Gidney & Cloyd
Encyclopedia
Gidney and Cloyd are fictional character
s originally appearing in the American
animated
television
program Rocky and His Friends (now known, along with The Bullwinkle Show, as The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show
). Their names were adapted from the names "Sidney" and "Floyd", which Jay Ward
said were the most boring names ever. (Gidney
is also an actual surname
indigenous to New England
and neighboring areas of Canada
. Cloyd is both an actual surname
and a given name
-- see former major league baseball player Cloyd Boyer
.)
Gidney and Cloyd are both "Moon Men", inhabitants of Earth
's Moon
. They are essentially anthropomorphic but are shorter than most humans. Their skin is green with black spots and they have tufts of hair on the tops of their heads; they appear to be unclothed. They are able to disappear and reappear at will; they can disappear completely but sometimes their eyes remain visible (like the Cheshire cat
's smile). Physically, they are nearly identical, although Gidney has a mustache, while Cloyd wears a belt and holster for his scrootch gun. The scrootch gun has the power to immobilize its targets for a variable length of time.
The Moon Men appeared in Jet Fuel Formula
, the first Rocky and Bullwinkle story arc
, broadcast 1959-1960. In this story they come to Earth in an attempt to thwart a rush of tourists to the Moon, only to become media celebrities themselves. They initially succumb to the temptations of fame but soon tire of it. With the help of Rocky and Bullwinkle they are eventually able to get home. They returned in the second-season story arc, Metal-Munching Mice
, and in the third season Missouri Mish Mash
.
Cloyd was voiced by legendary voice actor Paul Frees
. Gidney was voiced by Bill Scott; although Scott was credited as a producer and writer for the series, he was uncredited for his voice work, which included Bullwinkle and Dudley Do-Right
as well as Gidney.
on August 5, 2003, as part of Rocky & Bullwinkle & Friends Complete Season 1. This 4-disc set includes both Jet Fuel Formula and Box Top Robbery (the other season 1 story arc) in their entirety, along with all supporting features from the first season (1959–1960).
Metal-Munching Mice was released as part of Rocky & Bullwinkle & Friends Complete Season 2 on August 31, 2004.
Missouri Mish Mash was released as part of Rocky and Bullwinkle and Friends Complete Season 3 in 2005.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
s originally appearing in the American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
animated
Animation
Animation is the rapid display of a sequence of images of 2-D or 3-D artwork or model positions in order to create an illusion of movement. The effect is an optical illusion of motion due to the phenomenon of persistence of vision, and can be created and demonstrated in several ways...
television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
program Rocky and His Friends (now known, along with The Bullwinkle Show, as The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show
The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show
The Rocky & Bullwinkle Show is an American animated television series that originally aired from November 19, 1959 to June 28, 1964 on the ABC and NBC television networks...
). Their names were adapted from the names "Sidney" and "Floyd", which Jay Ward
Jay Ward
J Troplong "Jay" Ward was an American creator and producer of animated television cartoons. He produced animated series based on such characters as Crusader Rabbit, Rocky & Bullwinkle, Dudley Do-Right, Peabody and Sherman, Hoppity Hooper, George of the Jungle, Tom Slick, and Super Chicken...
said were the most boring names ever. (Gidney
Gidney
Gidney is a family name adopted by an off shoot of the Gedney family of Massachusetts. This branch of the family settled in upstate New York and, following the war of independence, migrated to Canada, where they changed their name to Gidney and established themselves in Nova Scotia...
is also an actual surname
Surname
A surname is a name added to a given name and is part of a personal name. In many cases, a surname is a family name. Many dictionaries define "surname" as a synonym of "family name"...
indigenous to New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
and neighboring areas of Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. Cloyd is both an actual surname
Surname
A surname is a name added to a given name and is part of a personal name. In many cases, a surname is a family name. Many dictionaries define "surname" as a synonym of "family name"...
and a given name
Given name
A given name, in Western contexts often referred to as a first name, is a personal name that specifies and differentiates between members of a group of individuals, especially in a family, all of whose members usually share the same family name...
