Blockheads (Gumby)

The Blockheads are clay animated characters in the Gumby television series, created by animator Art Clokey; they are a pair of humanoid, red-colored figures, who were Gumby's nemeses. As their name indicates, their heads are block-shaped and marked either with the letter "G" or "J"; they are silent and wreaked mischief and havoc wherever and whenever they could.

According to Clokey, the Blockheads were inspired by the Katzenjammer Kids, who were always getting into scrapes and causing discomfort to others. [http://www.gumbyworld.com/memorylane/histblkhd.htm] Although some sources describe them as numskulls, the closest they have come to stupidity seems to be getting caught by Gumby and his pals. Since the Gumby series began in a toy store setting, the Blockheads evolved from toy blocks that were placed in the store.

The Blockheads' misdeeds

*In the early Gumby episode "The Blockheads," the Blockheads slip ice cream into Gumby's milkshake, while Gumby and Pokey are traveling through the Old West. The bartender serves the laced milkshake and Gumby becomes stiff as a result. The Blockheads take advantage of this in order to kidnap Pokey. However, Gumby blasts himself through the sky by firing off his pistols and lands on the Blockheads, saving Pokey.

*In the episode "Gumby Racer," the Blockheads are a mischievous pit crew who sabotage Gumby’s racecar. Gumby molds himself into a car. The Blockheads attempt to stop their enemy by throwing things at him, blowing bridges up, and blocking tunnels with rocks. The Blockheads were used for many things, and can be found in many different stores today.

*In another early episode, "Gumbot", the Blockheads kidnap Gumby and turn him into a robot in order to enslave him. However his friends found the Blockheads' lair and freed him.

*In "School For Squares", the Blockheads try to make more Blockheads by kidnapping Indians. Gumby responded to this by turning them into Indians.

The Blockheads in other media

*In the 1995 "Gumby: The Movie", the Blockheads discover that Gumby's dog, Lowbelly, cries pearls when he hears the music performed by Gumby's band, the Clayboys. The Blockheads kidnap Lowbelly and the Clayboys and create clone robots of them, forcing the robots to go after Gumby and play music to get Lowbelly's pearls. Gumby stopped them at the last second and punished them by making them do farm labor.
*In the video game "Gumby Versus the Astrobots", released on Game Boy Advance in 2005, the Blockheads appear as non-player characters. They take control of Proffesser Kapp's astrobots, who chase Gumby’s friends Pokey, Prickle, and Goo into the Toyland books.

External links

* [http://www.gumbyworld.com/memorylane/histblkhd.htm GumbyWorld: The Block-Heads]
* [http://www.everwonder.com/david/gumby/early.html Gumby: Pictures, Sounds, and Videos]