Bobby

Jindal, Bobby, 1971-, American politician, b. Baton Rouge, La., as Piyush Jindal. The son of immigrants from India, he attended Brown Univ. (B.S., 1991) and thereafter was a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford (M.Litt., 1994). He began his public career as secretary of the Louisiana Dept. of Health and Hospitals (1996-98) and was subsequently (1999-2001) president of the Univ. of Louisiana system. A conservative Republican, he was appointed assistant secretary in the Dept. of Health and Human Services by President George W. Bush and served there from 2001 to 2003. In 2003 he ran for governor of Louisiana and was defeated by Kathleen Blanco. Jindal was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2004 and reelected in 2006. In 2007 he soundly defeated a generally lackluster group of opponents to become America's first Indian-American governor and Louisiana's first nonwhite governor since Reconstruction.

Riggs, Bobby (Robert Larimore Riggs), 1918-95, U.S. tennis player, b. Los Angeles. Playing tennis from the age of 11, Riggs won several tournaments in the 1930s and helped the U.S. team win the Davis Cup in 1938. After winning the singles crown at Wimbledon (1939) and the U.S. National Championships (1939, 1941), he turned professional (1941). He won the national professional singles championship in 1946, 1947, and 1949. In May, 1973, he emerged from retirement as a professional tennis competitor to play Margaret Court, whom he defeated in a nationally televised winner-take-all match. Proclaiming the superiority of the male athlete over the female no matter what the age, he challenged Billie Jean King to a match. Riggs was soundly defeated (Sept., 1973) by her before a national television audience and 30,492 spectators in Houston.

Jones, Bobby: see Jones, Robert Tyre, Jr.

Hull, Bobby (Robert Marvin Hull, Jr.), 1939-, Canadian hockey player. Considered to be the best left wing in the sport's history, Hull was skating from age three and began playing with the Chicago Black Hawks of the National Hockey League (NHL) in the 1957-58 season. He played 15 seasons with them before joining the Winnipeg Jets of the World Hockey Association (WHA) for 1972-79 and then the Hartford Whalers (NHL) for the 1980-81 season. Hull led the NHL in scoring three times (1959-60, 1961-62, 1965-66) and was most valuable player twice (1964-65, 1965-66). He was also named most valuable player in the WHA for 1972-73.

Fischer, Bobby (Robert James Fischer), 1943-2008, American chess player, b. Chicago. In 1958, he became a grandmaster, the youngest to that time. In the Interzonal and Candidates' matches in 1970 and 1971 he won an unprecedented 20 straight games to qualify to challenge Boris Spassky for the world championship. When he overwhelmed Spassky in 1972, he became the only American world titlist and, according to a consensus of contemporary grandmasters, the strongest chess player in history. From then until 1992, Fischer did not play a single game of chess in public. He forfeited his world title in 1975 after a rules dispute with the International Federation of Chess, and turned down lucrative offers to play again. In 1992 he was indicted after participating in a exhibition match with Spassky in Yugoslavia, against which the United States had an economic boycott. He subsequently lived abroad as a fugitive and was arrested (2004) in Japan for traveling on a revoked passport. Threatened with deportation to the United States, he was allowed to leave (2005) for Iceland after that nation granted him citizenship.

Charlton, Bobby (Sir Robert Charlton), 1937-, one of the most celebrated of all English soccer players. Famous for his graceful athleticism, powerfully accurate kick, and sportsmanlike behavior, Charlton was (1954-73) a forward for Manchester United, making his pro debut in 1956. He survived the 1958 Munich plane crash that killed eight of his teammates and went on to lead and inspire Manchester, which during his tenure won three league championships (1957, 1963, 1967), the Football Association Cup (1963), and the European Cup (1968). Charlton also played (1957-73) on England's national team, appearing a record-breaking 106 times and sparking the team's 1966 the World Cup victory. He managed (1973-75) Preston North End and became a director of Manchester United in 1984. He was knighted in 1994.

Knight, Bobby (Robert Montgomery Knight), 1940-, American basketball coach, b. Massillon, Ohio. He holds the NCAA record for college basketball victories as a coach, with 902 career wins. A point guard at Ohio State (grad. 1962), Knight became (1963) an assistant coach at West Point and two years later was named Army's head coach. In 1971 he was hired to coach by Indiana Univ. During his 29-season tenure there, the Hoosiers won 11 Big Ten Conference titles, taking the 1979 NIT championship and three NCAA titles (1976, 1981, 1987). Knight also led the U.S. Olympic team to a gold medal in 1984. Four-time National Coach of the Year (1975-76, 1987, 1989), he was named to the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1991. At the same time, Knight became one of the most controversial figures in basketball, widely criticized for his bullying of players, intemperate remarks, and violent outbursts, and after an incident with a student in 2000 Indiana fired him. He subsequently coached (2001-8) at Texas Tech Univ.

