| “ | I'm frightfully funny, frightfully friendy, and I'll make your dreams come true. | „ |
| ~ Flip the Clown |
Flip is a major villainous protagonist in both the 1905-1911 1911-1914 1924-1927 fantasy comic strip Little Nemo in Slumberland. He is Slumberland's resident clown and troublemaker.
He was voiced by the late Mickey Rooney, who also portrayed one of the Sub-humans in Fire & Ice and Gus in Night at the Museum. In the 2022 live-action film Slumberland, he was portrayed by Jason Momoa, who also played Drogo in Game of Thrones, Keegan in Bullet to the Head and Dante Reyes in Fast X.
Personality[]
Flip is a smart thinker and he loves trouble-making, fooling his foes and having fun. However he took a liking of Nemo and he wanted him to be his "Prince of Mischief". Flip is always smoking cigars, and he likes to flirt with Princess Camille. However, when it comes to self-preservation he was quick to sell Nemo out and pin all the blame on him when they were both to blame for unleashing the Nightmare King.
Comics[]
Nemo was to be the Princess of Slumberland's playmate, but it took months of adventures before Nemo finally arrived; Flip was determined to disturb Nemo's sleep with a top hat emblazoned with the words "Wake Up". This always resulted in Nemo falling out of bed and waking up at the end of the strip. He did it partly for his own amusement, and partly because he wanted the princess for himself. At this point he was the closest the comic had to a villain; before his arrival the comic was more focused on lavish visuals than character or plot.
Flip's uncle is the Dawn, who brings forth the sun every night to awaken all dreamers, and he sometimes called in a favor with his uncle to cause mischief and wake Nemo up. Later on though Nemo rescues Flip from being executed by King Morpheus' firing squad, and he and Flip eventually become companions, causing Flip to go from being a villain to an anti-hero. The duo are later joined by a mute African Imp whom Flip finds in the Candy Islands. Although balding and looking to be middle-aged he claims to be 23 years old in one strip; it's up for debate how trustworthy the claim is. It is also revealed that while he looks a bit fat, he is just wearing big clothes, and is skinny in one strip where he and Nemo switch clothing.
1911 Film[]
Flip as seen in the 1911 film.
In the 1911 film. He make gestures while smoking his cigar. Blocks fall from the sky and assemble themselves into the character Impie, and the pair's figures distort, disappear, and reappear before a fantastically dressed Little Nemo magically materializes. Nemo prevents the two others from fighting and takes control of their forms—he stretches and squashes them with the raising and lowering of his arms. Later, Flip and Impie attempt to follow the dragon in a jalopy, but the car explodes and sends them into the air. Doctor Pill arrives to help, but cannot find anyone until Flip and Impie land on him. The pair try to help the doctor to his feet.
1921 Film (Flip's Circus)[]
Flip as seen in his own film.
Flip gets his own spin-off film.
To be added.
1989 Film[]
In the film, Flip has a reputation as a trouble-maker, and Nemo is warned to stay away from him. Eventually, Flip lures Nemo away from his lessons on how to be a prince, and the two cause mischief around Slumberland.
When being chased by the police Flip and Nemo hide in an underground passageway, where they come across the door that is keeping the Nightmare King imprisoned. Flip convinces Nemo to open it, just to satisfy his curiosity. They run after looking inside, leaving the door unlocked. Later on the Nightmare King escapes and captures King Morpheus. Flip blames Nemo for it, and Nemo wakes up.
When Nemo returns to Slumberland, Flip is about to be executed by being fired from a cannon (banished into outer space in the English dub), but Nemo rescues him because earlier Flip showed Nemo a map of the Nightmare Land. Flip is only spared because the map is written in a secret code that only he can read. Flip then accompanies Nemo, Icarus, Princess Camille, and Professor Genius to Nightmare Land, but gets them lost when his map is destroyed by water.
When they come cross some Good Goblins, Camille then makes them their navigators and Flip has to carry the luggage. Flip later gets kidnapped by the Nightmare King's minions along with Camille and Genius, and is rescued when Nemo defeats the Nightmare King at the Nightmare Castle.
He is last seen bidding Nemo farewell after smoking a huge cigar and having a coughing fit while riding his giant crow over Slumberland as usual.
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- Flip was the one who told Nemo to open the door beneath with the black ouroboros symbol on it, inadvertently and responsibly released the Nightmare King.
- Flip seems at first to be the main villain of the film. But, in reality it is the Nightmare King.