Jeff Dunham - Ventriloquist

 



Jeff Dunham is a succesful ventriloquist from the United States at the age of 8 his parents brought him his first puppet and he hasn't looked back since. There have been numerous tours worldwide & television shows featuring Walter, Peanut, Bubba J, Sweet Daddy Dee, Jose tha Jalapeni, Melvin the Superhero, Little Jeff and of course Achmed the dead terroist and his son Achmed Jr. Jeff has described the group as a family which is apt as they argue and bicker like most families around the globe.

 

For my first blog review I have spent some time trying to write for these shows but it becomes increasingly hard to write about without giving away what each character does/says during their time on stage. So I have decided to give you a bio on each character and a brief overview of each show so no spoiler alerts and you can have the enjoyment of watching them. Hopefully you'll laughing as much as I did.

  

Walter is a regular in the shows and is the much loved grumpy old man who always has his arms crossed. He fought in Vietnam and has been married for over 50 years, he talks about his marriage on a regular basis (mainly the negatives of marriage), he is also very old fashioned and set in his ways. You get to see this character grow slightly and become more technological and accepting of certain groups of people. You will grow to love Walter as we all know a Walter be it in the workplace of a family member. 

 

 Peanut is from a small island in Micronesia and they met in Florida. Peanut likes to make fun out of Jeff and torments Jose the Jalapeno on a regular basis, Peanut is unique and is known for his catchphrase "it's good its good its Goooood".

 

Bubba J is described as "white trash trailer park" who likes beer, NASCAR and guns, he has also spent time in rehab for his love of beer. Bubba J isn't the brightest spark in the book and is married to his cousin who he met at a family reunion.

 

Sweet Daddy Dee only appeared in 2 shows and is Jeff's manager who calls himself a "pimp" and Jeff is his "ho". He can occasionally be racist towards Jeff and hits on Ladies during the shows. His final appearence is during Minding the Monsters when his name appears on a headstone.

Jose the Jalapeno normally appears part way through with Peanut. Jose describes himselfs as Florida Cuban and speaks with a strong Latin accent and likes to mention his stick. Jose is said to be the first puppet made by Jeff Durham.

Melvin the Superhero has his superpower but is unimpressed with other superheros that Jeff mentions, his superhero weekness is cupcakes. His symbol is his nose and he jokes about what it looks like, sadly Melvins headstone is shown on Minding the Monsters.

Little Jeff is a miniaturised version of Jeff which is used by Peanut in Controlled Chaos.

Achmed the dead terrorist is a incompetent suicide bomber who only describes his death is to do with explosives, Achmed has stated he has worked for Osama bin Laden as part of his terrorist activites. When asked if he is Muslim he advises he responded he has "made in China" written on his bum. Achmed has a son Achmed Junior from his 42nd wife, he is known for his catchphrase "I kill you".

 

Achmed Jr a.k.a "AJ" is Achmed the dead terrorists son, he has a British accent since he was raised in England.

 

 

TIME FOR THE SHOWS!

 

Arguing with Myself is the 2006 show in Florida featuring Walter, Peanut, Jose the Jalapeno, Bubba J and Sweet Daddy D. Walter participates in a Q&A session, Sweet Daddy D is introduced and talks about his job, Bubba J talks about NASCAR and aliens, Peanut forgets where they are and Jose talks about the good day he and Peanut had.

This is the D.C 2007 show which opens with Jeff in bed with Walter, Peanut,Paige Dunham and Jose the Jalapeno. The show is opened by Jeff who talks about his dogs before he brings on Walter who talks about their recent trip to Fort Lauderdale, Achmed the dead terrorist makes a couple of jokes and seems please with the audience response, we meet Melvin the Superhero who talks about his superpowers. The final acts are Peanut and of course Jose the Jalapeno, Peanut taking the micky out of Jeffs surname and Jose talking about his legal status.

This is the Christman Special released in 2008 in Milwaukee, this show has a cameo appearance from Brian Haner who helps the characters perform Christmas songs. The show is opened by Walter and Jeff in a sleigh with a CGI background with Walter reluctant to get into the Christmas spirit until Jeff gives him some Christmas cheer, this show also stars Peanut, Jose the Jalepeno, Achmed the dead terrorist and Bubba J.

The Jeff Dunham show was a series aired on US television in 2009. In this series Jeff takes Achmed the dead terrorist, Walter, Bubba J, Sweet Daddy Dee, Peanut and Jose Jalapeno out of their comfort zone and over takes them out on the street meeting the public, you get the opportunity of seeing a different side to them. This will have you chuckling all the way through.

Controlled Chaos is the 2011 show filmed in Richmond, Virginia. The show doesn't start off great when Achmed is running late for the show with fame going to his skull.You also get to see pictures of Jeff as a child with his puppets. This show has the regulars Walter, Peanut, Jose the Jalapeno and Achmed the dead Terrorist and we are introduced to 2 new characters Little Jeff and Achmed Jr.

The 2012 Halloween special is Minding the Monsters filmed in Savannah. You see the graveyard of the no longer used puppets before Achmed Jr starts with the typical scary film opening of someone sat next to a fire reading from a book. The show has each puppet dressed up for halloween in outfits they found scared them as a kid, all the regulars appear and you will giggle at some of their outfits.

 

There are a number of the shows and tours available on DVD which can be purchased at

www.jeffdunham.com, the shows above are only the ones I have managed to watch. If you become a fan having watched these episodes Jeff is currently touring and dates can be found at www.jeffdunham.com/tour.

 

 

The photos used are mainly from

www.jeffdunham.com with a few coming from other associated pages.