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Klaus (American Dad!)
Encyclopedia
Klaus Heissler is a fictional character on the television series American Dad!
. He is voiced by Dee Bradley Baker
. Despite possessing the brain of a German man and living in the body of a goldfish, the Smith family keeps him under the guise that he is their pet goldfish
.
Klaus is often used as sounding board
for other characters to share what would otherwise be internal monologue
s. Of the main cast, Klaus is the one least featured in the show's various plots, and often does not show up in episodes for more than brief cameos. The show's creators seem to acknowledge this fact in "Big Trouble in Little Langley," in which Francine, asking if each family member is safe after a fire, forgets to mention Klaus, which leaves him frustrated. In "Haylias", he points out the fact that the only time anyone talks to him is when they have no one else to turn to. He also frequently breaks the fourth wall
; for example, he provides audio commentary in a fight scene between Stan and Bullock, and bleeps
himself to "take the joy away from the censors
," using the word "bleep" in place of the actual swear he is implied to have used.
Being that the other family members pay little attention to Klaus, he feels extremely isolated from the others. Because of Klaus' loneliness from his isolation, he often becomes caught up in make-believe or disillusioned states. This includes pretending to call people on an imaginary cell phone, or imagining that he is driving to a salon appointment. At one point, he convinced Steve to hold him so he could infect him with Ichthyophthirius multifiliis, thus forcing Steve to spend time with him, while his other friends avoid him, out of fear of being infected. In the episode "Haylias", Stan asks Klaus for advice, and Klaus refuses, saying, "You only turn to me when there is no one else to turn to", and then angrily calls Stan a selfish bastard, shocking Stan. As Stan leaves, Klaus quietly congratulates himself for asserting himself. However, in the same episode, their relationship briefly becomes warmer and Klaus offers his advice to Stan, only for Stan to lose any memory of Klaus by the episode's end due to the fact that Stan received brain damage
during his fight with Hayley.
.
Klaus's grandfather was a train conductor
who ran the kiddie train
at the Auschwitz
zoo
(and is appalled when the family assumes he was referring to the concentration camp
and reminds them that "It's a big town. There's other stuff there."). Not much else is said of Klaus' true family, and it is presumed that Klaus has no living relatives and there are no inquiries in Germany as to his disappearance. The one mention of family is in "Live and Let Fry", in which Klaus learns that his great-aunt has died. In addition, it was revealed that Klaus had an enormous gambling problem and owed a fortune to the East German mafia. During the 1986 Winter Olympics (which did not exist in reality), the CIA switched his brainwaves with those of a goldfish to prevent him from winning the gold medal
. It is also revealed in Live and Let Fry that he had a club foot
and walked with a limp
, which puts into question how he could be a ski jumper.
His original body gone and his mind now inhabiting the body of a fish, Klaus poses as the Smith family pet after Stan Smith was ordered by the CIA to keep him, a fact Klaus has still apparently not come to terms with. Klaus is bitter at being confined to live life as a goldfish and losing all his human abilities, more because of his loss of sexual function than loss of his athletic skills. In the episode "The Best Little Horror House in Langley Falls" Klaus admits to Stan that he once traveled in Europe after college, killing students.
, Jell-O
, vomit, and the washing machine, where he enjoys being thrown in with Francine's underwear. Salt water, however, hurts him, as is shown in the episode "Hurricane".
Possibly to parallel Family Guy
s Brian
's crush on Lois, he lusts after Stan Smith
's wife Francine
; she is the subject of many of his sexual fantasies
, which often revolve around sadism. His desire for Francine diminished over the third season, presumably due to keeping his gratitude to Stan Smith for saving his life after "Finances with Wolves". As a contrast to his supposed crush on Francine, after being repulsed by Bullock's naked mistress, he comes out
as gay and contemplates to himself whether he is a top or a bottom.
In the "Finances with Wolves" episode, Klaus switched his goldfish body for that of a black man's (the front man for an Earth, Wind and Fire cover group who ripped off the CIA at their summer mixer
), and almost ran off with Francine, but the body was mortally damaged in the aftermath of an explosion at the mall.
Deciding to spare his life, but also to make sure he never try to seduce Francine again (and that the CIA had no human bodies available at the time), Stan placed his brain in another goldfish's body (Klaus flushed the previous fish's lifeless body down the toilet). This episode also gave an indication of his personality; he is more concerned with saving his new human body than Francine, as he did not attempt to rescue her from the blast and makes it his priority to save himself.
