Editing Zonker Harris

{{Infobox comics character
| image = zonkerharris.jpg
|caption = 
|character_name = Zonker Harris
|publisher = [[Universal Press Syndicate]]
|debut = 
|creators = [[Garry Trudeau]]
|alter_ego =

|alliances =
|aliases =
|supports = 
|powers =
}}

'''Zonker Harris''' (his full name is revealed in ''[[Doonesbury (musical)|Doonesbury: A Musical Comedy]]'' to be '''Edgar Zonker Harris''') is the stereotypical unfocused confused [[hippie]] character in [[Garry Trudeau]]'s [[comic strip]] ''[[Doonesbury]]''. He made his first appearance as a perennial [[cannabis (drug)|pot]]-smoking pest plaguing [[B. D. (Doonesbury)|B.D.]]'s football team in 1971. He moved with [[Mike Doonesbury|Mike]], B.D., and the gang to a rural commune (named [[Walden]] in homage to [[Henry David Thoreau|Thoreau]]'s 19th century idyll).

==Family==
Zonker's family consists of his mother, father, "Uncle" Duke, his nephew Zipper, and his sister, Louise. His mother and father have a habit of fighting, which leads to the mother leaving for a short time to clear her head (but always returning in time to water the plants). Whenever this happens, Zonker's father becomes upset and visits Zonker, within minutes of the argument. Although Zonker's sister never appears in the series, she is the mother of [[Zipper Harris]], Zonker's nephew.

Zonker's ancestors from Colonial America are mentioned several times in the series. Nathan Harris was a [[Minutemen|minuteman]] (who could literally be ready in one minute) as well as an activist for [[civil rights]] and was responsible for "freeing" a nearby [[Slavery in the United States|slave]] (who was under the impression that they were in [[Virginia]], where slavery was still legal. They were, in fact, in [[Massachusetts]]). Nathan's wife, Amy Harris, was equally revolutionary, fighting for women's equality in the Constitution and taking up an apprenticeship with [[Paul Revere]] to become a [[silversmith]]. Neither cause worked out very well however, as men were not interested in women's civil rights and she was unable to even cast simple pewter tankards. She quits her apprenticeship when Nathan assures her that he needs her as a companion and equal as well as a wife.

==History==
{{anchor|Walden Puddle}}
While at Walden Commune, Zonker spent most of his time watching TV, getting [[psychedelic drug|high]], and swimming around in a minuscule body of water called "Walden Puddle", which he considered to be a sacred and holy place. In his early years in the strip, Zonker had the ability to talk to plants. (Mike also talked to the plants during Zonker's stint as [[Lieutenant Governor of American Samoa]].) In later stories, Zonker appeared to lose this ability, but it has sprung back up occasionally, and he has been seen conversing with a marijuana plant, and a scrawny [[Christmas tree]] in recent years. Other than these few exceptions, this power seems to have left him, and he misses it terribly. When wondering out loud why he had it in the first place, he was told "It was the drugs, man". Ironically, it was a plant that informed him of this.

Zonker is habitually unemployed, and is very protective of his slacker lifestyle. He has taken on temporary jobs as a [[bartender]] and a [[Mail carrier|postman]], but always leaves these careers as soon as he gets bored with them. The only "work" to which he has shown any diligence is acquiring a [[sun tanning|suntan]]. Throughout the 1980s, he spent more and more of his time trying to develop "the perfect tan", and even became a [[celebrity]] (on par with a professional athlete) for his accomplishments, with [[George Hamilton (actor)|George Hamilton]] as his idol. Eventually he wised up to the damage the sun was doing to his skin, and has since appeared in [[public service announcement]]s about sun safety.

