Tom Servo is a
fictional characterA character is the representation of a person in a narrative or dramatic work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr through its Latin transcription character, the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its...
from the
AmericanThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
science fictionScience fiction is a genre of fiction. It differs from fantasy in that, within the context of the story, its imaginary elements are largely possible within scientifically-established or scientifically-postulated laws of nature...
comedyComedy as a popular meaning, is any humorous discourse generally intended to amuse, especially in television, film, and stand-up comedy. This must be carefully distinguished from its academic definition, namely the comic theatre, whose Western origins are found in Ancient Greece...
televisionTelevision is a widely used telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images, either monochromatic or color, usually accompanied by sound. "Television" may also refer specifically to a television set, television programming or television transmission...
show
Mystery Science Theater 3000Mystery Science Theater 3000, often abbreviated MST3K, is an American cult television comedy series created by Joel Hodgson and produced by Best Brains, Inc...
(
MST3K). Tom is one of two wise-cracking,
robotA robot is a virtual or mechanical artificial agent. In practice, it is usually an electro-mechanical machine which is guided by computer or electronic programming, and is thus able to do tasks on its own...
ic main characters of the show, built by
Joel RobinsonJoel Robinson is a fictional character featured in the American science fiction comedy television series Mystery Science Theater 3000 . He was portrayed by Joel Hodgson, the creator of the series.- Overview :...
to act as a companion and help stave off space madness as Joel was forced to watch low-quality
filmFilm encompasses individual motion pictures, the field of film as an art form, and the motion picture industry. Films are produced by recording images from the world with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects....
s. Servo, along with the other bots, is actually made of the parts that would have otherwise allowed Joel to control the film. At least during the
Comedy CentralComedy Central is an American cable television and satellite television channel that carries predominantly comedy programming, both original and syndicated....
era, he was somewhat more mature and cynical than his companion
Crow T. RobotCrow T. Robot is a fictional character from the American science fiction comedy television series Mystery Science Theater 3000...
.
Tom Servo is a
fictional characterA character is the representation of a person in a narrative or dramatic work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr through its Latin transcription character, the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its...
from the
AmericanThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
science fictionScience fiction is a genre of fiction. It differs from fantasy in that, within the context of the story, its imaginary elements are largely possible within scientifically-established or scientifically-postulated laws of nature...
comedyComedy as a popular meaning, is any humorous discourse generally intended to amuse, especially in television, film, and stand-up comedy. This must be carefully distinguished from its academic definition, namely the comic theatre, whose Western origins are found in Ancient Greece...
televisionTelevision is a widely used telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images, either monochromatic or color, usually accompanied by sound. "Television" may also refer specifically to a television set, television programming or television transmission...
show
Mystery Science Theater 3000Mystery Science Theater 3000, often abbreviated MST3K, is an American cult television comedy series created by Joel Hodgson and produced by Best Brains, Inc...
(
MST3K). Tom is one of two wise-cracking,
robotA robot is a virtual or mechanical artificial agent. In practice, it is usually an electro-mechanical machine which is guided by computer or electronic programming, and is thus able to do tasks on its own...
ic main characters of the show, built by
Joel RobinsonJoel Robinson is a fictional character featured in the American science fiction comedy television series Mystery Science Theater 3000 . He was portrayed by Joel Hodgson, the creator of the series.- Overview :...
to act as a companion and help stave off space madness as Joel was forced to watch low-quality
filmFilm encompasses individual motion pictures, the field of film as an art form, and the motion picture industry. Films are produced by recording images from the world with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects....
s. Servo, along with the other bots, is actually made of the parts that would have otherwise allowed Joel to control the film. At least during the
Comedy CentralComedy Central is an American cable television and satellite television channel that carries predominantly comedy programming, both original and syndicated....
era, he was somewhat more mature and cynical than his companion
Crow T. RobotCrow T. Robot is a fictional character from the American science fiction comedy television series Mystery Science Theater 3000...
. Servo, more often than the others, signals the need to exit the theater to perform host segments, as he has to be carried in and out of the theater; an air grate near the entrance limits his ability to hover.
Initially performed by
J. Elvis WeinsteinJosh "J. Elvis" Weinstein is an American writer and performer, best known for his roles as Dr. Laurence Erhardt and the original puppeteer/voice for Tom Servo on Mystery Science Theater 3000.-Mystery Science Theater 3000:...
,
Kevin MurphyKevin Wagner Murphy is an American actor best known as the voice and puppeteer of Tom Servo on the Peabody Award-winning comedy series Mystery Science Theater 3000.- Early career :...
took over puppetry and voice duties for Servo beginning with the second nationally-broadcast season. In the current
online cartoon seriesMystery Science Theater 3000, also referred to as "The 'Bots Are Back!" is an Internet cartoon created by Best Brains, Inc. It is inspired by BBI's original Mystery Science Theater 3000 TV series, and is directed by former Executive Producer Jim Mallon...
