- “Ay, ay, ay!”
- ―Bumblebee Man's Catchphrase
Pedro Chespirito, or Bumblebee Man, is the star of a Spanish-language television sitcom on Channel 8, in which he dresses in a bumblebee costume and performs slapstick comedy.
Contents
Biography
Bumblebee Man's parents died while they were playing paintball. Chip Davis helped Bumblebee Man to get over his grief of the death of his parents.
Costume
Bumblebee Man never takes off his costume in public, and almost never in private. The sole exception is a short segment showing his private life in "22 Short Films About Springfield". In addition to being seen costume-less, Bumblebee Man is shown as being genuinely clumsy rather than simply acting as such. In the end, his house is destroyed and his wife leaves him [1].
His bowling shirt has the name Pedro on it [2], which is his first name.
Language and Nationality
Bumblebee Man speaks Spanish primarily, but is once shown speaking in articulate English when he replaced Kent Brockman for a brief moment and when talking to his producer [3].
Generally, Bumblebee Man speaks in simple, over-enunciated (and often inaccurate) Spanish sentences. His catchphrases of choice are typically "¡Ay, ay, ay, no me gusta!" ("I don't like it!"), "¡Ay, ay, ay, no es bueno!" ("That's not good!") and "¡Ay, Dios no me ama!" ("God doesn't love me!"). Quite commonly, his phrases will be intentionally sloppy Spanish: For example, saying "wudpequero" for "woodpecker," when it's actually "pájaro carpintero" [4]. This can be explained by influences from the English-speaking community which he lives in.
In The Simpsons: Tapped Out iPad game, meanwhile, he confesses to Lisa that he is actually Norwegian.
In the few instances that he speaks English, he uses a southeastern British Accent.
Bumblebee Man as chihuahua.
Other Facts
In "Flaming Moe", Bumblebee Man is indicated to be a member of the Furry fandom (a fanbase for anthropomorphic animals), and is shown holding a sign saying "Furries Fur Moe".
He got kissed by a donkey in The Simpsons Movie.
Non-Canon Appearances
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The contents of this article or section are considered to be non-canon and therefore may not have actually happened/existed. |
The Simpsons Game
Bumblebee Man appears as one of the contestants in the Duff Ultimate Eating Challenge[5].
The Simpsons: Tapped Out
Bumblebee Man comments that he is originally from Norway and he takes Spanish lessons.
The Simpsons Spin-Off Showcase
At the end of the special Troy McClure explains that Selma will marry him.
Treehouse of Horror series
In the final segment "Treehouse of Horror X", he shown boarding the rocket ship to Mars.
Behind the Laughter
Character Origins
Bumblebee Man is a caricature of El Chapulín Colorado ("The Red Grasshopper"), a character created and portrayed by Mexican television comedian Roberto Gómez Bolaños (best known by his pseudonym "Chespirito"), and his show consists of simple skits, often involving heavy slapstick. Channel 8 is a reference to El Chavo del Ocho, by the same creators. In several DVD commentaries, the show's producers say that whenever they watched Telemundo, this character was always "on," and then they created Bumblebee Man, who is also always "on". Roberto Gómez Bolaños passed away on November 28th, 2014.[6][7]
In Other Languages
In the Spanish-language version of the show, the humor of Bumblebee Man (known in this version as hombre abejorro in the Spanish-speaking countries of Latin America, or el hombre abeja in Spain) relies on the fact that he wears a gigantic bee costume and frequently engages in physical comedy; there has been no effort made to translate his speech to another language. However, in the Latin American version, he speaks with an over-the-top Mexican accent and in the version that airs in Spain, he does so with a Mexican accent. The Japanese version leaves Hank Azaria's performance untouched.
Trivia
- The only episode he appears without his costume is "22 Short Films About Springfield".
- In episode "Four Regrettings And A Funeral", he mentions that his parents were killed while playing paintball. Chip Davis helped him deal with his grief.
- The Bumblebee Man had a pale white skin complexion on Virtual Springfield. He appeared twice in the Windows and Mac versions of the video game. The first place he appeared in was "NoiseLand Arcade" where he made his debut in the game "Smite of the Bumblebee" that Professor Frink plays while the player enters the location. The second place he appeared in was on The Simpson Family's rabbit eared TV set where his bottom can be seen burning heavily.
- He is neighbors with Sea Captain.[8][9]
- Lisa believed him to be attempting to kill Homer in "The Great Louse Detective", but Sideshow Bob discovered it was actually Frank Grimes Jr.
- In the episode "Haw-Haw Land", it is shown that there are actually two guys in the costume.
- He is left-handed.[10]
Appearances
Gallery
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Citations
- ↑ 22 Short Films About Springfield
- ↑ Team Homer
- ↑ Bart Gets Famous
- ↑ Season 7 DVD Commentary - "22 Short Films About Springfield" - The crude Spanish was used deliberately so that American viewers would still understand what was being said.
- ↑ Around the World in 80 Bites
- ↑ Roberto Gómez Bolaños ‘Chespirito’ Dies: Mexican Legend Dead At 85 From Heart Failure, Latin Times, November 28, 2014
- ↑ Murió Roberto Gómez Bolaños, 'Chespirito', Noticieros Televisa, November 28, 2014 (in Spanish — English translation via Google Translate)
- ↑ The Simpsons Movie
- ↑ Robot Chicken couch gag
- ↑ Simpsons Comics
