Professor Bobo is a fictional character who appeared in the final three seasons of ''

Mystery Science Theater 3000 ''Mystery Science Theater 3000'' (abbreviated as ''MST3K'') is an American science fiction comedy film review television series created by Joel Hodgson. The show premiered on KTMA-TV (now WUCW) in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on November 24, 1988. ...

'', a comedy television series that mocks

B-movie A B movie or B film is a low-budget commercial motion picture. In its original usage, during the Golden Age of Hollywood, the term more precisely identified films intended for distribution as the less-publicized bottom half of a double featur ...

s. Played by Kevin Murphy (who also voiced and operated robot

Tom Servo Tom Servo is a fictional character from the American science fiction comedy television show ''Mystery Science Theater 3000'' (''MST3K''). Tom is one of two wise-cracking, robotic main characters of the show, built by Joel Robinson to act as a com ...

on the show), Bobo is a sapient, speaking gorilla from the year 2525, an homage to the film ''

Planet of the Apes ''Planet of the Apes'' is an American science fiction media franchise consisting of films, books, television series, comics, and other media about a world in which humans and intelligent apes clash for control. The franchise is based on Frenc ...

''. According to his family tree, he is the son of Coco and heir to the great lineage of Godo, Mogo and Chim-Chim. Professor Bobo is a curious mixture of eminent scientist, descended from a long line of supposedly respected apes, and of sensory-driven primate, often regressing to more primitive desires and actions. In the first three shows of Season 8, he leads an ape laboratory directed by the " Lawgiver" (''

'') to continue the movie-watching "experiments" on Mike Nelson and his robots, again trapped in the ''

Satellite of Love "Satellite of Love" is a song by Lou Reed. It is the second single from his 1972 album ''Transformer''. At the time of its release, it achieved minor US chart success (#119), though it later became a staple of his concerts and compilation albums. ...

''. In subsequent shows, Bobo travels with the Lawgiver, who turns out to be

Pearl Forrester Pearl Forrester is a fictional character on '' Mystery Science Theater 3000'', and is played by Mary Jo Pehl. Pearl is the mother of Dr. Clayton Forrester ( Trace Beaulieu). Initially devised as a guest character, Pearl became a supporting charac ...

(inheriting the mad scientist role from her son, Dr. Clayton Forrester). Bobo ultimately becomes one of her henchmen after his planet is destroyed when Mike Nelson helps the apes and their new mutant friends activate an atomic bomb (a reference to ''PotA'' sequel ''

Beneath the Planet of the Apes ''Beneath the Planet of the Apes'' is a 1970 American science fiction film directed by Ted Post and written by Paul Dehn. It is the second of five films in the original ''Planet of the Apes'' series produced by Arthur P. Jacobs. The film stars Ja ...

''). Despite his title of "Professor", Bobo demonstrated remarkably little intelligence after leaving Earth of 2525. He was revealed to be

illiterate Literacy in its broadest sense describes "particular ways of thinking about and doing reading and writing" with the purpose of understanding or expressing thoughts or ideas in written form in some specific context of use. In other words, hum ...

(which may apply only to English and not the ape language), and in episode #820:

Space Mutiny ''Space Mutiny'' (also known as ''Mutiny in Space'') is a 1988 South African - US space opera action film about a mutiny aboard the generation ship known as the ''Southern Sun''. The film has since developed a cult following after being featu ...

, he inadvertently obstructed Pearl's attempts to free the "Mads" from captivity in

Nero Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus ( ; born Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus; 15 December AD 37 – 9 June AD 68), was the fifth Roman emperor and final emperor of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, reigning from AD 54 un ...

nian

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

, and starts the

Great Fire of Rome The Great Fire of Rome ( la, incendium magnum Romae) occurred in July AD 64. The fire began in the merchant shops around Rome's chariot stadium, Circus Maximus, on the night of 19 July. After six days, the fire was brought under control, but before ...

by knocking over a lamp in his haste to steal a wheel of cheese. In the final episode (#1013 '' Danger: Diabolik''), he boasted of his new "job" at a

zoo A zoo (short for zoological garden; also called an animal park or menagerie) is a facility in which animals are kept within enclosures for public exhibition and often bred for conservation purposes. The term ''zoological garden'' refers to zoo ...

, possibly unaware of his future role as a

specimen Specimen may refer to: Science and technology * Sample (material), a limited quantity of something which is intended to be similar to and represent a larger amount * Biological specimen or biospecimen, an organic specimen held by a biorepository ...

External links

Mystery Science Theater 3000 characters Fictional gorillas Television characters introduced in 1997 Male characters in television {{comedy-tv-char-stub

See also

External links