, the voice of Tom Servo is provided by
James MooreJames Moore and Jim Moore are the names of:*Butch Moore born James Augustine Moore. Irish showband icon during the 1960s.*Cowboy Jimmy Moore , pool champion.*James Moore James Moore and Jim Moore are the names of:*Butch Moore (1938–2001) born James Augustine Moore. Irish showband icon...
.
Overview
Tom Servo is a red
puppetA puppet is an inanimate object or representational figure animated or manipulated by a puppeteer. It is usually a depiction of a human character, and is used in puppetry, a play or a presentation that is a very ancient form of theatre...
that has a
gumball machineA gumball machine is a toy or commercial device, a type of vending machine, which dispenses gumballs, usually for a small fee.Originally one penny, the standard cost of one gumball in the United States is one quarter dollar coin.-History:...
(Carousel Executive Snack Dispenser) for a head, a body composed of a toy "Money Lover Barrel" coin bank and a toy car engine block, and a bowl-shaped hovercraft skirt (a Halloween 'Boo Bowl') instead of legs. Because of this, he must be carried into the theater by Joel or Mike, as there is a grate near the door that he can't hover over (as explained in episode 513). However, in episode 904 (Werewolf), Servo enters the theater by himself, as Mike was not present on the Satellite of Love at the beginning of movie time.
His arms are a pair of small white ventriloquist's dummy hands on the ends of springs that are not really functional as arms, a point that is commented on occasionally throughout the series. Some episodes feature Tom with objects already in his hands, raising the unanswered question of how they got there; possibly Servo's arms are only functional on a sporadic basis. However, in the television series' official episode guide it is comically stated that the reason both his and companion Crow T. Robot's arms only work intermittently is because they are "run by lazy, shiftless puppeteers who just don't care." His shoulders are made from the front of an Eveready Floating Lantern. Because Servo's head is transparent, chromakeyed images appear projected through it, and thus a second puppet was built for use in the theater segments, entirely spray-painted black.
Servo's appearance has changed over time. In the pilot for
MST3K, the robot who would become Servo was named "Beeper," who just spoke in beeps that only Crow could understand. He was an all-silver robot vaguely shaped like the ultimate Servo, with funnel-shaped shoulders, silver rubber tube arms, and a clear plastic candy container for a head. The puppet used for "Beeper" was built by series creator Joel Hodgson the night before the taping of the pilot. Sometime between the pilot and episode #K03:
Star Force: Fugitive Alien II the character was renamed 'Servo' (after a vending machine called the Servotron). Servo's head was replaced with the now-familiar gumball machine for most of the series. (
MST3K archival site mst3ktemple.com presents a substantive argument that this replacement was probably done before or during episode #K01:
Invaders from the DeepStingray is a children's marionette television show, created by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson and produced by AP Films for ATV and ITC Entertainment from 1964-65. Its 39 half-hour episodes were originally screened on ITV in the UK and in syndication in the USA...
, based on an analysis of related set and costume changes.
http://www.mst3ktemple.com/ouch1.html).
In Season 1 on the Comedy Channel, the puppets were redesigned by Hodgson and writer/cast member Trace Beaulieu. Servo was now given a dark red color, longer black tube arms, squared white shoulders, a different hoverskirt, and the Carousel Snack Dispenser gumball machine head with a white beak. Beginning with episode 104 and for the remainder of season 1, Servo's head was changed to an older model Carousel Dispenser head. The "neck" was slightly wider which made his beak (now painted silver) appear smaller. For Season 2, the black tubing used for his arms was replaced with a pair of small white spray-painted springs (left bare silver from season 3 onward) and his more familiar model of Carousel Dispenser head design (KTMA era/Early season 1 version) returned. In episode 201 and as shown in the season 2-5.5 opening robot roll call, Servo's head could retract up and down (this was done with a black painted dryer cord). Tom Servo's season 2 physical form would pretty much remain the same throughout the remainder of the series, save for a brief flirtations and minor changes (during episodes #205: Rocket Attack USA and #206:
Ring of TerrorRing of Terror is a black and white 1962 film. It was featured in the second season of Mystery Science Theater 3000 , along with a segment of the Bela Lugosi serial The Phantom Creeps.- Plot summary :...