Orr, Bobby (Robert Orr), 1948-, Canadian hockey player. He began skating at the age of 4 and was discovered by the Boston Bruins of the National Hockey League at age 12. He began playing with the Bruins in 1966 and revitalized the team. In 1976 he moved to the Chicago Blackhawks where he played until his retirement in 1979. A skater, passer, and shooter of exceptional talent, and a remarkably high scorer for a defenseman, Orr earned a reputation as a vigorous and audacious competitor.

in full Robert Gordon Orr

(born March 20, 1948, Parry Sound, Ont., Can.) Canadian-born U.S. ice-hockey player. He was signed to a junior amateur contract by Boston Bruins scouts when he was 12. He joined the Bruins in 1966 and played with them for 10 seasons, helping them to the playoffs in eight consecutive seasons and to two Stanley Cup victories (1970, 1972). The first defenseman to lead the National Hockey League in scoring (1970, 1975), he is the only player ever recognized as the most valuable defenseman eight years in a row (1967–68 to 1974–75).

Learn more about Orr, Bobby with a free trial on Britannica.com.

in full Robert Tyre Jones, Jr.

(born March 17, 1902, Atlanta, Ga., U.S.—died Dec. 18, 1971, Atlanta) U.S. golfer. Jones won 13 major championships between 1923 and 1930, a feat unequaled until 1973. In 1930 he became the first golfer to achieve the grand-slam of his time—the British and U.S. Open and Amateur championships—after which he retired from competitive golf at the age of 28, having never become a professional. Jones helped establish the Masters Tournament, one of the four major tournaments that make up the modern grand-slam of golf (the other three being the British Open, the U.S. Open, and the PGA Championship).

Learn more about Jones, Bobby with a free trial on Britannica.com.

in full Robert Martin Hull

(born Jan. 3, 1939, Point Anne, Ont., Can.) Canadian ice-hockey player. He played centre and left wing for the Chicago Blackhawks (1957–72) in the National Hockey League (NHL), where his booming slap shot and fast skating made him a dominant figure; he scored 50 or more goals in each of five seasons. Throughout his NHL career he scored 610 goals, 560 assists, and 1,170 points. He also played in the now-defunct World Hockey Association (1972–81).

Learn more about Hull, Bobby with a free trial on Britannica.com.

orig. Robert James Fischer

(born March 9, 1943, Chicago, Ill., U.S.—died Jan. 17, 2008, Reykjavík, Ice.) U.S.-born chess master. He became a grandmaster at age 15, then a record. In 1972 Fischer defeated Boris Spassky to become the only American to win the world chess championship. An intense and eccentric personality, he was a devout Christian fundamentalist who frequently condemned the Soviet Union for godlessness; he was deprived of his h1 in 1975 after refusing to meet his Soviet challenger, Anatoly Karpov. He remained out of the game thereafter except for a victorious private rematch with Spassky in Yugoslavia in 1992; the game violated U.S. sanctions against Yugoslavia. Fischer stayed abroad, becoming an Icelandic citizen in 2005.

Learn more about Fischer, Bobby with a free trial on Britannica.com.

in full Robert Gordon Orr

(born March 20, 1948, Parry Sound, Ont., Can.) Canadian-born U.S. ice-hockey player. He was signed to a junior amateur contract by Boston Bruins scouts when he was 12. He joined the Bruins in 1966 and played with them for 10 seasons, helping them to the playoffs in eight consecutive seasons and to two Stanley Cup victories (1970, 1972). The first defenseman to lead the National Hockey League in scoring (1970, 1975), he is the only player ever recognized as the most valuable defenseman eight years in a row (1967–68 to 1974–75).

Learn more about Orr, Bobby with a free trial on Britannica.com.

in full Robert Tyre Jones, Jr.

(born March 17, 1902, Atlanta, Ga., U.S.—died Dec. 18, 1971, Atlanta) U.S. golfer. Jones won 13 major championships between 1923 and 1930, a feat unequaled until 1973. In 1930 he became the first golfer to achieve the grand-slam of his time—the British and U.S. Open and Amateur championships—after which he retired from competitive golf at the age of 28, having never become a professional. Jones helped establish the Masters Tournament, one of the four major tournaments that make up the modern grand-slam of golf (the other three being the British Open, the U.S. Open, and the PGA Championship).

Learn more about Jones, Bobby with a free trial on Britannica.com.

in full Robert Martin Hull

(born Jan. 3, 1939, Point Anne, Ont., Can.) Canadian ice-hockey player. He played centre and left wing for the Chicago Blackhawks (1957–72) in the National Hockey League (NHL), where his booming slap shot and fast skating made him a dominant figure; he scored 50 or more goals in each of five seasons. Throughout his NHL career he scored 610 goals, 560 assists, and 1,170 points. He also played in the now-defunct World Hockey Association (1972–81).

