The struggle of a Greek immigrant in a tough job market.
Original work: Colossus and the Headhunters
The host segments revolve around Dr. Forrester's most horrendous new creation yet...Nummy Muffin Coocol Butter.
Trivia note: The earlier MST3K film Hercules Against the Moon Men was also about Maciste, until the English dubbing crew decided to capitalize on the bigger name recognition of Hercules.
The Segments:
Prologue- It's tax time on the SOL, and Crow is left utterly dazed at all the money he owes after his meager attempt to sell Grit back in '89. Mike, on the other hand, gets a big fat refund and plans to put in a swimming pool.
Segment 1
- Dr. Forrester has come to the conclusion that cute and fuzzy pets are the key to brainwashing the masses, so he introduces his newest and most adorable creation yet: a pink dog thing he calls Nummy Muffin Coocol Butter. He sends Nummy up to the SOL to test the little critter's effects on Mike, but its effects on Frank are more notable, as the lackey sobs over losing his new friend.
Segment 2
- Mike is giving Nummy a good brushing for the pet shows, and the 'Bots are worried that he's getting obsessed. Frank's separation from Nummy gets worse as he breaks out into song proclaiming his love for the little critter.
Segment 3
- Turns out, Nummy Muffin Coocol Butter sheds, and it sheds HARD. The SOL is completely covered in Nummy's fur, angering Servo, making Crow weep over his hair-covered lollipop, and making Gypsy sneeze uncontrollably. Mike insists that it's not Nummy's fault, mainly to keep it from becoming an outside pet.
Segment 4
- Nummy and Frank have come down with an inexplicable sickness. Realizing that they both miss each other terribly, Mike sends Nummy back down to Deep 13.
Segment 5
- With Nummy gone, Mike comforts himself by reading some letters. Meanwhile, Crow talks about the concept of brain activity after decapitation, thinking that there'd still be a few seconds of awareness from a severed head and raising a machete to "prove his point". Down in Deep 13, both Frank and Dr. F have become fully-enthralled by Nummy's cuteness.
The Mystery Science Theater 3000 presentation of Colossus and the Headhunters contains these tropes:
- Cuteness Proximity: Forrester plans to weaponize the trope by mass-producing Nummy Muffin Coocol Butters, causing everyone to become so infatuated with their cuteness that they don't notice him taking over the world.
- Effeminate Misogynistic Guy: The villain Kermes is this, which the MST guys call him out on during his Motive Rant.Kermes: The fragile shoulders of a woman can not bear the burdens of a kingdom without assistance.
Mike: Pssh! He's talking about fragile shoulders. - Hoist by His Own Petard: In the end, Forrester succumbs to his own creation.
- Holding the Floor: Milana's excruciatingly long dance to stall for time.Kermes: The gods thank you, Milana.
Servo: Now GET OUT!!!!!! - Iris Out: This is one of only two Comedy Central episodes to end without someone pushing the button, instead ending on a heart-shaped iris out as Frank and Dr. Forrester gush over Nummy.
- Lady Mondegreen: In-universe, Mike and the Bots mishear Maciste's name as "My Cheesesteak", which becomes a Running Gag.
- The Living Dead: Maciste takes an arrow from a pair of headhunters and falls to the ground, mostly motionless.Headhunter: (After giving Maciste a little push) He's dead.
Servo: Yes, let's ignore his breathing. - Living Emotional Crutch: Frank can't stand being apart from Nummy, and it turns out the reverse is also true.
- Made of Iron: Colossus/Maciste takes an arrow to the upper chest/shoulder early in the movie, but seems to walk it off after a few minutes.Crow: Luckily, this was before death had been invented.
- Non-Action Guy: Invoked.Crow: Colossus has gotta start doing something heroic. He survived a flesh wound — that's all he's done!
- Not So Above It All: Dr. Forrester acts like he's above Nummy Muffin's influence for the entire episode, but in the final host segment he's succumbed to its cuteness and is gushing over it alongside Frank.
- Ridiculously Cute Critter: Nummy Muffin Coocol Butter, who is designed by Dr. Forrester to pacify victims through Cuteness Proximity... until Dr. F is Hoist by His Own Petard in the end.
- Running Gag: "I am NOT your cheesesteak!"
- Shout-Out:
- Servo says of the stalling-for-time dancer, "Maybe we could give her an extra-long scarf and send her out for a drive." That's a reference to the death of dancer Isadora Duncan. MST references her all the time. I swear, who’s writing this stuff, Ida Celestia Pond
? - After Frank does a song about Nummy Muffin Coocol Butter, Mike and the 'Bots return to the theater. Mike briefly imitates Bill McGlaughlin, host of Minnesota-local public radio Classical Music show Saint Paul Sunday. Mike did a longer impression in The Starfighters.Mike: I thought Frank's song was fantastic.Crow: It was fantastic.
- Servo says of the stalling-for-time dancer, "Maybe we could give her an extra-long scarf and send her out for a drive." That's a reference to the death of dancer Isadora Duncan. MST references her all the time. I swear, who’s writing this stuff, Ida Celestia Pond
- Spell My Name With An S: Yes, it's "Coocol", not "Cocoa". So sayeth the end credits.
- This Is for Emphasis, Bitch!: When the Big Bad thinks he has Maciste trapped and laughs about it, Mike quips (in a wonderfully nasal voice), "I got you, you bitch!"