-- see former major league baseball player Cloyd Boyer
Cloyd Boyer
Cloyd Victor Boyer, Jr. is a retired American professional baseball player and pitching coach. He was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball between and for the St. Louis Cardinals and the Kansas City Athletics . Boyer batted and threw right-handed...
.)
Gidney and Cloyd are both "Moon Men", inhabitants of Earth
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
's Moon
Moon
The Moon is Earth's only known natural satellite,There are a number of near-Earth asteroids including 3753 Cruithne that are co-orbital with Earth: their orbits bring them close to Earth for periods of time but then alter in the long term . These are quasi-satellites and not true moons. For more...
. They are essentially anthropomorphic but are shorter than most humans. Their skin is green with black spots and they have tufts of hair on the tops of their heads; they appear to be unclothed. They are able to disappear and reappear at will; they can disappear completely but sometimes their eyes remain visible (like the Cheshire cat
Cheshire Cat
The Cheshire Cat is a fictional cat popularised by Lewis Carroll's depiction of it in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. Known for his distinctive mischievous grin, the Cheshire Cat has had a notable impact on popular culture.-Origins:...
's smile). Physically, they are nearly identical, although Gidney has a mustache, while Cloyd wears a belt and holster for his scrootch gun. The scrootch gun has the power to immobilize its targets for a variable length of time.
The Moon Men appeared in Jet Fuel Formula
Jet Fuel Formula
Jet Fuel Formula is the first and the longest Rocky and Bullwinkle story arc. It is also noteworthy in that it established most of the characters, themes, running gags, and other elements that would be employed in later stories and that would become so closely identified with the...
, the first Rocky and Bullwinkle story arc
Story arc
A story arc is an extended or continuing storyline in episodic storytelling media such as television, comic books, comic strips, boardgames, video games, and in some cases, films. On a television program, for example, the story would unfold over many episodes. In television, the use of the story...
, broadcast 1959-1960. In this story they come to Earth in an attempt to thwart a rush of tourists to the Moon, only to become media celebrities themselves. They initially succumb to the temptations of fame but soon tire of it. With the help of Rocky and Bullwinkle they are eventually able to get home. They returned in the second-season story arc, Metal-Munching Mice
Metal-Munching Mice
Metal-Munching Mice is the second story arc from the second season of Rocky and His Friends. It was broadcast on ABC during the 1960/61 television season on Thursdays, concurrently with Upsidaisium on Sundays.-Synopsis:...
, and in the third season Missouri Mish Mash
Missouri Mish Mash
Missouri Mish Mash is the third story arc from the third season of Rocky and Bullwinkle . It was broadcast on NBC during the 1961-1962 television season....
.
Cloyd was voiced by legendary voice actor Paul Frees
Paul Frees
Paul Frees was an American voice actor and character actor.-Biography:He was born Solomon Hersh Frees in Chicago...
. Gidney was voiced by Bill Scott; although Scott was credited as a producer and writer for the series, he was uncredited for his voice work, which included Bullwinkle and Dudley Do-Right
Dudley Do-Right
Dudley Do-Right, created by Alex Anderson, is the eponymous hero of a segment on The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show which parodied early 20th century melodrama and silent film in the form of the Northern genre....
as well as Gidney.
Home video
Jet Fuel Formula was released on DVDDVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
on August 5, 2003, as part of Rocky & Bullwinkle & Friends Complete Season 1. This 4-disc set includes both Jet Fuel Formula and Box Top Robbery (the other season 1 story arc) in their entirety, along with all supporting features from the first season (1959–1960).
Metal-Munching Mice was released as part of Rocky & Bullwinkle & Friends Complete Season 2 on August 31, 2004.
Missouri Mish Mash was released as part of Rocky and Bullwinkle and Friends Complete Season 3 in 2005.
External links
- Rocky and Bullwinkle Episode Guide at Toontracker
- The Bullwinkle Show at TV.com