Learn more about Hull, Bobby with a free trial on Britannica.com.

orig. Robert James Fischer

(born March 9, 1943, Chicago, Ill., U.S.—died Jan. 17, 2008, Reykjavík, Ice.) U.S.-born chess master. He became a grandmaster at age 15, then a record. In 1972 Fischer defeated Boris Spassky to become the only American to win the world chess championship. An intense and eccentric personality, he was a devout Christian fundamentalist who frequently condemned the Soviet Union for godlessness; he was deprived of his h1 in 1975 after refusing to meet his Soviet challenger, Anatoly Karpov. He remained out of the game thereafter except for a victorious private rematch with Spassky in Yugoslavia in 1992; the game violated U.S. sanctions against Yugoslavia. Fischer stayed abroad, becoming an Icelandic citizen in 2005.

Learn more about Fischer, Bobby with a free trial on Britannica.com.

Bobby's World is a children's animated series, which ran from 1990 to 1998, on FOX. It was about the daily life of Bobby Generic (pronunciation [ˈdʒɛnəɹɪk], JEN-a-rik) and his very overactive imagination on how he sees the world. This show was created by actor-comedian Howie Mandel. Mandel also provided the voice of both Bobby and his father Howard Generic, who looks like a cartoon version of Mandel himself. It was produced by Film Roman for Alevy Productions and the Fox Kids Network. The theme song for Bobby's World was composed by John Tesh, along with Michael Hanna.

History

The character of "Bobby" can likely be traced back to Mandel's days as a stand up comedian in Canada and later the United States. Mandel would commonly go into character with the same voice as Bobby, often conversing with an unseen "parent".

The voices of Kelly Generic (Bobby's sister) and Martha Generic (Bobby's mom) are based on two recurring characters Gail Matthius played when she was a cast member on Saturday Night Live in 1980. Martha is based on the character, Roweena, a chain-smoking hair stylist with a Midwestern accent who gets into arguments with her best customer Nadine (Denny Dillon) while Kelly Generic is based on the character, Vicky, a Valley Girl who annoys others with her shallow questions and rambling stories and often is seen with her friend Debbie (also Dillon).

In the US, during the show's final season on-air, the show was open-captioned for the hearing-impaired; the show's closed-captions were not encoded and all viewers could see them. This is despite the fact that most network programming by this time were closed-captioned, and most televisions made after 1993 had closed-captioning capabilities.

In an April 2006 online interview, Mandel expressed his desire for a possible re-launch of the series. Episodes can be occasionally be seen in syndication, or on a variety of websites.

Show format

Episodes often consist of a short live action segment either before or after the main story (and sometimes both before and after). The segment would include Mandel describing some aspect of the story and often relating it back to his personal childhood. Sometimes during these segments, the character of Bobby would appear in animated form and converse with Mandel. Other times, a live action child would appear and exchange words with Mandel. Endings of the show also featured Mandel breaking the proverbial "fourth wall" by talking to viewers about the preceding episode.

Characters

• Bobby Generic, 4-year old (has a voice similar to Skeeter from Season 1 and 2 of Jim Henson's Muppet Babies)
• Howard Generic, Bobby's father (modeled upon and also voiced by Howie Mandel using his regular voice)
• Martha Generic, Bobby's mother, who speaks with a heavy Minnesota accent and often punctuates her speech with phrases like "Fer cryin' in the mud", "gee golley", "gee darn" and "don't'cha know".
• Kelly Generic, Bobby's 14-year-old sister, sporting a shag haircut, purple eye shadow and a Valley Girl accent
• Derek Generic, Bobby's 10-year-old brother, with a rat-tail hairdo and a sarcastic manner.
• The Generic Twins, Bobby's infant brothers
• Aunt Ruth, Bobby's aunt and Martha's sister (voice of Edie McClurg)
• Uncle Ted, Bobby's uncle and Martha's brother. He loves to give noogies to Bobby and is a collector of various things, one of which is a novelty item called Socks In A Can. (voice of Tino Insana)
• Roger, the Generic family dog
• Jackie, Bobby's next door neighbor/classmate with the floor-length pigtails who has a crush on Bobby and always kisses him

Episodes

DVD releases

• Classic Scratch 'n' Sniff Episodes and The Signature Episodes were both released on DVD in North America by Anchor Bay Entertainment, now called Starz Home Entertainment.

References

External links

• BobbysWorld.net
• Bobby's World at TV.com
• Toon Tracker Audio File - The Bobby's World Theme
• Bobby's World at Don Markstein's Toonopedia
• Bobby's World on Kabillion.com