After his graduation from Walden, Zonker eventually enrolled in "The [[Jean-Claude Duvalier|Baby Doc]] College of Physicians" (which was run by [[Uncle Duke]], an old family friend). However, he dropped out after winning $23 million from a [[lottery]] ticket. Shortly afterward, he had to spend most of it on saving Duke from being a [[zombie|zombified]] slave, but had enough left over to buy a British title (His Lordship the Viscount St. Austell-in-the-Moor Biggleswade-Brixham), which caused him to be called to England as a tie-breaker for a vote in the House of Lords over one of Margaret Thatcher's tax bills. He stayed at another lord's castle for several months, oblivious to many not-so-subtle hints to leave, and was eventually forcibly removed by a [[butler]].  He ended up as a live-in nanny for [[Mike Doonesbury|Mike]] and [[List of Doonesbury characters#Main characters|J.J.]] Doonesbury (who kicked him out in the early 1990s).

==Lifestyle==
Zonker spent several years as a live-in [[babysitting|babysitter]] for B.D. and [[List of Doonesbury characters#Main characters|Boopsie]]'s daughter Samantha in [[Connecticut]]. As they live on the former Walden Commune, Zonker was reunited with his beloved puddle. He contributed to the household by working at ''McFriendly's'', apparently a [[portmanteau]] of [[McDonald's]] and [[Friendly's]] restaurants.

In 2012, with the [[Cannabis policy of Colorado|legalization of marijuana in Colorado]], Zonker and his nephew Zipper began to conceive a plan to move to Boulder and start a marijuana farm. They did this in early 2014.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Bloom |first1=Steve |title='Doonesbury' Goes to Colorado |url=https://www.celebstoner.com/news/celebstoner-news/2013/03/29/doonesbury-goin-to-colorado/ |access-date=December 31, 2024 |work=Celeb Stoner |date=November 28, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Brennan |first1=Charlie |title='Doonesbury' mainstay Zonker eyeing marijuana grow 'outside Boulder' |url=https://www.dailycamera.com/2013/04/23/doonesbury-mainstay-zonker-eyeing-marijuana-grow-outside-boulder/ |url-access=subscription| access-date=2016-08-05 |work=Boulder Daily Camera |date=2013-04-23}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Bloom |first1=Steve |title='Doonesbury' Celebrates Legal Marijuana in Colorado |url=https://www.celebstoner.com/news/celebstoner-news/2014/01/01/doonesbury-celebrates-legal-marijuana-in-colorado/ |access-date=2024-12-31 |work=Celeb Stoner |date=2014-01-05}}</ref>

[[File:Zonker Harris Access Way.jpg|thumb|The Zonker Harris Access Way in Malibu, CA]]

Occasionally he travels back to his birthplace of [[California]] to commune with "Old Surfer Dude", an elderly man who preaches the virtues of the [[surfing|surfer]] lifestyle in a style reminiscent of both a [[Chinese martial arts|kung fu]] master and [[Yoda]]. He has been in conflict for many years with [[David Geffen]] for denying the public access to his beaches, in conflict with California law. Geffen finally relented in 2005. There is an access way in [[Malibu, California|Malibu]] named after Zonker.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Nugent |first1=Benjamin |title=Access Malibu |url=https://www.legalaffairs.org/issues/May-June-2003/scene_nugent_mayjun03.msp |access-date=2024-12-31 |work=Legal Affairs |date=May–June 2003 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220610203741/https://www.legalaffairs.org/issues/May-June-2003/scene_nugent_mayjun03.msp |archive-date=2022-06-10 | url-status=dead}}</ref>

Zonker is entirely uninterested in [[sex]] and [[Romance (love)|romance]] and has never pursued a romantic relationship. He claims that this is because his heart was broken by a girl when he was ten years old, and that this convinced him that love was not worth the trouble.

Zonker often supports political causes that are out of the mainstream. Zonker voted for [[Ross Perot]] in 1992 and worked for his Uncle Duke's 2000 presidential campaign. In a March 2010 strip, he told a Tea Party supporter that he has "always stuck it to the man".

