.gif)
Zig and Zag (puppets)
Encyclopedia
Zig and Zag are an Irish puppet duo performed by Mick O'Hara and Ciaran Morrison.
The characters are a pair of furry extraterrestrial
twins from the planet Zog. They made their television début on RTÉs Dempsey's Den
in 1987. A year later they won a Jacob's Award for TV Personalities of the year. In 1992 Zig and Zag found fame in the UK when they joined the team of the Channel 4
breakfast show The Big Breakfast
. During the 1990s the characters spawned a merchandising range of comic books, videos and embarked on a recording career – scoring a UK top five single with "Them Girls Them Girls".
In 2010 the characters saw a resurgence in their popularity as they joined the Big Brother's Little Brother team and in October 2010 they were commissioned to host a flagship Saturday morning radio show on 2FM called Smells Like Saturday
. A brand new TV bloopers show hosted by Zig and Zag entitled Zig & Zag's Superbloopers was announced on the RTE TV website in June 2011.
Zig is beige (although he claimed to be fawn) with red "zogabongs" (pom-pom antennae) and a tuft of green hair, and Zag is purple with green spots and yellow zogabongs and dreadlocks.
In their original RTÉ incarnation, Zig often came across as the more intelligent one, with Zag under his thumb (most evident in their "Story Time" segments, when Zig would read a nursery rhyme to the audience, and Zag would grudgingly act it out). Zag also displayed a penchant for cross-dressing
and playing with Barbie
dolls.
However, after the two moved to Channel 4, Zag began to be portrayed as the more intelligent older brother, a lecherous lady-killer who claimed to fly every weekend to Hollywood
to dine with the stars, as well as performing ragga
songs in his guise of "Ragga Zagga".
Zig was then portrayed as a weak-willed childish simpleton, constantly giggling at rude jokes (like the word "bottom"), obsessed with specific things (such as The Hunt for Red October
or his rash) and frequently unaware of what was going on around him.
, The Bronx Bunny Show
. They also regularly appear on RTÉ Two
in their current incarnations of Podge and Rodge
, fellow characters from The Den with an unsavoury past but who are now reformed enough for RTÉ to commission their own primetime chat show, The Podge and Rodge Show
.
left the then titled Dempsey's Den in 1990, Zig and Zag remained on with his replacement Ray D'Arcy
. Their alien dog, Zuppy, also featured on television at this time. Zuppy remained with The Den for some years after Zig and Zag left.
After having worked on The Den for a number of years, Zig and Zag worked concurrently on The Big Breakfast subsequently exiting The Den to work on the show exclusively. After their departure from RTÉ, Dustin the Turkey
took over with new character Soky.
On The Big Breakfast, the two acted as interviewers in "the crunch" segment of the show. During this time, they also starred in a series of adverts for Yoplait
yogurts. Zig and Zag made an appearance on MTV Europe
on the show MTV's Most Wanted and this appearance led to their own MTV Europe
sketch programme, The Zig and Zag Show. After a revamp of The Big Breakfast, they were dropped and produced a kids entertainment show also entitled The Zig and Zag Show for ITV
. They then returned to Ireland to present the music quiz, 2Phat with Ray D'Arcy until 2001. They starred in a children's programme called Me:Tv for Nickelodeon UK and Ireland in the summer of 2006, the premise of which was kids used their own webcam
s to present the show. In 2010 they joined Big Brother's Little Brother team to interview past contestants.
and released two singles on RCA
. "Them Girls, Them Girls" produced by DJ Erick Morillo
was released throughout Europe and its highest chart position in the U.K charts was at No.5 for the week ending 7 January 1995.
Singles
Albums
with photographs and text related to the series and a 416 page joke book.
National Entertainment Awards:
Royal Television Society Award:
Promax Awards:
The characters are a pair of furry extraterrestrial
Extraterrestrial life
Extraterrestrial life is defined as life that does not originate from Earth...
twins from the planet Zog. They made their television début on RTÉs Dempsey's Den
The Den (television)
The Den was the brand of the children's television strand on Irish public broadcaster RTÉ Two. It first broadcast on 29 September 1986 on RTÉ One, before moving to RTÉ Two in September 1988. The strand began to diversify throughout the late 1990s and the 2000s...
in 1987. A year later they won a Jacob's Award for TV Personalities of the year. In 1992 Zig and Zag found fame in the UK when they joined the team of the Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
breakfast show The Big Breakfast
The Big Breakfast
The Big Breakfast was a British light entertainment television show shown on Channel 4 and S4C each weekday morning from 28 September 1992 until 29 March 2002 during which period 2,482 shows were produced. The Big Breakfast was produced by Planet 24, the production company co-owned by former...
