Zanzibar (G.I. Joe)
Encyclopedia
Zanzibar is a fictional character from the G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero
G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero
G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero is a military-themed line of action figures and toys in Hasbro's G.I. Joe franchise. The toyline lasted from 1982 to 1994, producing well over 500 figures and 250 vehicles and playsets. The line reappeared in 1997 and has continued in one form or another to the...

 toyline, comic books and cartoon series of the 1980s. He is affiliated with Cobra as the Dreadnoks' pirate and debuted in 1987.

Profile

His real name is Morgan Teach (a reference to two real life pirates Admiral Henry Morgan
Henry Morgan
Admiral Sir Henry Morgan was an Admiral of the Royal Navy, a privateer, and a pirate who made a name for himself during activities in the Caribbean, primarily raiding Spanish settlements...

 and Blackbeard). Zanzibar was born in the Cayman Islands
Cayman Islands
The Cayman Islands is a British Overseas Territory and overseas territory of the European Union located in the western Caribbean Sea. The territory comprises the three islands of Grand Cayman, Cayman Brac, and Little Cayman, located south of Cuba and northwest of Jamaica...

.

Zanzibar was raised on a garbage scow
Scow
A scow, in the original sense, is a flat-bottomed boat with a blunt bow, often used to haul bulk freight; cf. barge. The etymology of the word is from the Dutch schouwe, meaning such a boat.-Sailing scows:...

, spending most of his formative years picking pockets on crowded piers. He tried river piracy, stock fraud and smuggling, but felt that these were too much like real work and not nasty enough for his tastes. When delivering a load of bootleg gasoline to Zartan
Zartan
Zartan is a character from the G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero toyline, by Hasbro. He is a mercenary who often worked directly for Cobra Commander, and is one of the main villains in the G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero comic and animated series. His character was voiced by Zack Hoffman in the 1985 TV...

's filling station, he was immediately taken on as a Dreadnok.

Toys

Zanzibar was first released as an action figure in 1987, packaged with the Dreadnok Air Skiff. A second version was released in 2004 as a G.I. Joe convention exclusive repaint of the first figure. A third version was release in a exclusive 7 pack Dreadnok set in Dec 2011.

Comics

Marvel Comics

In the Marvel Comics G.I. Joe series, he first appeared in G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero #60 (June 1987). He and Monkeywrench
Monkeywrench (G.I. Joe)
Monkeywrench is a fictional character from the G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero toyline, comic books and cartoon series of the 1980s. He is affiliated with Cobra as one of the Dreadnoks and debuted in 1986.-Profile:His real name is Bill Winkie...

 are caught stealing bad gasoline from Zartan
Zartan
Zartan is a character from the G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero toyline, by Hasbro. He is a mercenary who often worked directly for Cobra Commander, and is one of the main villains in the G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero comic and animated series. His character was voiced by Zack Hoffman in the 1985 TV...

, the same gas he sold the Cobra agent in the first place. He has some knowledge that helps save Cobra Island
Cobra Island
Cobra Island is a fictional country located in the Gulf of Mexico. It is the main base of operations for the fictional Cobra Organization featured in the G.I. Joe toyline from the 1980s. It is featured in the G.I. Joe cartoon and the comic book series created by Marvel Comics and Devil's Due...

 from a missile attack arranged by rogue Pentagon agents.

He appears again in issue #89, as part of a multi-Cobra/Dreadnok effort to chase down Clutch
Clutch (G.I. Joe)
Clutch is a fictional character from the G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero toyline, comic books and cartoon series. He is one of the G.I. Joe Team's motor vehicle drivers and debuted in 1982.-Profile:...

 and Rock 'n Roll
Rock 'n Roll (G.I. Joe)
Rock 'n Roll is a character from the G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero toy line, comic books and cartoon series of the 1980s. He is the G.I. Joe team's original machine gunner and debuted in 1982.-Profile:...

. His "Pogo" craft is run-down by the damaged Joe vehicle "Mean Dog", and he is captured by Repeater, Wildcard and Hardball.

Devil's Due

He makes a cameo in the Devil's Due Joe series as Cobra prepares to go to war against Serpentor
Serpentor
Serpentor is a fictional character from G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero, a line of military-themed toys created by Hasbro. The character was introduced in 1986 as a toy with an air chariot and included in the animated series that same year.-Toys:...

. He is a supporting character in two flashback issues showing Dreadnok business; he helps recruit new members and is seen on an assault mission on rivals who don't show the proper respect.

Novel

Zanzibar's figure is briefly featured in the fiction novel 6 Sick Hipsters. In the story, the character Paul Achting spent four years collecting G.I. Joe figures to set up a battle scene between the Joes and Cobra. As he imagined the characters in his head, he described the Dreadnoks as "an elite team of maniacal mercenaries allied with Cobra for this battle", with the figures lying in the thick of the shag carpet, and "Toward the edge of the carpet, nearest the closet, Zanzibar, the dread pirate who never changed his socks and brushed his teeth with grape soda, was mounted on the Air Skiff, an over water swamp vehicle that functioned surprisingly well on the thick shag rug".
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