[[Wesleyan University]] students hold an unofficial yearly event in April called Zonker Harris Day, celebrating psychedelic music and culture, with the Doonesbury character as a mascot.  [[MGMT]] are among the acts to have performed at Zonker Harris Day: in 2003, while the members were undergraduates at Wesleyan,<ref name=mgmt_wesleyan_argos>{{cite web|url =http://www.wesleyan.edu/argus/archives/apr132004/dateyear/f4.html|title = Weekly Wes Celeb: ''The magmo''|last = Landerman|first = Jessie|publisher = [[Wesleyan University|Wesleyan Argus]]|date = April 13, 2004|access-date = July 27, 2007|url-status = dead|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070927070512/http://www.wesleyanargus.com/article.php?article_id=2053|archive-date = September 27, 2007|df = mdy-all}}</ref> the band performed a set including a version of their later hit [[Kids (MGMT song)|"Kids"]].<ref name=musicradar_mgmt>{{cite web|url=https://www.musicradar.com/artists/those-people-attending-had-no-idea-they-were-blessed-with-this-exclusive-performance-5-years-ahead-of-the-release-of-the-song-mgmt-once-played-a-2000s-classic-to-a-tiny-crowd-in-newly-found-footage|last=Price|first=Andy|title="Those people attending had no idea they were blessed with this exclusive performance 5 years ahead of the release of the song": MGMT once played a 2000s classic to a tiny crowd in newly-found footage|date=5 December 2024|access-date=22 December 2024|website=Musicradar}}</ref> In early 2008, the new Wesleyan University president, [[Michael S. Roth]], declared Zonker Harris Day to be "stupid", and the Residential Life office officially opposed its "hippie-druggie" image.  Funding for the event was banned pending a new title.  After prolonged disagreement, students renamed the event "Ze Who Shall Not Be Named Day".  With a new name, the former Zonker Harris Day was held as usual on April 19, 2008.  The students protested what they viewed to be unnecessary and irrelevant censorship, while the administration maintained that Zonker Harris Day gave the university a poor image.<ref>{{cite web |title=Wesleying: Search for 'zonker harris day' |url=https://www.wesleying.org/?s=zonker+harris+day |access-date=2024-12-31 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160508195601/https://www.wesleying.org/?s=zonker+harris+day |archive-date=2016-05-08 |url-status=dead}}</ref> A series of strips in late 2010 parodied this, with Zonker (having been told of the event's renaming) debating whether or not to personally intervene, especially in light of the major conflict on his calendar in April – the [[Wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton|Royal Wedding of Prince William]]. In 2011, the name of the festival was reinstated.<ref>{{cite web|last=Schwartz|first=Amanda|title=Zonker Harris Day Makes a Comeback|date=25 March 2011 |url=http://wesleyanargus.com/2011/03/25/zonker-harris-day-makes-a-comeback/|publisher=Wesleyan Argus}}</ref>

The [[University of Miami]] named the [[scout team]] the Zonkers.{{citation needed|date=December 2024}}

== References and in-jokes ==
*Named after Steven "Zonker" Lambrecht, one of the [[Merry Pranksters]] described in Tom Wolfe's ''[[The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test]]'' <ref>{{cite book|last=Trudeau|first=G.B.|title=Dude: The Big Book of Zonker}}</ref> 
*In the [[LucasArts]] computer game ''[[Monkey Island 2: LeChuck's Revenge]]'', [[Guybrush Threepwood]] – now sporting a long ponytail and a beard – attends a fancy dress party at [[Elaine Marley]]'s mansion on [[Booty Island]], attired in a dress. If the player makes him look in Elaine's mirror, Guybrush says "Hey, it's Zonker Harris in a dress!"
*The flavor of Ben & Jerry's named "Doonesberry", both a pun and tribute to the strip, shows Zonker mixing the ice cream in place of the standard pictures of Ben & Jerry.

==References==
<references/>

{{Doonesbury}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Harris, Zonker}}
[[Category:Doonesbury characters]]
[[Category:Comics characters introduced in 1971]]
[[Category:Fictional nannies]]
[[Category:Fictional players of American football]]
[[Category:Fictional viscounts and viscountesses]]
[[Category:Fictional characters from California]]