. During the 1990s the characters spawned a merchandising range of comic books, videos and embarked on a recording career – scoring a UK top five single with "Them Girls Them Girls".
In 2010 the characters saw a resurgence in their popularity as they joined the Big Brother's Little Brother team and in October 2010 they were commissioned to host a flagship Saturday morning radio show on 2FM called Smells Like Saturday
Smells Like Saturday
Smells Like Saturday is a once weekly comedy/music/talk morning radio show presented by the puppet characters Zig and Zag. It is broadcast on Irish radio station 2FM and airs from 10:00-12:00 midday every Saturday morning...
. A brand new TV bloopers show hosted by Zig and Zag entitled Zig & Zag's Superbloopers was announced on the RTE TV website in June 2011.
Characters
Zig and Zag's full names are Zigmund Ambrose Zogly and Zagnatius Hillary Zogly and claim they were born 29 February 1971 on Zog.Zig is beige (although he claimed to be fawn) with red "zogabongs" (pom-pom antennae) and a tuft of green hair, and Zag is purple with green spots and yellow zogabongs and dreadlocks.
In their original RTÉ incarnation, Zig often came across as the more intelligent one, with Zag under his thumb (most evident in their "Story Time" segments, when Zig would read a nursery rhyme to the audience, and Zag would grudgingly act it out). Zag also displayed a penchant for cross-dressing
Cross-dressing
Cross-dressing is the wearing of clothing and other accoutrement commonly associated with a gender within a particular society that is seen as different than the one usually presented by the dresser...
and playing with Barbie
Barbie
Barbie is a fashion doll manufactured by the American toy-company Mattel, Inc. and launched in March 1959. American businesswoman Ruth Handler is credited with the creation of the doll using a German doll called Bild Lilli as her inspiration....
dolls.
However, after the two moved to Channel 4, Zag began to be portrayed as the more intelligent older brother, a lecherous lady-killer who claimed to fly every weekend to Hollywood
Hollywood, Los Angeles, California
Hollywood is a famous district in Los Angeles, California, United States situated west-northwest of downtown Los Angeles. Due to its fame and cultural identity as the historical center of movie studios and movie stars, the word Hollywood is often used as a metonym of American cinema...
to dine with the stars, as well as performing ragga
Ragga
-Origins:Ragga originated in Jamaica during the 1980s, at the same time that electronic dance music's popularity was increasing globally. One of the reasons for ragga's swift propagation is that it is generally easier and less expensive to produce than reggae performed on traditional musical...
songs in his guise of "Ragga Zagga".
Zig was then portrayed as a weak-willed childish simpleton, constantly giggling at rude jokes (like the word "bottom"), obsessed with specific things (such as The Hunt for Red October
The Hunt for Red October (film)
The Hunt for Red October is a 1990 thriller film based on the novel of the same name by Tom Clancy. It was directed by John McTiernan and stars Sean Connery as Captain Marko Ramius and Alec Baldwin as Jack Ryan...
or his rash) and frequently unaware of what was going on around him.
Creators
Ciaran Morrison and Mick O'Hara provide the voices for Zig and Zag respectively. Their production company, Double Z Enterprises produced The Den when Zig and Zag featured. In 2003 they produced a TV series for Channel 4Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
, The Bronx Bunny Show
The Bronx Bunny Show
The Bronx Bunny Show was a ten-part series originally broadcast in 2003 on E4 in the United Kingdom. It was an adult puppet interview show which followed the premise of a semi-educational show for the good people of the Bronx, Brooklyn and Manhattan...
. They also regularly appear on RTÉ Two
RTÉ Two
RTÉ Two is a free-to-air general entertainment channel operated by Irish state broadcaster Raidió Teilifís Éireann. RTÉ Two is available throughout the island of Ireland through digital terrestrial service Saorview, VHF and UHF bands, and is also available via satellite to Irish subscribers of...
in their current incarnations of Podge and Rodge
Podge and Rodge
Pádraig Judas O'Leprosy and Rodraig Spartacus O'Leprosy are the two central characters on A Scare at Bedtime, an Irish adult comedy televised puppet show. Created and performed by Ciaran Morrison and Mick O'Hara, more recently, the brothers have presented The Podge and Rodge Show, a chat show in...
, fellow characters from The Den with an unsavoury past but who are now reformed enough for RTÉ to commission their own primetime chat show, The Podge and Rodge Show
The Podge and Rodge Show
The Podge and Rodge Show is an Irish chat show, broadcast and produced by RTÉ, featuring the popular Podge and Rodge as hosts...
.
