There are many burning questions about the sci-fi animated TV series Futurama, from whether Scruffy the janitor is a zombie to why Richard Nixon howls. Like other popular animated shows, Futurama has a tradition of celebrity guest stars playing themselves, including Al Gore, Pauly Shore, Leonard Neroy, George Takei, and Stephen Hawking. The series also featured a unique take on historical figures, such as Richard Nixon and George Washington.
While the fact that Futurama delved into politics would be memorable enough, the show's portrayal of Nixon stands out because fans wonder why does Nixon go "aroo!" It turns out that there's a logical and compelling explanation.
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The Reason Why Nixon Howls On Futurama
The reason why Richard Nixon howls on Futurama is that Billy West watched Nixon on TV when he was a child and thought he seemed like a werewolf. In 2010, West was interviewed by NPR and he said:
"I would do that werewolf kind of noise like 'A-roo?' because I was a kid when Nixon was debating Kennedy on television, and we got to watch it. And on one side, here's this GQ model with that buttered-toast, perfect game-show hair, you know, and then there's this sweaty mess with jowls and a 5:00 shadow that came in at 2:00 and sweating."
West continued:
"I said to my mom: Mom, it looks like he's going to turn into a werewolf, you know, because it was like Larry Talbot turning into the werewolf, you know. You know, that's what it looked like to me. So that's why I gave him that sort of thing. Everybody said why do you -why does he say a-roo? Why? Why? And I said, well, it's just a thing of my own that I threw in there."
Futurama Creators | David X. Cohen and Matt Groening |
|---|---|
Number Of Seasons | 8 seasons |
Airdates | March 28th, 1999-August 10th, 2003 |
Revival | July 24th, 2023-TBA |
Voice Actors | John DiMaggio, Billy West, Katey Sagal, David Herman, Tress MacNeille |
Where To Watch | Hulu |
Why Nixon howls on Futurama is one of the most entertaining and fascinating aspects of the TV series. Like the unique Futurama character Lars, Nixon is a great example of how the series tells smart, funny stories with a sci-fi element that doesn't exist on other shows. It's hard to imagine that another series could feature a plotline with politicians' heads and have one political howl and have it be witty and whimsical, not corny or strange.
Nixon's Futurama Character Arc, Explained
Richard Nixon is introduced in the Futurama episode "A Head of the Polls," which is episode 3 of season 2. Leela (Katey Sagal) is nervous about who will be elected President of Planet Earth, and she wants to motivate the staff at Planet Express to get out on voting day. Instead of telling a straightforward story about voting or a candidate running for office, Futurama introduces Nixon as one of the many politicians' heads in the New New York Head Museum's Hall of Presidents. Like some episodes of The Simpsons that are better today, "A Head of the Polls" only improves with time.
Why Nixon howls on Futurama is a fun element of "A Head of the Polls" but just one small part since the main storyline is so entertaining. In a humorous take on Nixon's Watergate scandal by telling a story about Nixon's head using Bender (John DiMaggio) to run for President once again. Nixon has corrupt, dark plans, and Bender proves his intelligence when he records him talking about what he wants to do. At the end of the episode, Nixon has a huge war robot's body, and he has been elected by just one vote. Like the end of Marianne's Futurama character arc, Futurama's Nixon is given a real conclusion when he shows himself to be more evil than the others imagined.
Besides why Nixon howls on Futurama, the character has some quotes that stand out since he is bold and says what he thinks. In one scene, he says:
"Nixon with charisma? I COULD RULE THE UNIVERSE!"
When Nixon's head explains that he has a terrifying plan if he is elected, he says, "Computers may be twice as fast as they were in 1973" but he doesn't think that voters are intelligent. Fry hilariously answers "Well, he lost my vote" and Nixon says:
"Like one vote ever made a difference."
Since Nixon ends up winning by one vote on Futurama, this is a great line delivered at just the right moment. Although there are several emotional Futurama episodes, "A Head of the Polls" is a funny, clever take on the nerves people feel on Election Day about voting in a candidate with similar values. Wondering why Nixon howls on Futurama fun of the episode, and it's interesting to hear the backstory.
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