Slapper (RID)
From Transformers Wiki
| The name or term "Slapper" refers to more than one character or idea. For a list of other meanings, see Slapper (disambiguation). |
- Slapper is a Predacon originally from the Robots in Disguise continuity family.
Slapper is a dim-witted thug, even by Predacon standards. He's just about smart enough to have a cruel sense of humor, enjoying the failures and injuries inflicted on his own teammates. Slapper manages to combine stealth and stupidity; his prowess in amphibious assaults makes it easy for him to sneak up on foes, but he's so gullible that once he gets there, he can just about be talked out of fighting.
His official role is Marshland Trooper,[1] in a campaign that never once went to a marsh.
Contents |
Fiction
Cartoon continuity
2001 Robots in Disguise cartoon
- Voice actor: Peter Lurie (English), Ryō Naitō (Japanese), Mikhail Tihonov (Russian), Davide Lepore (Italian), Carlos del Campo (Latin-American Spanish), Carlos Marques (Brazilian Portuguese)
Megatron invited the Predacon trio to the battlefield in New York, where they fought over who was going to defeat Optimus Prime. When the Autobot Brothers arrived, Slapper attempted to fight X-Brawn and was told to measure his tongue while the Autobot ascended to the top of a building and strafed him from above. Once Doctor Onishi was in Megatron's grasp, the trio were blown into the sky by Side Burn's missile. Battle Protocol!
When the Predacons brought back a pile of small batteries to use as energy, Megatron was not impressed and put Sky-Byte in charge of them on a mission to retrieve an explosive device. The trio found the car and prepared to take it to Megatron, but Sky-Byte destroyed the car and took the bomb. The shark was himself intercepted by X-Brawn, who inadvertently activated the device, causing the three Predacons to flee. Back at base, they observed Sky-Byte trying to work out how to understand humans by reading their literature. An Explosive Situation
Slapper destroyed a freight train and found himself mocked by Sky-Byte for being useless. Sky-Byte aimed to attack the super-advanced Linear RFG train instead. To that end, Slapper and Gas Skunk planted a pulsar bomb on a bridge on the bullet train's course, and found themselves fighting both the Autobot Brothers and Optimus Prime. Although they were eventually chased off, they succeeded in destroying the bridge, forcing the Autobots to save the train. Bullet Train to the Rescue
After a failed attempt to steal the Plutonium Energy Generator from a building, the Predacon trio tried again while the generator was being transported by truck. Slapper hacked into the traffic control computer and caused a city-wide traffic jam. After chasing off the truck drivers, Slapper and Gas Skunk picked up the generator (and Dark Scream) and made off with it. They ended up on the beach where the Spychangers ran rings around them. Sky-Byte turned up and managed to blast the Spychangers, allowing Slapper and Gas Skunk to spirit away the generator (lamenting that Sky-Byte never seemed to do the heavy lifting himself). Unfortunately when they got back to base, it turned out that the generator had been switched with a statue. Spychangers to the Rescue
Slapper and Gas Skunk worked on tapping some deep-sea power lines, with Slapper spoiling for a fight. As it turned out, when the Autobots turned up to foil their plan, Slapper didn't get to do any fighting anyway. The Hunt for Black Pyramid To distract the Autobots from Megatron's real plan, the Predacon trio attacked Metro City and kept Team Bullet Train busy. Slapper's suggestion for Gas Skunk to use his acid breath backfired when Railspike ignited the acid and Slapper and Dark Scream got flambéed. The Secret of the Ruins
After Side Burn was captured by Megatron, Sky-Byte and the Predacon trio ended up guarding the Autobot. Slapper asked Side Burn about his affection for red sports cars, and was suckered in by the Autobot's tall tales. Unsurprisingly he was also fooled by the vehicle disguises worn by Prowl and X-Brawn when they arrived to rescue Side Burn. Sideburn's Obsession
The three Predacons investigated a laboratory pointed to by information extracted from Doctor Onishi and Slapper stole a disk with his tongue. The disk contained information which the Predacons interpreted to indicate that a steam train was some sort of weapon and set about trying to steal the locomotive. Slapper jumped on the train after the failure of his two comrades, and was promptly jumped and pummelled by Midnight Express, who had formed an attachment to "Grandpa". After the train was successfully stolen, Slapper and Gas Skunk redirected it via a secondary rail line towards Megatron. Secret Weapon: D-5
Although the Spychangers managed to foil the Predacons' attempted theft of a ruby, Gas Skunk managed to sneak a bug onto Mirage. The Predacons listened keenly as Mirage appeared to fall out with the other Autobots and convinced Megatron that they should let Mirage join them. Unfortunately, the defection turned out to be a ruse anyway. Mirage's Betrayal