TV Work
When Ian DempseyIan Dempsey
Ian Michael Dempsey is an Irish presenter of television and breakfast radio. He is the long-running presenter of the breakfast show on Today FM, self-titled The Ian Dempsey Breakfast Show, which runs from 07:00 - 09:00 each weekday morning...
left the then titled Dempsey's Den in 1990, Zig and Zag remained on with his replacement Ray D'Arcy
Ray D'Arcy
Raymond 'Ray' D'Arcy is an Irish television and radio presenter. He currently presents a weekday morning radio programme, The Ray D'Arcy Show, on Today FM...
. Their alien dog, Zuppy, also featured on television at this time. Zuppy remained with The Den for some years after Zig and Zag left.
After having worked on The Den for a number of years, Zig and Zag worked concurrently on The Big Breakfast subsequently exiting The Den to work on the show exclusively. After their departure from RTÉ, Dustin the Turkey
Dustin the Turkey
Dustin the Turkey is a puppet, "television presenter" and star of RTÉ television's The Den since 1989. A turkey with a strong Dublin accent, Dustin is voiced by John Morrison, brother of Ciaran Morrison who was one of the creators of Zig and Zag. Dustin first appeared on The Den with Zig and Zag in...
took over with new character Soky.
On The Big Breakfast, the two acted as interviewers in "the crunch" segment of the show. During this time, they also starred in a series of adverts for Yoplait
Yoplait
Yoplait is a brand of yogurt produced by a company owned by two French holdings, SODIAAL and PAI Partners.-History:In 1964, 100,000 French farmers merged their regional dairy cooperatives to sell nationally. In 1965, two co-ops, "Yola" and "Coplait", merged, becoming "Yoplait"...
yogurts. Zig and Zag made an appearance on MTV Europe
MTV Europe
MTV Europe is a pan-European 24-hour entertainment cable and digital television network launched on August 1, 1987. Initially, the channel served all regions within Europe being one of the very few channels that targeted the entire European continent...
on the show MTV's Most Wanted and this appearance led to their own MTV Europe
MTV Europe
MTV Europe is a pan-European 24-hour entertainment cable and digital television network launched on August 1, 1987. Initially, the channel served all regions within Europe being one of the very few channels that targeted the entire European continent...
sketch programme, The Zig and Zag Show. After a revamp of The Big Breakfast, they were dropped and produced a kids entertainment show also entitled The Zig and Zag Show for ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
. They then returned to Ireland to present the music quiz, 2Phat with Ray D'Arcy until 2001. They starred in a children's programme called Me:Tv for Nickelodeon UK and Ireland in the summer of 2006, the premise of which was kids used their own webcam
Webcam
A webcam is a video camera that feeds its images in real time to a computer or computer network, often via USB, ethernet, or Wi-Fi.Their most popular use is the establishment of video links, permitting computers to act as videophones or videoconference stations. This common use as a video camera...
s to present the show. In 2010 they joined Big Brother's Little Brother team to interview past contestants.
Filmography
- Dempsey's Den (RTE) (1987-1990)
- The DenThe Den (television)The Den was the brand of the children's television strand on Irish public broadcaster RTÉ Two. It first broadcast on 29 September 1986 on RTÉ One, before moving to RTÉ Two in September 1988. The strand began to diversify throughout the late 1990s and the 2000s...
(RTE) (1990-1993) - The Big BreakfastThe Big BreakfastThe Big Breakfast was a British light entertainment television show shown on Channel 4 and S4C each weekday morning from 28 September 1992 until 29 March 2002 during which period 2,482 shows were produced. The Big Breakfast was produced by Planet 24, the production company co-owned by former...
(Channel 4) (1992 - 1998, 2002) - Entertainment Cops (1994)
- The Zig and Zag Show (MTV) (1994-1995)
- Dirty Deeds (Channel 4) (1996)
- The Zig and Zag Show (ITV) (1998)
- 2Phat2Phat2Phat was an Irish television programme that was shown twice weekly on Network 2 from 1998 to 2000. It reunited Ray D'Arcy and Zig and Zag, who had previously appeared together on The Den...
(RTE) (1999 -2001) - Big Brother's Little Brother (Channel 4) (2010)
- Zig & Zag's Superbloopers (RTE) (2011)
VHS/DVDs
- 1988 - Nothing to Do with Toast
- 1992 - The Best of The Big Breakfast
- 1995 - Million Quid Vid
- 2008 - Best Bitz From Back DenBest Bitz From Back DenBest Bitz From Back Den is an Irish television special and DVD released in November 2008. It was broadcast on RTÉ One on 27 October 2008 at 18:30. The title is a play on the Irish children's television favourite The Den...