) Servo's head was replaced again this time with a cylindrical Carousel Dispenser head to try to reduce the screen area Servo's head obscured. It was introduced as a "robot haircut" that Joel gave Servo, but was quickly abandoned as it was never intended to be a permanent change. In early season 3, the cap from Servo's season 2 "haircut" head was used as a Fez hat worn by Servo in a couple of episodes and later used as a tee ball base. By mid season 3 an extra cap from another Carousel Dispenser was permanently added just below the "bubble" making Tom's head appear slightly taller and slimmer. Briefly in early season 4, Servo's white hands were left unpainted beige/flesh colored before returning to white after only a few episodes. During season 5 the number of black tyco train molds used on Servo's hover skirt were reduced and they were more widely spaced apart. By season 6, Servo's season 1-4 hover skirt configuration was restored.
Servo's voice and personality also changed during the show's early years. While
Josh WeinsteinJosh "J. Elvis" Weinstein is an American writer and performer, best known for his roles as Dr. Laurence Erhardt and the original puppeteer/voice for Tom Servo on Mystery Science Theater 3000.-Mystery Science Theater 3000:...
operated Servo during the KTMA season, Servo spoke rather slowly with a squeaky voice not unlike that of
Pee-wee HermanPee-wee Herman is a comic fictional character created and portrayed by American comedian Paul Reubens. He is best known for his two television series and film series during the 1980s. The child-like Pee-wee Herman character developed as a stage act that quickly led to an HBO special in 1981...
, and was somewhat immobile during host segments but oddly very active in the theater. In episode K06, Weinstein switched to a lower voice that Servo repeatedly proclaimed as his new "MIGHTY VOICE!" which in reality is Weinstein's actual speaking voice. He used a higher pitched voice for Dr. Erhardt. Weinstein's Servo had a more sarcastic and acerbic personality with a hint of a
superiority complexSuperiority complex refers to a subconscious neurotic mechanism of compensation developed by the individual as a result of feelings of inferiority...
. When Weinstein left at the end of Season 1,
Kevin MurphyKevin Wagner Murphy is an American actor best known as the voice and puppeteer of Tom Servo on the Peabody Award-winning comedy series Mystery Science Theater 3000.- Early career :...
took over Servo's operation and tried to match Weinstein's Servo voice and personality very early on, but quickly developed his own signature Servo sound and character (though Murphy has a fairly deep voice himself). This was explained as tinkering by Joel in episode 201. (One fan was famously displeased with Murphy's voice and sent a large banner on computer paper: "I HATE TOM SERVO'S NEW VOICE!", which was quickly dismissed and laughed off.) During Murphy's tenure, Servo took many opportunities to showcase his excellent Irish tenor-voiced singing. He also has an extensive underwear collection (as seen in
Mystery Science Theater 3000: The MovieMystery Science Theater 3000: The Movie is a theatrical adaptation of the television series Mystery Science Theater 3000...
and enumerated in episode #810,
The Giant Spider InvasionThe Giant Spider Invasion is a low-budget, 1975 film produced by Cinema Group 75 and directed by Bill Rebane. The film is about giant spiders that terrorize the town of Merrill, Wisconsin and the surrounding area. The Giant Spider Invasion was given a U.S. release in theaters in 1975, and was...
), as well as a large number of duplicates of himself that he made in episode #420:
The Human DuplicatorsThe Human Duplicators is a low budget film released in 1965 by independent company Woolner Brothers Pictures Inc.The plot involves a giant alien named Dr. Kolos who is dispatched to Earth from a faraway galaxy on orders to create android dopplegangers by employing the scientific services of...
(also seen in episode #1004:
Future WarFuture War is a 1997 direct-to-video American science fiction film about an escaped human slave fleeing his cyborg masters and seeking refuge on Earth. It was featured in a 1999 episode of Mystery Science Theater 3000.- Plot :...
, and episode #1013:
DiabolikDanger: Diabolik is a 1968 feature film from Italian filmmaker Mario Bava based on the Italian comic character Diabolik.- About the film :...
). In the new Internet-only series of animated shorts, Servo is voiced by James Moore.
Whenever a member of the cast is required to dress in
dragDrag in its broadest sense means any clothing one wears. However, the traditional use of the term is for any costume or outfit that carries symbolic significance. This usually refers to the clothing associated with one gender role when worn by a person of the other gender...
for a sketch, Servo usually does the honors. This is both because of the dichotomy of women's clothes amusingly contrasted with puppeteer Murphy's strong
baritoneBaritone is a type of classical male singing voice that lies between the bass and tenor voices. It is the most common male voice. Originally from the Greek βαρύτονος, meaning 'deep sounding', music for this voice is typically written in the range from the second G below middle C to the F above...
voice and because, in Murphy's words, "Servo looks better in a dress than Crow." Also, Servo is the only robot whose entire body can be seen on the show, since Crow's legs are behind the desk and Gypsy's body is several yards long.