The Autobots entered the Great Race to locate one of their comrades who'd gone missing. The Predacon trio attempted to drop a rock-slide on the Autobot forces, and were taken aback when Optimus leapt from boulder to boulder to reach the cliff-top they were on. The trio swiftly fled. Skid Z's Choice
After spying new Autobot Tow-Line and his overzealousness in towing illegally parked vehicles, the Predacon trio captured the Autobot and set about trying to brainwash him. Slapper attempted to hypnotise Tow-Line with a swinging pendant, but only succeeded in putting himself to sleep. Gas Skunk recommended using a metronome... which also put Slapper to sleep. Eventually they managed to brainwash Tow-Line with a disc, and sat back while he began abducting Autobots from around the city. Unfortunately a malfunction meant Tow-Line dropped off the captives at the wrong location, and by the time the Predacons located him, Optimus Prime and Prowl had already cured him of the rogue programming. Tow-Line Goes Haywire
The Predacons were again misled by information obtained from Doctor Onishi, leading them to think there was a transforming statue. Slapper attempted to get a statue to transform, but was chased off by the Autobots. Sky-Byte and the Predacon trio found the Cave of the Dragon finally, and were frightened off by a ruse of the Autobots to make them believe that the transforming robot was hostile. The Ultimate Robot Warrior
Slapper, Gas Skunk, Dark Scream, and Sky-Byte faced off against the Spychangers once more on the beach. The battle ended with an all-too-familiar retreat on the Predacons' part. Hope for the Future
Not all of Doctor Onishi's information was unhelpful. The Predacons were sent to Castle Peak in America, where they began digging and unearthed a crashed Autobot spaceship. After Megatron retrieved the six protoforms from inside it, he impressed the Predacons with his plan to imbue them with code from his own spark, although Slapper got somewhat too carried away with the adjectives. The Predacons began scanning new vehicle modes for the protoforms, creating the Decepticons. The Decepticons Unfortunately this development left the Predacons as second-stringers to the new troops. Sky-Byte came up with the idea to disguise themselves to get the Decepticons and Autobots to destroy each other. With typical finesse all four of them picked Optimus Prime to dress up as, but the Decepticons and Autobots ended up fighting anyway. Commandos
Digging under the volcano on Montrose Island, the three Predacons were first assaulted by some bats, then chased by molten lava. They eventually reached the ocean, and were forced to dive when the lava followed them over the cliff. Volcano On a later mission, Sky-Byte had the trio attempt to draw Megatron's face in the ground to indicate a rendezvous point. They did get to fight X-Brawn though. Attack from Outer Space
Slapper was next seen kneeling before Megatron as Sky-Byte made his apologies for his latest fumble, this time claiming that Scourge had betrayed the Predacon cause. Turns out, Scourge was only pretending to be a traitor as part of an elaborate plan orchestrated by Megatron. The Test
Slapper caught Sky-Byte hogging the computer to do on-line fish tests, and pointed out that frogs eat jellyfish (to which the retort was that sharks eat brainless toads). Sky-Byte's latest plan involved the Predacons disguising themselves as Autobots so Slapper disguised himself as Side Burn. When this plan failed, Slapper jokingly suggested Sky-Byte should tell the Autobots where the Decepticons were planning to attack, and was taken seriously. The Autobots distrusted Sky-Byte, naturally, until Slapper got the shark to do the "Universal Greeting Dance". Although the new plan ultimately failed as well, Slapper decided it was worth it to see Sky-Byte bark like a seal. Gas Skunk ventured the opinion that he needed to get a life. The Fish Test
Sky-Byte and the three Predacons raided a diamond mine in Antarctica in order to lure the Autobots into a trap. The Build Team turned up instead of the expected Autobot Brothers, but Sky-Byte took their leader, Wedge captive. The Build Team tried to exchange him for a disk with a map of the Global Space Bridge and, after a chase with a penguin, the Predacons obtained their prize. Unfortunately it turned out to just be a map of some sewers. Wedge's Short Fuse
Sucked into another of Sky-Byte's plans to attack the CGA Tower, the Predacon trio instead found themselves holding the building up after the shark had an abrupt change of plans and insisted everyone save the hostages. Much complaining ensued. In the end the tower was saved, but the Predacons realised they still hadn't gotten the O-Parts Sky-Byte was after. Sky-Byte Saves the Day
The Predacon trio were put in charge of guarding the Autobot Brothers after their capture. They didn't last very long when the newly arrived Ultra Magnus came to the Autobots' rescue. The Two Faces of Ultra Magnus
Hiding in some bushes, the Predacons observed the failure of one of Scourge's plans and observed that he was still Megatron's favourite. They attempted to join the battle only to flee when Optimus and Ultra Magnus merged to become Omega Prime. Power to Burn!