Though he is a member of the Smith Family, he is often overlooked and not considered on certain things. Stan rarely refers to him by name, instead calling him "Fish". He also does not go places with the rest of the family unlike Roger who usually needs to disguise himself due to the fact that he's an alien.
In "The One That Got Away
", Roger drunkenly tells Klaus that he is useless and everyone hates him, and Klaus begins to accept that he is hated. In "Roy Rogers McFreely" he states Francine cleans his bowl on Monday nights, to which she exclaims "Humans are talking!" and pushes his bowl off the counter, shattering it. He states he is dying as Stan leaves the room, calling him a whiner. In "Great Space Roaster
" he was not allowed to speak at Roger's comedy roast, as Roger tells him he hates him not out of anger but as a fact. In "For Whom the Sleigh Bell Tolls
", Francine states that Stan had a hard time getting used to Roger living in the house, as well as "What's-his-name", at which point the scene cuts to Klaus, who disinterestedly states, "My name is Klaus Heissler".
In the episode "White Rice
", Klaus gets married to a multicolored fish won by Steve at a fair. As the episode progresses, Klaus becomes increasingly unhappy with his new life with his wife and school of children. At the ending of the episode Klaus is seen dragging a tarp covered body of his wife outside to be buried.
" shows Klaus in the year 2045, where he is inexplicably in a new human body that has hair resembling fins. He has a grandson in this future and the majority of the episode consisted of a story Klaus tells him about the past, with Klaus briefly breaking the fourth wall and describing himself and his grandson as "a framing device
". The grandson is surprised to learn that Klaus had once been a fish. He asks if Klaus had ever been a shark and Klaus replies testily "Yes! I was two sharks and a monkey! Now shut up and go to bed!"
In the episode "The One That Got Away
", Klaus is supposedly sent to the future or an alternate universe, when he is swallowed by a mutant tentacled creature. He slays it from the inside, stating he was gone 60 years. When Roger asks him where he went, he states that he has no idea but he is their king now, and is sitting in a jewel covered grail, a parody of The Chronicles of Narnia
. In the episode "Rapture's Delight
" Klaus is featured mounted on a wooden frame in Stan's trailer in typical fish mounting style.
American Dad!
American Dad! is an American animated television series created by Seth MacFarlane and owned by Underdog Productions and Fuzzy Door Productions. It is produced in association with 20th Century Fox Television...
. He is voiced by Dee Bradley Baker
Dee Bradley Baker
Dee Bradley Baker is an American voice actor. He is noted as his long-running-role as Klaus Heissler in American Dad! and other various characters including Squilliam Fancyson in the hit TV series SpongeBob SquarePants, Nightcrawler in X-Men: Legends and Marvel: Ultimate Alliance...
. Despite possessing the brain of a German man and living in the body of a goldfish, the Smith family keeps him under the guise that he is their pet goldfish
Goldfish
The goldfish is a freshwater fish in the family Cyprinidae of order Cypriniformes. It was one of the earliest fish to be domesticated, and is one of the most commonly kept aquarium fish....
.
Production history
Dee Bradley Baker stated in "All in The Family - Creating American Dad!", a featurette on the Season 1 DVD that Klaus' voice came from his background of learning German in college, his ventures in Germany and that he has always wanted to play a "sick" German character.Klaus is often used as sounding board
Sounding board
A sound board, or soundboard, is the surface of a string instrument that the strings vibrate against, usually via some sort of bridge. The resonant properties of the sound board and the interior of the instrument greatly increase loudness over the string alone.The sound board operates by the...
for other characters to share what would otherwise be internal monologue
Internal monologue
Internal monologue, also known as inner voice, internal speech, or verbal stream of consciousness is thinking in words. It also refers to the semi-constant internal monologue one has with oneself at a conscious or semi-conscious level....
s. Of the main cast, Klaus is the one least featured in the show's various plots, and often does not show up in episodes for more than brief cameos. The show's creators seem to acknowledge this fact in "Big Trouble in Little Langley," in which Francine, asking if each family member is safe after a fire, forgets to mention Klaus, which leaves him frustrated. In "Haylias", he points out the fact that the only time anyone talks to him is when they have no one else to turn to. He also frequently breaks the fourth wall
Fourth wall
The fourth wall is the imaginary "wall" at the front of the stage in a traditional three-walled box set in a proscenium theatre, through which the audience sees the action in the world of the play...
