GIR (Invader Zim character)
GIR is a character from the highly popular cartoon series, Invader Zim. GIR is Zim's stupid robot slave/sidekick/assistant. He is easily influenced and impossible to fully control. He is a modified SIR (Standard Information Retrieval) unit, although not even he is aware of what the "G" in GIR stands for (several fans think GIR stands for Garbage Idiot Robot). Occasionally he reverts to behaviour expected of a normal SIR unit (during which time his eyes, torso, and wrist spheres change color to red), but this is normally short-lived. He is incapable of focusing his attention on important things for long periods of time and often speaks with no relevant coherent thought in mind. He is often the reason Zim fails in his attempts. His normal disguise is a very shoddy green dog suit. He is infatuated with Earth culture and is a very popular character. GIR is essentially a hedonist, whose main interests in life are sleeping, dancing, watching TV (in particular, the Angry Monkey show) and eating. He cooks on occasion (goodies like mashed potatoes or waffles with soap), but usually only for himself as Zim finds human food to be disgusting and will probably not eat it. However, by the time "Zim Eats Waffles" was shown, it's now known that Zim has developed an immunity to human food, as he himself is eating the waffles GIR concocts throughout the episode. He appears to eat for the sheer pleasure of doing so as he is a robot and likely does not need food. GIR gets along well with others and his best friend is a pig who is seen on occasion visiting GIR at Zim's house. In the episode "GIR Goes Crazy and Stuff", Zim tries to lock GIR in red-eyed "Duty Mode" to make him a more efficient (not to mention obedient) servant, but finds that extended lucid periods clue GIR into Zim's overall incompetence. Duty-Mode GIR subsequently goes about trying to eliminate Zim as a threat to the mission. In the end, Zim realizes that a super-intelligent robot that hates him is a larger burden than a stupid robot that loves him, so he reverts GIR back to his former, normal self. It is important to note that GIR is a "custom" SIR only in that he was haphazardly put together out of trash by the Tallest, to prevent the waste of a good, working unit on Zim. To everyone's surprise, GIR actually boots, and is technically functional. Ironically, as seen in the episode discussed above, it is possible that a normal SIR unit would have become as rebellious as "Duty Mode GIR". It is also worth noting that the GBA game "Nicktoons: Freeze Frame Frenzy" does refers to "GIR Goes Crazy and Stuff": Zim mentions that "using GIR's code was a really bad idea" when confronting his Helga robot (whom, just like all of his other robotic dopplegangers in the game, went rebellious ala Duty Mode GIR), probably implying that non-SIR robots could possibly go rebellious with GIR's programming. GIR is voiced by Rosearik Rikki Simons.
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