During the Autobots' hunt for the O-Parts, Slapper helped Sky-Byte attempt to hide fake O-Parts. The toad was not of a lot of help, not being able to tell the fake ones from the real ones. He asked if he could keep the fake ones anyway, since they were kinda cool. He sensibly sat out the rest of the plans and let Sky-Byte make a fool of himself on his own. A Friendly Contest
The Predacon trio accompanied Megatron and the Decepticons to the Sahara to recover the Orb of Sigma. Their main contribution was to attempt to flee when the cavern in which the Orb was located began to collapse, and subsequently became buried under rubble. They were able to dig themselves out, only to find their energy being drained by a mysterious force. Peril from the Past This didn't seem to slow them down, as they were hanging out with Sky-Byte again soon after the Autobots found Cerebros, and were able to snatch the 'bot while the Decepticons kept the Autobots busy. Although they turned up to the battle in Metro City to claim Fortress Maximus, their contribution to the fight was minimal. Maximus Emerges
With the Decepticons' treachery taking them out of favour with Galvatron (as Megatron had become), the Predacons found themselves moving up in the hierarchy finally. They took part in the attack on the Autobot base, and were lured into a trap by Optimus Prime. The trio wisely took shelter once the Megastar turned up to add its fire-power to the fight, but the battle station was soon destroyed by Fortress Maximus. Surprise Attack! They continued to contribute little to the ongoing battle, and ended up following Sky-Byte into the space bridge when he and the Decepticons pursued the retreating Autobots in. Thus they were subsequently also trapped when Galvatron flooded the tunnel with molten lava. Galvatron's Revenge Fortunately for them, they survived and went on to face the Autobots again (and were swiftly trampled into the dirt).
After the defeat of Galvatron and his Decepticons, Slapper, Gas Skunk and Dark Scream were rounded up and shipped off to an asteroid prison colony on board Fortress Maximus. As all the other villains argued and shrieked vengeance from within their Phantom Zone-like prison cells, the Predacon trio lamented that Sky-Byte had been left stranded on Earth; a fate they considered worse than incarceration. The Final Battle
Dreamwave Robots in Disguise comic
When Megatron ordered Sky-Byte and Scourge to steal an experimental nuclear generator from the humans, it became a competition between the Predacons and Decepticons to see who could grab the glory for the mission. Despite this, Slapper still managed to be rather bumbling, letting his tongue out too far for other 'Cons to step on or trip over. Once the Autobots arrived, at battle was joined, but Slapper's swollen tongue was no match for Optimus Prime. Eventually, Scourge called off the fight by threatening an innocent human life dangling from a ledge. Not wanting to see innocents hurt, Sky-Byte ordered Slapper and Gas Skunk to "innocently" carry the generator past Scourge at a critical moment, spoiling his aim and giving Prime and Ultra Magnus a chance to punch his clock. Slapp then flew off on Sky-Byte's fin, the Predacons having successfully stolen the generator while Scourge was fooling around with the Autobots. Ultra Magnus...to the Rescue?