; for example, he provides audio commentary in a fight scene between Stan and Bullock, and bleeps
Bleep censor
A bleep censor is the replacement of profanity or classified information with a beep sound , in television or radio...
himself to "take the joy away from the censors
Censorship
thumb|[[Book burning]] following the [[1973 Chilean coup d'état|1973 coup]] that installed the [[Military government of Chile |Pinochet regime]] in Chile...
," using the word "bleep" in place of the actual swear he is implied to have used.
Being that the other family members pay little attention to Klaus, he feels extremely isolated from the others. Because of Klaus' loneliness from his isolation, he often becomes caught up in make-believe or disillusioned states. This includes pretending to call people on an imaginary cell phone, or imagining that he is driving to a salon appointment. At one point, he convinced Steve to hold him so he could infect him with Ichthyophthirius multifiliis, thus forcing Steve to spend time with him, while his other friends avoid him, out of fear of being infected. In the episode "Haylias", Stan asks Klaus for advice, and Klaus refuses, saying, "You only turn to me when there is no one else to turn to", and then angrily calls Stan a selfish bastard, shocking Stan. As Stan leaves, Klaus quietly congratulates himself for asserting himself. However, in the same episode, their relationship briefly becomes warmer and Klaus offers his advice to Stan, only for Stan to lose any memory of Klaus by the episode's end due to the fact that Stan received brain damage
Brain damage
"Brain damage" or "brain injury" is the destruction or degeneration of brain cells. Brain injuries occur due to a wide range of internal and external factors...
during his fight with Hayley.
Early life
Klaus Heissler was born 30 October, 1968 to peasant parents in East Germany and became an Olympic ski-jumperSki jumping
Ski jumping is a sport in which skiers go down a take-off ramp, jump and attempt to land as far as possible down the hill below. In addition to the length of the jump, judges give points for style. The skis used for ski jumping are wide and long...
.
Klaus's grandfather was a train conductor
Conductor (transportation)
A conductor is a member of a railway train's crew that is responsible for operational and safety duties that do not involve the actual operation of the train. The title of conductor is most associated with railway operations in North America, but the role of conductor is common to railways...
who ran the kiddie train
Train
A train is a connected series of vehicles for rail transport that move along a track to transport cargo or passengers from one place to another place. The track usually consists of two rails, but might also be a monorail or maglev guideway.Propulsion for the train is provided by a separate...
at the Auschwitz
Oswiecim
Oświęcim is a town in the Lesser Poland province of southern Poland, situated west of Kraków, near the confluence of the rivers Vistula and Soła.- History :...
zoo
Zoo
A zoological garden, zoological park, menagerie, or zoo is a facility in which animals are confined within enclosures, displayed to the public, and in which they may also be bred....
(and is appalled when the family assumes he was referring to the concentration camp
Auschwitz concentration camp
Concentration camp Auschwitz was a network of Nazi concentration and extermination camps built and operated by the Third Reich in Polish areas annexed by Nazi Germany during World War II...
and reminds them that "It's a big town. There's other stuff there."). Not much else is said of Klaus' true family, and it is presumed that Klaus has no living relatives and there are no inquiries in Germany as to his disappearance. The one mention of family is in "Live and Let Fry", in which Klaus learns that his great-aunt has died. In addition, it was revealed that Klaus had an enormous gambling problem and owed a fortune to the East German mafia. During the 1986 Winter Olympics (which did not exist in reality), the CIA switched his brainwaves with those of a goldfish to prevent him from winning the gold medal
Gold medal
A gold medal is typically the medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture...
. It is also revealed in Live and Let Fry that he had a club foot
Club foot
A club foot, or congenital talipes equinovarus , is a congenital deformity involving one foot or both. The affected foot appears rotated internally at the ankle. TEV is classified into 2 groups: Postural TEV or Structural TEV....
and walked with a limp
Limp
A limp is a type of asymmetric abnormality of the gait. Limping may be caused by pain, weakness, neuromuscular imbalance, or a skeletal deformity. The most common underlying cause of a painful limp is physical trauma however in the absence of trauma other serious causes such as septic arthritis,...
