Richard M. Nixon's Head

"ARRRUUUUUU!"

―Richard Nixon

Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913 - April 22, 1994) was the 30th President of Earth and formerly the 37th President of the United States (1969-1974). By 2999, his living head was preserved after his death in 1994, and was formerly on display at the Head Museum in New New York City.

Presidencies[]

37th President of the United States

Term: 1969-1974
Preceded by: Lyndon B. Johnson
Succeeded by: Gerald Ford

30th President of Earth

Term: 3001-3013; 3013-present
Preceded by: Bill McNeal
Succeeded by: None, incumbent
- Nixon is in fact beaten in the 3012 Election by time-travelling senator Chris Z. Travers. However, paradoxically, Nixon's loss meant Travers never traveled back in time and thus Nixon went on to win the 3012 election unopposed.

Real-life References[]

300 dollar bill — The $300 bill with Nixon's head

During Futurama there are several occasions upon which Nixon or another character will quote or make reference to his past. During "A Head in the Polls", Bender, Fry, and Leela blackmail Nixon by use of audiotape. This is a reference to the famous Nixon tapes. He also says "You're all going to jail, and don't expect me to grant a pardon like that sissy Ford". This is a clear reference to the 38th President of the United States, Gerald Ford, who pardoned Nixon following Watergate.

Also, in "A Head in the Polls", Nixon stays at the Watergate, a reference to the scandal which caused Nixon to resign. While confronting Bender, he says "I'm about to go Cambodia on your ass!", a reference to the US invasion of Cambodia. Nixon is very tyrannical, and often abuses his power while in office, but the people do not seem to care about this, and it largely goes unnoticed.

In the episode "In-A-Gadda-Da-Leela", the censorship death sphere, V-Giny, erases a planet and Nixon comments on it saying "It erased that planet like 18 minutes of incriminating tape." This references the 18 and a half minutes of the Nixon tapes that were missing under controversial circumstances.

In the movie Into the Wild Green Yonder, he claims he staged the Moon Landing on Venus.

In the episode "Decision 3012" Nixon states that he and Bender need to "McGovern him up" when discussing how to defeat opposing candidate for President of Earth Chris Z. Travers. This is a reference to 1972 Presidential candidate George McGovern, whose campaign offices were broken into by men with connections to President Nixon, leading to the Watergate Scandal and Nixon's eventual resignation.

In the episode, "A Taste of Freedom", when Dr. Zoidberg is on trial, Nixon says, "Sock it to him!" This is a reference to the real Richard Nixon's appearance on a 1960's sketch comedy show, "Laugh-In". The show had several popular catchphrases, one of which was "Sock it to me!" which was delivered by a comedian and followed by a sight gag such as the comedian getting hit with a bucket of water or a giant hammer. 1968 was an election year in the U.S.A., and the producers of the show tried to get all the presidential candidates to appear on the show. Only Nixon eventually agreed, and he made a brief cameo saying stiffly, "Sock it to me?" The clip is on YouTube.

Notes[]

His head is on the $1000 bill and $300 bill as well as the Tricky Dick Fun Bill.
He is the "original Gerber baby" according to Zapp Brannigan.
He claims to have staged the Moon Landing, on Venus.
Nixon appears with the Headless Body of Spiro Agnew, his Vice President between 1968 and 1973
He still has Checkers' head in a jar during his election campaign.
He is a fan of Ultimate Robot Fighting.
Due to their similar personalities, he is a friend of Morbo.
In the episode "Time Keeps on Slippin'", he gives Professor Farnsworth all the money in the world to make a Gravity Pump.

Behind the Scenes[]

Richard Nixon is voiced by Billy West. West's voice for the character is a parody of Anthony Hopkins' portrayal of the former President in the film Nixon. He makes "Haroo" noises because he reminds Billy West of a werewolf.
On occasion, the character of Nixon states "Oh, expletive deleted!" This is in reference to transcripts of Oval Office recordings, which censored Nixon's cursing with that phrase.
Richard Nixon's head is an extra in the Toynami Futurama collectible of Zapp Brannigan.