Japanese Generation 1 cartoon continuity
Unite Warriors
While in the process of reformatting the Commandos back to their original programming, the Autobots of the post-Cybertron Alliance era recounted how they were corrupted by Gigatron and his Destrongers. Ruination Chapter, Part One
Legends comic
When Gigatron and Sky-Byte ended their evil ways and joined the Dimensional Patrol, Dark Scream, Gas Skunk, and Slapper were released from prison and followed suit. As part of the Patrol, they helped defend the Legends World from a Zamojin army and rather enjoyed being heroes. Legends World in Imminent Danger! Part One
3H comics
Slapper was part of the coalition army which fought back the Quintesson invasion of the recently reformatted technorganic Cybertron. He and Stampy leapt onto an escaping dropship and planted bombs on it, leaping to safety before the bombs exploded and brought the ship back down to the surface. Wreckers: Finale Part II
Wings Universe
After the end of the Great War, Sky-Byte retrieved many stasis pods from Jhiaxus's laboratory to create a new Predacon army with the original Predacons. Slapper and Dark Scream were among the first to emerge. A Common Foe
Shell Game continuity
In Viron 704.31 Epsilon, Sky-Byte rescued Gas Skunk, Dark Scream, and Slapper from having to serve the megalomaniacal Megazarak. They later came to the aid of Defensor during the last Autobot's final battle with Megazarak. Ask Vector Prime, 2015/07/30
Toys
Robots in Disguise (2001)
- Goosher (Basic, 2000)
- ID number: D-004
- Accessories: Tongue-mace
- Known designers: Yuichiro Hira (TakaraTomy), Masakatsu Saito (concept artist)
- A redeco of the Beast Wars Transmetal 2 Basic Class Predacon Spittor, Car Robots Goosher transforms into a monstrous techno-organic toad. His beast mode tongue acts as a hand-held flail weapon for robot mode, and can also be stored on his back. He also has a flip-up claw on his toad back, usable (if awkwardly so) in both modes.
- His Predacon spark crystal is hidden on the roof of his toad-head's mouth, which can be flipped up to simulate his in-show "Right Laser" attack.
- Both Goosher and Slapper (below) use the resculpted round robot mode chin variant of the Transmetal 2 Spittor.[2]
- Dark Scream / Gas Skunk / Slapper (Mega Class 3-pack, 2001)
- Accessories: Tongue-mace
- Known designers: Yuichiro Hira (TakaraTomy), Masakatsu Saito (concept artist)
- For his Hasbro Robots in Disguise release, Slapper was only available in a Mega-sized 3-pack with his fellow stooges, Dark Scream and Gas Skunk.
- The Hasbro version of Slapper has only a slight difference from the Takara release, having a much richer emerald-green chrome on his beast-mode eyes, rather than the paler green of Car Robots Goosher. (Oddly, Goosher's packaging shows him with the richer green found on the later Hasbro release.)
Notes
- Slapper's Japanese name, Goosher (グッシャー Gusshā), is a play on gusha (愚者, "goofball") and gushagusha (ぐしゃぐしゃ), onomatopoeia for a wet or crushing noise, much like what happens to frogs if they get stepped on.
- According to the early Car Robots bible, Goosher has the following statistics:
- Height: 4 meters
- Weight: 3 tons
- Slapper's tongue is 42 feet, 3 inches long. He measured it himself in "Battle Protocol!".
- According to the Car Robots toy catalog, Dark Scream, Gas Skunk, and Slapper make up a subgroup known as the "3 Metal Beast Brothers" (メタルビースト３兄弟 Metaru Bīsuto 3 Kyōdai). Apparently, Takara's intent was to have them parallel the "3 Car Robo Brothers" (as Prowl, Side Burn, and X-Brawn were called in Japan), but this subgroup name was never used in the show's Japanese version, nor was any familial relationship implied between the three.
- The now-defunct Fox Kids website had a bio for Slapper that referred to his, Dark Scream's, and Gas Skunk's three-member team as the "Predacon Field Squadron".[3] This bio (like the others from that site) was derived from a longer bio for Slapper given in the production bible for the Robots in Disguise English dub.[4] However, this team name was never used in the show itself.
- In the United Kingdom, "slapper" is a very rude thing to call a woman, having the same meaning as "slag". Unlike Slag, Slapper's name has continued to see use as recent as 2010, but it probably won't last if a new toy is made.
- Wartoad was a preliminary name considered by Hasbro before finalizing "Slapper".[5]
- In the Japanese version, Slapper speaks with a Kansai dialect, sort of the Japanese equivalent of "old-fashioned, backwoods goofus". Think hillbillies in the US with a fixation on money.
- Early plans for The Wreckers comic called for Goosher to join their ranks. However, these plans predated the importing of Car Robots to the West, and when those plans were made known, 3H replaced Goosher with the original version of the toy mold, Spittor. This also mandated a hasty change to the coloration of the promotional group-shot. Traces of the original coloration can still be seen in the final version, such as Spittor's hands being a lighter blue than the rest of his arms. Ultimately, Slapper did make an appearance in The Wreckers, though not as part of the title group.
Foreign names
- Japanese: Goosher (グッシャー Gusshā)
- Russian: Yashcher (Ящер, "Lizard")