, which puts into question how he could be a ski jumper.
His original body gone and his mind now inhabiting the body of a fish, Klaus poses as the Smith family pet after Stan Smith was ordered by the CIA to keep him, a fact Klaus has still apparently not come to terms with. Klaus is bitter at being confined to live life as a goldfish and losing all his human abilities, more because of his loss of sexual function than loss of his athletic skills. In the episode "The Best Little Horror House in Langley Falls" Klaus admits to Stan that he once traveled in Europe after college, killing students.
As the Smiths' pet
Klaus retains his human intelligence, and his mind seems to have enhanced the goldfish's physiology. Klaus is perfectly fine breathing air so long as at least one small part of his body is in water. Klaus is also able to swim in fresh water, swimming pools, coffee, vodkaVodka
Vodka , is a distilled beverage. It is composed primarily of water and ethanol with traces of impurities and flavorings. Vodka is made by the distillation of fermented substances such as grains, potatoes, or sometimes fruits....
, Jell-O
Jell-O
Jell-O is a brand name belonging to U.S.-based Kraft Foods for a number of gelatin desserts, including fruit gels, puddings and no-bake cream pies. The brand's popularity has led to it being used as a generic term for gelatin dessert across the U.S. and Canada....
, vomit, and the washing machine, where he enjoys being thrown in with Francine's underwear. Salt water, however, hurts him, as is shown in the episode "Hurricane".
Possibly to parallel Family Guy
Family Guy
Family Guy is an American animated television series created by Seth MacFarlane for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series centers on the Griffins, a dysfunctional family consisting of parents Peter and Lois; their children Meg, Chris, and Stewie; and their anthropomorphic pet dog Brian...
s Brian
Brian
Brian is a male given name of Irish and Breton origin, as well as a surname of Occitan origin. It is common in the English-speaking world. It is possible that the name is derived from an Old Celtic word meaning "high" or "noble". For example the element bre means "hill"; which could be transferred...
's crush on Lois, he lusts after Stan Smith
Stan Smith (American Dad!)
Stan Smith is a character from the animated television series American Dad!. Stan is a Central Intelligence Agency officer. Although once a case officer, he is now a weapons expert. Stan is voiced by the series' creator and executive producer, Seth MacFarlane.-Summary:Stan Smith born 12 February,...
's wife Francine
Francine Smith
Francine Smith is a fictional character on the animated television series American Dad!. She is the wife of Stan Smith and the mother of Steve and Hayley. Francine is voiced by Wendy Schaal.-Fictional character biography:...
; she is the subject of many of his sexual fantasies
Sexual fantasy
A sexual fantasy, also called an erotic fantasy, is a fantasy or pattern of thoughts with the effect of creating or enhancing sexual feelings; in short, it is "almost any mental imagery that is sexually arousing or erotic to [an] individual"...
, which often revolve around sadism. His desire for Francine diminished over the third season, presumably due to keeping his gratitude to Stan Smith for saving his life after "Finances with Wolves". As a contrast to his supposed crush on Francine, after being repulsed by Bullock's naked mistress, he comes out
Coming out
Coming out is a figure of speech for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people's disclosure of their sexual orientation and/or gender identity....
as gay and contemplates to himself whether he is a top or a bottom.
In the "Finances with Wolves" episode, Klaus switched his goldfish body for that of a black man's (the front man for an Earth, Wind and Fire cover group who ripped off the CIA at their summer mixer
Mixer dance
A mixer dance, dance mixer or simply mixer is a kind of participation dance in a social dance setting that involves changing partners as an integral part. Mixing can be built into the dance choreography or can be structured to occur more randomly. Mixers allow dancers to meet new partners and allow...
), and almost ran off with Francine, but the body was mortally damaged in the aftermath of an explosion at the mall.
Deciding to spare his life, but also to make sure he never try to seduce Francine again (and that the CIA had no human bodies available at the time), Stan placed his brain in another goldfish's body (Klaus flushed the previous fish's lifeless body down the toilet). This episode also gave an indication of his personality; he is more concerned with saving his new human body than Francine, as he did not attempt to rescue her from the blast and makes it his priority to save himself.
Though he is a member of the Smith Family, he is often overlooked and not considered on certain things. Stan rarely refers to him by name, instead calling him "Fish". He also does not go places with the rest of the family unlike Roger who usually needs to disguise himself due to the fact that he's an alien.
