Coneheads

For the 1993 movie, see Coneheads (film). For the insects named "conehead", see Conocephalus, or Protura.

The Coneheads is a sketch on Saturday Night Live which originated on the January 15, 1977 episode, and starred Dan Aykroyd as father Beldar, Jane Curtin as mother Prymaat, and Laraine Newman as daughter Connie.

Summary

The Coneheads are an alien family, natives of the planet Remulak, who find themselves stranded on Earth. When questioned by Earth neighbors as to their strange behavior, they inevitably reply that they are "from Remulak, a small town in France".

The Coneheads' most distinguishing feature is that the tops of their heads are shaped like large cones. Their unearthly appearance, however, is never strongly questioned—a point from which much of the humor was derived. The only time the shape of their head has ever come into question is in the film (by Tom Arnold in a quick cameo).

Aside from their obvious physical differences, the Coneheads also have a very fast, nasal, monotone speech, and seem to have much larger appetites than average humans. They would eat large amounts of food during meals (which they refer to as "consuming mass quantities"), drink entire six packs of beer at once, and smoke whole packs of cigarettes at a time. Despite their distinctions, they are never suspected of being aliens by anyone who encounters them (even when accidentally referring to their neighbors as "Earthlings").

Much humor derives from the Coneheads' use of over-technical dialogue, such as referring to food as "consumables", and saying "I summon you" to ask to speak to another person. The somewhat popular term "parental unit" also comes from the sketches. They engage in strange behaviors, such as rubbing their cones together as a sign of affection ("honing their cones") at which point a bizarre, theremin-like noise is emitted, presumably from the cones themselves. There is also a game they play involving tossing rings over each other's cones, which is somehow sexual in nature, and is considered taboo for the underaged Connie to play.

Dan Aykroyd said he developed the idea for the Coneheads based on the Moai, the mysterious and ancient stone statues of Easter Island, which have similarly conical heads, and the people of the land of Points from Harry Nilsson's The Point!.

Frank Zappa wrote a song based on the sketches, titled "Conehead". It appeared on his 1981 album You Are What You Is. When he hosted SNL, Zappa also appeared in a Coneheads sketch as a man dating Connie, where he makes note that he prefers Frenchwomen.^[1]

The concept was turned into a Rankin/Bass animated special, The Coneheads, in 1983,^[2] and a movie, Coneheads, in 1993, with Aykroyd and Curtin reprising their roles in both. Michelle Burke took over the role of Connie in the film, with Newman appearing as Connie's aunt on Remulak. Marvel Comics produced a comic book limited series, with all original stories set after the events of the film. The feature film was licensed to Playmates Toys and a line of action figures were created, designed by the development team from Pangea Corporation.

SNL appearances

• January 15, 1977: The Coneheads at Home
• February 26, 1977: The Coneheads at Home
• March 26, 1977: The Farbers Meet The Coneheads
• April 16, 1977: The Coneheads At Home
• May 21, 1977: Return Of The Coneheads
• October 29, 1977: Return Of The Coneheads
• January 21, 1978: Family Feud
• March 18, 1978: The Coneheads On Earth
• May 13, 1978: Cone Encounters Of The Third Kind
• October 21, 1978: The Coneheads At Home
• February 24, 1979: The Coneheads At The Movies

^[3]

See also

• Recurring Saturday Night Live characters and sketches

References

1. ^ Zappa, Frank (September 23, 1981). ""Conehead". You Are What You Is". Barking Pumpkin Records. http://globalia.net/donlope/fz/lyrics/You_Are_What_You_Is.html#Conehead. Retrieved 2007-05-12. 
2. ^ Coneheads at the Internet Movie Database
3. ^ SNL Archives)

External links

• Transcript of SNL sketch, Season 3, Episode 14