— Arnold Rimmer (RD: Quarantine)
Mr. Flibble was a penguin hand puppet created by Arnold Rimmer aboard Red Dwarf and used to terrorize his crewmates.
About Flibble[]
When Rimmer became infected with Dr. Hildegard Lanstrom's holo-virus, he lost his grip on sanity and began manifesting bizarre powers, such as hex vision. Rimmer's insanity was manifested by a new fashion sense, a red and white checked gingham dress, matching bonnet, pigtails, army boots and a "friend", Mr. Flibble. Rimmer appeared to have conversations with Mr. Flibble and was able to manifest his hex vision powers through the puppet. ("Quarantine")
As Rimmer's insane alternative personality, Mr. Flibble was a homicidal maniac with a very twisted sense of humour. His only concern was to fry Dave Lister, Cat and Kryten with his hex vision. Rimmer himself provided Mr. Flibble's squeaky voice, which had a (poor imitation of a) Liverpool accent.
Quotes[]
Arnold Rimmer with Mr. Fibble
Rimmer: "They've been naughty boys, haven't they, Mr. Flibble?"
Mr. Flibble: "Yes!"
Rimmer: "What happens to naughty boys who've been naughty, Mr. Flibble?"
Mr. Fibble: "Uncle Arnie fries them alive with his hex vision." (RD: Quarantine)
Rimmer: "Mr. Flibble says..."
Mr. Fibble: "Game over, boys."(RD: Quarantine)
Rimmer: "Mr. Flibble's very cross. What are we going to do with them Mr. Flibble?"
(...)
Rimmer: "We can't possibly do that! Who'd clear up the mess?"
Smegazine[]
In the Red Dwarf Smegazine
Mr. Flibble enjoyed a series of comic strip adventures in the Red Dwarf Smegazine, which involved him brutalising other characters from Red Dwarf. These included Robbie Rocketpants and The King of the Potato People. Here, he was a living bird, crass and vile, granted with the power of Hex Vision (ill-gotten through a witch's potion), which he used wherever he could, though he equally enjoyed using Bazookoids.
According to the last issues of the Smegazine, Mr. Flibble hatched on a rather Swiss-looking part of a Psi-moon, and was adopted by a loving couple. Problem was they always wanted a girl, and Mr. Flibble was humiliated by being placed in a gingham dress, bonnet, and pigtails (much like Rimmer's infected persona).
This humiliation angered the young Flibble so that he influenced the Psi-moon's state, slowly transforming the moon's fairy-tale landscape into a debaucherous nightmare. He eventually left the moon following the protests of villagers living on it, though he accidentally scorched the entire moon in his wake.
Behind the Scenes[]
- Although Mr. Flibble made just one appearance on Red Dwarf, the quirky puppet made an impression on the fan community. Mr. Flibble has become quite famous among Dwarfers.
- Mr. Flibble is the "official interviewer" of Red Dwarf's Official Site
- An officially licensed replica of the Mr. Flibble hand puppet is one of the most popular Red Dwarf collectibles. It is available through many online retailers.