In "The One That Got Away
The One That Got Away (American Dad!)
"The One That Got Away" is the second episode of the fourth season of the animated television series American Dad! It originally aired on Fox in the United States on October 5, 2008. In the episode, Roger's credit card is maxed out and he is certain it is identity theft. He vows revenge and...
", Roger drunkenly tells Klaus that he is useless and everyone hates him, and Klaus begins to accept that he is hated. In "Roy Rogers McFreely" he states Francine cleans his bowl on Monday nights, to which she exclaims "Humans are talking!" and pushes his bowl off the counter, shattering it. He states he is dying as Stan leaves the room, calling him a whiner. In "Great Space Roaster
Great Space Roaster
"Great Space Roaster" is the eighteenth episode and the season finale of the fifth season of American Dad!. It originally aired on May 16, 2010. It was written by Jonathan Fener and directed by Joe Daniello...
" he was not allowed to speak at Roger's comedy roast, as Roger tells him he hates him not out of anger but as a fact. In "For Whom the Sleigh Bell Tolls
For Whom the Sleigh Bell Tolls
"For Whom the Sleigh Bell Tolls" is the eighth episode of the sixth season of American Dad! It originally aired on Fox in the United States on December 12, 2010. The episode follows the events caused by Stan Smith, as he gives his son Steve a machine gun for Christmas, even though his wife Francine...
", Francine states that Stan had a hard time getting used to Roger living in the house, as well as "What's-his-name", at which point the scene cuts to Klaus, who disinterestedly states, "My name is Klaus Heissler".
In the episode "White Rice
White Rice (American Dad!)
"White Rice" is the fifth episode of the sixth season of American Dad!. It first aired in the United States on Fox on November 21, 2010. This episode mostly centers around Francine, who has consistently been involved in various arguments with Stan about her bringing her parents into their home...
", Klaus gets married to a multicolored fish won by Steve at a fair. As the episode progresses, Klaus becomes increasingly unhappy with his new life with his wife and school of children. At the ending of the episode Klaus is seen dragging a tarp covered body of his wife outside to be buried.
Future
The episode "Of Ice and MenOf Ice and Men
"Of Ice and Men" is a second season episode of the animated series American Dad! The title is a play on the title for the famous novel, Of Mice and Men.-Plot:...
" shows Klaus in the year 2045, where he is inexplicably in a new human body that has hair resembling fins. He has a grandson in this future and the majority of the episode consisted of a story Klaus tells him about the past, with Klaus briefly breaking the fourth wall and describing himself and his grandson as "a framing device
Framing device
The term framing device refers to the usage of the same single action, scene, event, setting, or any element of significance at both the beginning and end of an artistic, musical, or literary work. The repeated element thus creates a ‘frame’ within which the main body of work can develop.The...
". The grandson is surprised to learn that Klaus had once been a fish. He asks if Klaus had ever been a shark and Klaus replies testily "Yes! I was two sharks and a monkey! Now shut up and go to bed!"
In the episode "The One That Got Away
The One That Got Away (American Dad!)
"The One That Got Away" is the second episode of the fourth season of the animated television series American Dad! It originally aired on Fox in the United States on October 5, 2008. In the episode, Roger's credit card is maxed out and he is certain it is identity theft. He vows revenge and...
", Klaus is supposedly sent to the future or an alternate universe, when he is swallowed by a mutant tentacled creature. He slays it from the inside, stating he was gone 60 years. When Roger asks him where he went, he states that he has no idea but he is their king now, and is sitting in a jewel covered grail, a parody of The Chronicles of Narnia
The Chronicles of Narnia
The Chronicles of Narnia is a series of seven fantasy novels for children by C. S. Lewis. It is considered a classic of children's literature and is the author's best-known work, having sold over 100 million copies in 47 languages...
. In the episode "Rapture's Delight
Rapture's Delight
"Rapture's Delight" is the ninth episode of the fifth season of American Dad!. It aired on December 13, 2009 on Fox. This episode centers around Stan and Francine's life after the vast majority of the church, including Hayley and Steve, are raptured...
" Klaus is featured mounted on a wooden frame in Stan's trailer in typical fish mounting style.
External links
- Klaus Heissler at Fox.com