The Peddler is a minor character in Disney's 1992 animated feature film Aladdin as a comical merchant with a mysterious connection to the tales of Agrabah.
Background[]
Physical appearance[]
The Peddler is a very short, slender, bald man with tan skin, a thin black goatee, and a rectangular mustache with a triangular gap at his philtrum. His clothing is quite simple, consisting of a sky blue robe that reaches the floor, a red sash tied around his waist, and brown sandals. The most noticeable aspect of the Peddler's outfit is his ridiculously large white turban, which is twice as big around as his own head.
Appearances[]
Aladdin[]
The Peddler appears at the very beginning of the film, singing the theme "Arabian Nights" on Shadigna. The Peddler attempts to show the audience some of his fine merchandise, but they are not interested until he unveils the Genie's lamp. He then begins to tell the story of how the lamp "changed the course of a young man's life". He doesn't appear again for the remainder of that movie.
The Return of Jafar[]
The Peddler appears vocally once again, singing a modified version of "Arabian Nights", but does not make a physical appearance.
Aladdin and the King of Thieves[]
The Peddler appears at the end of the film, singing a reprise of "Arabian Nights" (notably originally intended for the ending of the original film) and waving goodbye to Aladdin and Princess Jasmine as they fly by on Carpet celebrating their marriage and finishes telling the story of Aladdin.
Aladdin (2019)[]
In the 2019 live-action remake of the first film, the Peddler's role is taken by the Genie in human form, who now works as a mariner with his family, and tells the film's story to his children while their boat approaches Agrabah.
Video games[]
Aladdin[]
The Peddler makes several appearances throughout Virgin Interactive's Aladdin video game. He gives the player, as Aladdin, extra lives (up to 9) and "wishes", which are actually just continues.
Kingdom Hearts series[]
The Peddler's role in the Kingdom Hearts series is greatly expanded and plays an important part in the storyline in Agrabah in Kingdom Hearts II. He is first seen chasing Abu, who had stolen a lamp from him, not knowing it was actually Jafar's. To prevent the risk of the evil genie's freedom, Sora and friends try to purchase the lamp, but the Peddler will only give it to them in exchange for treasure. The gang returns to his shop later to present him with a golden statue, only to find the Peddler gone. Outside of this, Pete chases the Peddler (still holding Jafar's lamp) for the lamp, until Iago arrives and scoops up the lamp. After defeating the Heartless sent by Pete, the Peddler sells them the lamp, which is then sealed away deep inside the palace. However, when the Peddler tries to steal the treasure, later on, he accidentally releases Jafar. Despite this, after the player has completed story events in Agrabah, they may return to his shop to find him hawking a skateboard, which the player can use freely as part of a minigame.
The Peddler also makes minor appearances in Kingdom Hearts coded and Kingdom Hearts, running a shop as he did in the film.
Epic Mickey: Power of Illusion[]
The Peddler in Epic Mickey: Power of Illusion.
In Epic Mickey: Power of Illusion, Mickey finds the Peddler (who ended up in Wasteland due to Mizrabel) in the Cave of Wonders area of the Castle of Illusion, and directs him to the Fortress, after which Mickey can help him set up his shop. From there on, Mickey can buy items and upgrades from the Peddler's shop.
Disney Parks[]
The Peddler made appearances in the Disney Parks in the early 1990s but was removed from the face character roster. He makes a notable appearance in the Full House episode "The House Meets the Mouse" (played by Michael Marzella).
Aladdin's Oasis[]
The menu descriptions for this restaurant gave the peddler the name Kazim and identified him as the proprietor of the oasis' dining-service.
Trivia[]
- In a deleted concept, the Peddler was going to reveal himself to be the Genie in disguise. In fact, the Peddler even appears as a separate character from Genie in the video games and sequel material. However, there's still a nod to the original concept within the films; both characters are voiced by Robin Williams (save for the Peddler's singing voice), the Peddler's robe looks just like Genie's body, both only have four fingers on each hand and have similar personalities.
- In October 2015, directors Ron Clements and John Musker confirmed that the Peddler was intended to be more clearly specified to be the Genie under disguise, but was scrapped.[1]
- The 2019 live-action adaptation references this concept by making the Genie become a human seafarer who tells Aladdin's tale to his children.
- In a script by Howard Ashman, the Peddler was once the Genie of the Ring and is initially described as being 2-ft and creature-like with a turban bigger than he is. He acts as the narrator for the script singing Arabian Nights and its four reprises, and later joins in with Aladdin, Abbi, Babkak, Omar, and Kassim in the song High Adventure while the six of them face off with Jafar and his minions to rescue Jasmine and Genie (the two genies are differentiated in the script as Big Genie and Little Genie).
- The Peddler's voice and some of his physical aspects, such as his turban and goatee style, bear resemblance to a peddler who sold Homer Simpson a Monkey's Paw in Morocco which granted the Simpson family four wishes in The Simpsons Halloween special "Treehouse of Horror II", which premiered the year before Aladdin was released. Ironically, Homer's voice actor Dan Castellaneta would later frequently play the Genie who previously resided in the peddler's lamp.
- At the beginning of the movie, the peddler says salaam or "peace" to the viewer. This word is Arabic and Farsi for "Hi!" or "Hello!", and it can also be used for "Goodbye!" as well.
- The Peddler was inspired by the "Our Friend the Atom" episode from the Disneyland anthology series.
- The Peddler never appeared in the California Adventure show Aladdin: A Musical Spectacular. He is replaced by a traveler who tells the tale to help pass the time on the journey to Agrabah.
- When the Peddler said "City of Mystery", he was using a friction match for drama. Of course, the first friction matches were made in 1826.
- The Peddler doesn't appear in the Broadway musical, being replaced by the Genie in the role of the storyteller.
- That also inspires Will Smith's role in the 2019 adaption.
- In the first film, there is a fan theory that the peddler simply fabricated the tale of Aladdin to sell the lamp to the potential customer, as he was lying about his other "merchandise" being considered legit. But Aladdin and Jasmine physically appeared near the Peddler at the end of Aladdin and the King of Thieves. This would imply that not only do Aladdin and Jasmine really existed, but also that the Peddler tells the story of Aladdin immediately after it has taken place.
- The Peddler's role in Kingdom Hearts II, namely in releasing Jafar, is the same type of role that Abis Mal had in The Return of Jafar.
Gallery[]
External links[]
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