Music
Zig and Zag's first single "The Christmas No.1" reached No.1 in Ireland at Christmas 1990. Their album Never Mind the Zogabongs...Here's Zig and Zag and second single "Zig Zaggin Around" both also topped the Irish charts in 1991. On the back of their success on the Big Breakfast the pair were signed by Simon CowellSimon Cowell
Simon Phillip Cowell is an English A&R executive, television producer, entrepreneur, and television personality. He is known in the United Kingdom and United States for his role as a talent judge on TV shows such as Pop Idol, The X Factor, Britain's Got Talent and American Idol...
and released two singles on RCA
RCA
RCA Corporation, founded as the Radio Corporation of America, was an American electronics company in existence from 1919 to 1986. The RCA trademark is currently owned by the French conglomerate Technicolor SA through RCA Trademark Management S.A., a company owned by Technicolor...
. "Them Girls, Them Girls" produced by DJ Erick Morillo
Erick Morillo
Erick Morillo is a Colombian-American DJ, music producer and record label owner. Having produced under a number of pseudonyms, including Ministers De la Funk, The Dronez, RAW, Smooth Touch, RBM, Deep Soul, Club Ultimate and Li'l Mo Ying Yang, Morillo is best known for his international work in...
was released throughout Europe and its highest chart position in the U.K charts was at No.5 for the week ending 7 January 1995.
Singles
- 1990 - "The Christmas No. 1"
- 1991 - "Zig Zaggin' Around"
- 1994 - "Them Girls, Them Girls" with DJ Erick MorilloErick MorilloErick Morillo is a Colombian-American DJ, music producer and record label owner. Having produced under a number of pseudonyms, including Ministers De la Funk, The Dronez, RAW, Smooth Touch, RBM, Deep Soul, Club Ultimate and Li'l Mo Ying Yang, Morillo is best known for his international work in...
. - 1995 - "Hands Up" with RednexRednexRednex is a Swedish techno/folk/bluegrass band. They had an international novelty hit with the song "Cotton Eye Joe" in 1994. Although extremely popular in Germany, where the band holds the record of most total weeks at No.1 on the German singles chart over the past 30 years—scoring such hits as...
Albums
- 1991 - Never Mind the Zogabongs...Here's Zig and Zag
Books
Zig and Zag produced a number of books in Ireland and the U.K. The first five books in the list were produced exclusively in Ireland as paperback fully illustrated comic books. In the U.K a further two comic book style paperbacks were produced, a hardback annual, a tie-in book with the series Dirty DeedsDirty Deeds
Dirty Deeds is the title of two films:*Dirty Deeds , starring Bryan Brown and Toni Collette.*Dirty Deeds , starring Milo Ventimiglia and Lacey Chabert.See also:...
with photographs and text related to the series and a 416 page joke book.
- The Fridge in a Denim Jacket (1989)
- Revenge of the Nellies
- Strawberry Jelly
- Dial 'D' for Dustin
- Kangaroos in Bikinis
- Chilli & Chocolate Flavour (1992)
- In Yer Face
- The Killer Annual from Outer Space (1995)
- Big Sexy Book
- The Dirty Deeds Dossier
- The Big, Bad Joke Book (1996)
Awards
Jacobs Television Awards:- TV Personalities of the Year 1988
National Entertainment Awards:
- TV Personalities of the Year 1989
Royal Television Society Award:
- The Big Breakfast - Programme Award 1992
Promax Awards:
- Best Sales/Marketing Tape - Zig & Zag Media Buyers Appeal (UK)
External links
- Realplayer video of Zig and Zag on RTÉ2 in Ireland on the 'Dempsey's Den' children's program
- Zig and Zag on Tubridy TonightTubridy TonightTubridy Tonight is an Irish chat show hosted by Ryan Tubridy that aired for five series on RTÉ One between 2004 and 2009. The programme featured guest interviews , audience participation and live music from both a guest music group and the house band...
—8 November 2008. - Zig and Zag live from Vicar Street! on The Ray D'Arcy ShowThe Ray D'Arcy ShowThe Ray D'Arcy Show is Today FM's weekday mid-morning radio show presented by Ray D'Arcy. It is on air from 09:00–12:00 midday, competing with RTÉ 2fm's Ryan Tubridy, RTÉ Radio 1's Pat Kenny and Newstalk's Tom Dunne .The production team of Jenny Kelly, Will Hanafin and Mairead Farrell and...
, Today FMToday FMRadio Ireland Ltd, trading as 100-102 Today FM is an Irish commercial FM radio station which is available nationally. The station, which commenced broadcasting on Saint Patrick's Day in 1997, can be received nationally and carries a mix of music and talk...