a military title depending on the individual customs of a given military service. Commander is also used as a rank or title in some organizations outside of the armed forces, particularly in police and law enforcement.-Commander as a naval...
now newly-appointed Lord Admiral "Old Fred" (or "Young Fred" according to the even older Lord Mayor) to fly out in the Yellow Submarine of the title to find the Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
, who, as musicians, would be able to restore harmony (and indeed melody) to Pepperland. The Meanies, in his absence, cause Pepperland to turn into a very dull and oppressive place, wrought with thorns and thistles.
Later in the story, a Meanie abducts the Beatles' companion, Jeremy Hilary Boob
Jeremy Hilary Boob
Jeremy Hillary Boob Ph.D. is a fictional character in the animated movie Yellow Submarine . He was voiced by Dick Emery.The Beatles, on their way to save Pepperland from the Blue Meanies, encounter Jeremy, a strange, gopher-like little brown-furred man with a blue face, pink ears and a fluffy,...
, the Nowhere Man, and we see, when the Beatles arrive in Pepperland, how they have laid waste and petrified the natives. The Beatles find the stored-away instruments and their doubles, the Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band is the eighth studio album by the English rock band The Beatles, released on 1 June 1967 on the Parlophone label and produced by George Martin...
, and bring music back to Pepperland. This restores colour to the hills and plants and life into the natives (who had been petrified by various weapons in the Meanies' possession). With their spell thus broken, the Meanies cease to have a hold on Pepperland: even their guns start shooting flowers instead of missiles. Those that do not flee are invited by the Beatles to stay and "mingle" and they make peace with their former enemies.
Weapons and species of Meanie
- The Common Blue Meanies: These, it seems, are a sub-species of their Chief's origin. They wear navy blueNavy blueNavy blue is a very dark shade of the color blue which almost appears as black. Navy blue got its name from the dark blue worn by officers in the British Royal Navy since 1748 and subsequently adopted by other navies around the world....
woolly coats, domino masks, and Mickey MouseMickey MouseMickey Mouse is a cartoon character created in 1928 by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks at The Walt Disney Studio. Mickey is an anthropomorphic black mouse and typically wears red shorts, large yellow shoes, and white gloves...
-ear-like hats (with the exception of the Chief Blue MeanieChief Blue MeanieThe Chief of the Blue Meanies is a fictional character from the 1968 animated film Yellow Submarine. A high-pitched, flamboyant character, he is set on ruling Pepperland with fear and oppression. His most heinous of crimes from The Beatles' point of view, however, is his hatred of music...
himself and his sidekick "Max", whose hats look more like GoofyGoofyGoofy is a cartoon character created in 1932 at Walt Disney Productions. Goofy is a tall, anthropomorphic dog, and typically wears a turtle neck and vest, with pants, shoes, white gloves, and a tall hat originally designed as a rumpled fedora. Goofy is a close friend of Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck...
's ears). They have six claws on each hand, and wear yellow-and-orange striped tights (again, the Chief and Max are the exceptions here, as they both wear jackboots with spurs: light blue boot on the right foot, navy blue on the left). They are also able to make their eyes glow so that they can see in the dark, which makes the head resemble a video projectorVideo projectorA video projector is an image projector that receives a video signal and projects the corresponding image on a projection screen using a lens system. All video projectors use a very bright light to project the image, and most modern ones can correct any curves, blurriness, and other...
. These particular Meanies carry guns that fire pale-blue jagged arrows which, on contact, drain the victim's colour and petrifies him or her - although it seems to varying degrees or only temporarily, because several victims in the film are seen to cry, smile, or look up, and several natives of Pepperland are seen to back off at the sight of the Flying Glove (see below).
- The Apple Bonkers: These are tall, thin Meanies who can walk from hill to hill at a stride, who wear purple tail-coats (with lapels), bow ties and top hats with feathers in them. Their weapons of choice are giant Baldwin apples, which they drop on people's heads and which have the same effect of the jagged arrows. If one can reach high enough, they too can be knocked out by such weapons, as the Beatles later discover (the Beatles' singing is the only way to reverse the effect). When seen closely, their faces bear a near striking resemblance to Abraham LincolnAbraham LincolnAbraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
, where one Apple Bonker sports Mutton chops, another sports a handlebar moustache and curved goatee on his chin and another sports just a moustache.
- The Butterfly Stompers: These are wide, bullying Meanies with cat-like faces. They each carry a number on their chest, and for whatever reason they find it entertaining to destroy butterflies. One of them also stomps upon Max's head at the Chief's behest (or possibly mistaking it for a butterfly too.)