Servo normally has a condescending personality and at times can make literary and technical references that are above his companions' heads. Just as Trace Beaulieu gives Crow regular
Monty PythonMonty Python were a British comedy group that created the influential Monty Python's Flying Circus, a British television comedy sketch show that first aired on the BBC on 5 October 1969. Forty-five episodes were made over four series...
references, Kevin Murphy, a self-confessed Tolkien fanboy, gives Servo occasional Lord Of The Rings references. Servo frequently attempts to seem physically imposing to others, once acquiring "lifts" for his hover skirt to increase his size (accused by Mike of suffering "
short man's diseaseNapoleon complex is a colloquial term describing an alleged type of inferiority complex which is said to affect some people, especially men, who are short in stature. The term is also used more generally to describe people who are driven by a perceived handicap to overcompensate in other aspects of...
") and on another occasion showing off a small arsenal he had acquired while drifting through space. Almost invariably, however, any attempts at confronting danger or displaying his intellectual skill cause him such frustration that he ends up crying. During "The Final Sacrifice" Pearl randomly brought him down to Castle Forrester to try and rule him, as part of a plan to rule the world, 'one person at a time.' Interestingly enough, Pearl could not recognise him, through his entire time in the castle.
Other appearances
- Tom Servo appeared in the COPS
COPS is an American documentary television series that follows police officers, constables, and sheriff's deputies during patrols and other police activities...
-style Star WarsStar Wars is an epic space opera franchise initially conceived by George Lucas. The first film in the franchise was originally released on May 25, 1977, by 20th Century Fox, and became a worldwide pop culture phenomenon, spawning two immediate sequels, released at three-year intervals...
spoof TroopsTroops is a mockumentary film by Kevin Rubio, which made its debut on the Internet in 1997. The film is a parody of COPS, set in the Star Wars universe...
as a droid purloined by Jawas.
- Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine is a science fiction television program that premiered in 1993 and ran for seven seasons, ending in 1999. Rooted in Gene Roddenberry’s Star Trek universe, it was created by Rick Berman and Michael Piller, at the request of Brandon Tartikoff, and produced by Paramount...
is also known to contain a reference to Tom Servo's Used Robots in the directory to the station's Promenade business area, though it is unlikely that this reference ever appeared onscreen.http://www.mst3kinfo.com/mstfaq/subtle.html
- Servo also appeared on a table in an episode of 3rd Rock From The Sun
3rd Rock from the Sun is an American sitcom that aired from 1996 until 2001 on NBC. The show is about a group of extraterrestrials on an expedition of what they consider to be the least important planet, Earth , while posing as a human family of four, to observe human beings.- Basic premise :"As...
during a visit to a Scifi convention.
- Servo, along with Crow, has a cameo appearance (appropriately in silhouette) in the Futurama
Futurama is an animated American sci-fi sitcom created by Matt Groening and developed by Groening and David X. Cohen for the Fox network. The series follows the adventures of a late 20th-century New York City pizza delivery boy, Philip J...
episode "Raging Bender"Raging Bender" is the eighth episode in the second production season of Futurama. It originally aired in North America on February 27, 2000 as the twelfth episode of the second broadcast season. The episode was written by Lewis Morton and directed by Ron Hughart...
".
- A DJ
Hip hop production is the creation of hip hop music. Modern hip hop production uses samplers, sequencers, drum machines, synthesizers, turntables, and live instrumentation. Though the term encompasses all aspects of hip hop music, it's most commonly used to refer to the instrumental, non-lyrical...
with the DoomtreeDoomtree is a hip hop collective based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Members of Doomtree bring various bases of knowledge and musical backgrounds together to create alternative-influenced rap and hip hop music. Nearly as prominent as the influence of hip-hop in their music is that of punk and their...
crew is named Tom Servo.
- Servo makes an appearance in silhouette in the Homestar Runner
Homestar Runner is a Flash animated Internet cartoon. It mixes surreal humor with references to 1970s, '80s, and '90s pop culture, notably video games, classic television, and popular music...
cartoon "A Jorb Well Done", during a short scene in a theater. See the Homestar Runner Wiki for more information.
- He, along with Crow and Gypsy, make an appearance in the Star Wars
Star Wars is an epic space opera franchise initially conceived by George Lucas. The first film in the franchise was originally released on May 25, 1977, by 20th Century Fox, and became a worldwide pop culture phenomenon, spawning two immediate sequels, released at three-year intervals...
parody comic Tag and Bink: Revenge of the Clone MenaceTag and Bink: Revenge of the Clone Menace is a comic book published on 26 April 2006 by Dark Horse Comics. The story is set in the Star Wars galaxy, and tells the origins of Tag Greenly and Bink Atauna. The entire story takes place during the storylines of The Phantom Menace and Attack of the...
.
- In the webcomic Commander Kitty Nin Wah gets a Tom Servo arm when her real prosthetic is confiscated by the jail staff.
External links