Original artwork, not a still
Disputed attribution: Dr. Zoidberg
Why not Zoidberg?
— Futurama • 1999
Behind the line
What it means
Our interpretation.
The joke is Zoidberg's place at the bottom of every pecking order: whenever the crew needs a volunteer, a friend or a doctor, the answer is anyone but him. Flipping that into a hopeful question made it the standard internet meme for the overlooked option, tacked onto polls, shopping lists and 'who should we pick' threads. A catchphrase fans wrote for the show, it now travels further than most that were.
Context reviewed
In context
Spoilers for FuturamaShow the scene
Dr. Zoidberg is the lobster-like Decapodian staff doctor of Planet Express in Futurama, debuting in "The Series Has Landed" (1999), and the show runs on the gag that his colleagues treat him as a poor, homeless afterthought. "Why not Zoidberg?" is the fan-made summary of that gag, not a line from an episode: the Futurama fan wiki says he never says it in the series and only does so in a DVD promo for the Volume 7 release. The closest on-screen moment is "Kif Gets Knocked Up a Notch" (2003), where he turns up at the party and announces himself with "Also Zoidberg!"
Sources (3)
- Futurama Wiki: John A. ZoidbergTrivia and gallery captionsReference checked
- Wikiquote: Futurama/Season 4Kif Gets Knocked Up a NotchReference checked
- Futurama Wiki: Kif Gets Knocked Up A NotchEpisode infoboxReference checked
Context reviewed