- The Countdown Clowns: These are tall, fat Meanies whose heads can spin round and round, and who shriek very loudly when ready to attack, or when they feel the need to alert other Meanies. If their noses are pressed, wherever they look there will appear an explosion. They have no hands or arms themselves, however, and so another Meanie has to press their noses for them, often needing to prop a ladder up against them, or sit up on their shoulders when doing so, because they are tall. When the Meanies' spell is broken, they end up simply producing positive words such as "Yes" and "OK" in block capitals when they try to cause an explosion.
- The Hidden-Persuader Men: These are large, fat Meanies who are constantly smoking cigars and carrying martiniMartiniMartini may refer to:* Martini , a popular cocktail* Martini , a brand of vermouth* Martini , a Swiss automobile company* Martini , a French manufacturer of racing cars...
s which appear to have eyes on the glass. These men appear to be harmless, but upon closer inspection, they have an extra hand inside their shoes, which typically wields a pistol and shoots whenever the toe of the shoe is raised. If the shoe is closed at the right time, however, they can be made, quite literally, to shoot themselves in the foot. They are one of the rarest seen Meanies. When the Meanies' spell is broken, we see them clinking their glasses together and using their third hands to shake.
- The Snapping-Turtle Turks: Possibly the most pettily cruel of the Meanies, and dressed like stereotypical Turkish men, sporting handlebar moustaches and curved goatees on their chins (they even sport those curved Arabic shoes). These are comparatively short Meanies, but are fat, and their stomachs are in fact oversized, predatory faces whose crocodileCrocodileA crocodile is any species belonging to the family Crocodylidae . The term can also be used more loosely to include all extant members of the order Crocodilia: i.e...
sharp-toothed mouths consume objects. We see one of these eating a little girl's paper windmill on purpose to make her cry.
- The Jack-the-Nippers: These are tall, muscular Meanies who have moustaches and wear green tail-coats and sunglasses and have reptilian heads for hands. Much like the Snapping-Turtle Turks' stomachs, these hands are used for fierce biting (the animals their hands resemble are even the similar animal the Snapping Turks' stomachs resemble, alligators, thus giving them the nickname 'Gator-Handed Men', which they are also known as) but if startled can bite their own tongues, causing extreme pain. They are the least frequently seen of all the Meanies. The name is a play on Jack the RipperJack the Ripper"Jack the Ripper" is the best-known name given to an unidentified serial killer who was active in the largely impoverished areas in and around the Whitechapel district of London in 1888. The name originated in a letter, written by someone claiming to be the murderer, that was disseminated in the...
.
- The Four-Headed Bulldog: There is possibly just one of these, but that hardly matters, as it has four heads, each with very sharp teeth. It is extremely strong, and its handler is no match for it if it wishes to walk in a particular direction. It is ultimately defeated when the Beatles and the Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, sing "Hey BulldogHey Bulldog"Hey Bulldog" is a song by The Beatles which first appeared on the Yellow Submarine soundtrack album in 1969. Primarily by John Lennon , and finished in the studio by Lennon and McCartney, the song was recorded during the filming of the "Lady Madonna" promotional video, and like "Lady Madonna" is...
" and run in opposite directions to disorientate it.
- The Dreadful Flying Glove: The Chief's fiercest and strongest fighter. Though there is only one glove, it is a force to be reckoned with; crushing, squashing, or "o-blue-terating" whoever or whatever its master directs it to attack. It has a stylized face, with the thumbnail acting as the eye and the index finger as the nose. As it clenches itself into a fist, it covers up its eye, temporarily blinding it. It is ultimately defeated when John sings "All You Need is LoveAll You Need Is Love"All You Need Is Love" is a song written by John Lennon and credited to Lennon–McCartney. It was first performed by The Beatles on Our World, the first live global television link. Watched by 400 million in 26 countries, the programme was broadcast via satellite on 25 June 1967...
" and covers it with the letters of all the words that spring from his mouth as he sings.
Other Media
- A Blue Meanie was seen in Lemon DemonNeil CicieregaNeil Stephen Cicierega , is an American comedian, filmmaker and musician. He is the creator of a genre of Flash animation known as "Animutation". He has also released several albums as a musician under the stage name "Lemon Demon"....
's online video Ultimate Showdown of Ultimate DestinyUltimate Showdown of Ultimate DestinyThe Ultimate Showdown of Ultimate Destiny, often shortened to The Ultimate Showdown, is a comical song and video released on December 7, 2005...
.
- A Blue Meanie was in the South ParkSouth ParkSouth Park is an American animated television series created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone for the Comedy Central television network. Intended for mature audiences, the show has become famous for its crude language, surreal, satirical, and dark humor that lampoons a wide range of topics...
ImaginationlandImaginationland"Imaginationland" is a three-part episode of the American animated television series South Park.*Episode I*Episode II*Episode III...
trilogy amongst the good creatures.
- Blue Meanies were featured in Across the Universe (film)Across the Universe (film)Across the Universe is a musical romantic drama film directed by Julie Taymor, produced by Revolution Studios, and distributed by Columbia Pictures. The film's plot is centered around songs by The Beatles. It was released in the United States on October 12, 2007. The script is based on an original...
doing a dance with Mr. Kite.
- Mad ModMad ModMad Mod is a fictional character in the DC Universe. He was until recently an enemy of the superhero team, the Teen Titans.-Fictional character biography:...
transformed into a stylized "Union-Jack" Chief-like blue meanie temporarily during an episode of Teen Titans. He did this just after adjusting his rectangular sunglasses, suggesting some kind of hidden shape-shifting ability.
- Robot ChickenRobot ChickenRobot Chicken is an American stop motion animated television series created and executive produced by Seth Green and Matthew Senreich along with co-head writers Douglas Goldstein and Tom Root. Green provides many voices for the show...
did a spoof of the movie The Hunt for Red OctoberThe Hunt for Red OctoberThe Hunt for Red October is a 1984 novel by Tom Clancy. The story follows the intertwined adventures of Soviet submarine captain Marko Aleksandrovich Ramius and CIA analyst Jack Ryan.The novel was originally published by the U.S...
in the episode Due to Constraints of Time and BudgetRobot Chicken (season 4)The fourth season of the stop-motion television series Robot Chicken originally aired in the United States on Cartoon Network's late night programing block, Adult Swim...
where a Blue Meanie submarine is trying to defect.
Other uses
- A term used to describe the BaliBaliBali is an Indonesian island located in the westernmost end of the Lesser Sunda Islands, lying between Java to the west and Lombok to the east...
nese psychedelic mushroomPsychedelic mushroomPsilocybin mushrooms are fungi that contain the psychoactive compounds psilocybin and psilocin. There are multiple colloquial terms for psilocybin mushrooms, the most common being shrooms or magic mushrooms....
jamur tahi sapi, known for its blue underside and high concentrations of psilocinPsilocinPsilocin , an aromatic compound, sometimes also spelled psilocine, psilocyn, or psilotsin, is a psychedelic mushroom alkaloid. It is found in most psychedelic mushrooms together with its phosphorylated counterpart psilocybin...
and psilocybinPsilocybinPsilocybin is a naturally occurring psychedelic prodrug, with mind-altering effects similar to those of LSD and mescaline, after it is converted to psilocin. The effects can include altered thinking processes, perceptual distortions, an altered sense of time, and spiritual experiences, as well as...
.
- A name given to members of the Alameda County Sherriff's Office after the 1969 events, where while wearing blue jumpsuits the Sheriff's Office resorted to use of shooting teargas into crowds of protestors in Berkeley, CaliforniaBerkeley, CaliforniaBerkeley is a city on the east shore of the San Francisco Bay in Northern California, United States. Its neighbors to the south are the cities of Oakland and Emeryville. To the north is the city of Albany and the unincorporated community of Kensington...
'a Peoples Park.
- In Stargate UniverseStargate UniverseStargate Universe is a Canadian-American military science fiction television series and part of MGM's Stargate franchise. It follows the adventures of a present-day, multinational exploration team traveling on the Ancient spaceship Destiny many billions of light years distant from the Milky Way...
the Ursini aliens who kidnapped Chloe Armstrong and perform a series of repeated attacks attempting to capture the Destiny are referred to as the Blue Meanies.
- Blue Meanies were an American ska-core band founded in Carbondale, IllinoisCarbondale, IllinoisCarbondale is a city in Jackson County, in the state of Illinois, within the Southern Illinois region. It is located at the junction of Illinois Route 13 and U.S. Route 51, southeast of St. Louis, Missouri, on the northern edge of the Shawnee National Forest...
in 1989.
- In Vanishing Point (1971 film) the police cars pursuing the main character's 1970 Dodge Challenger are referred to as Blue Meanies.
- The Gromble, a character on the 1990s cartoon Aaahh!!! Real MonstersAAAHH!!! Real MonstersAaahh!!! Real Monsters is an American animated television series about adolescent monsters in training, developed by Klasky Csupo for Nickelodeon...
was said to be partially inspired by The Blue Meanies in the Yellow Submarine film.