The name of R. Z. Zoot, or should we say the full name, Roota Zoota Zoot, can be found in the 1942 Bugs Bunny cartoon, “Case of the Missing Hare".” It can be found on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5jngc-sYMPA. Listen up for the magic words!

Bugs is pestered by the traveling magician, Ala Bahma (get it? Alabama?), whose magic words for pulling things out of a hat was “Roota, Zoota, ZOOT!” This is a phrase that has stuck with me since the 10th grade when I used to draw not-so-nice flip books of my least favorite teacher, Esther Edeburn, who taught honors literature and honors English and who never ever liked anything I wrote. So I drew a flipbook called “Poindexter Asks a Question, or Love and Pound Cakes.” A brief synopsis: Poindexter asks his English teacher a question. Mrs. Edeburn, represented by the evil Glove from the Beatles’ Yellow Submarine cartoon, proceeds to pummel Poindexter. Then my history teacher Mr. Lombard dances into frame and he and the Glove fall in love. The end (didn’t say it would make any sense). But being no fool, I didn’t want to put my own name on it. I must have just seen that particular cartoon and the magic words of Ala Bahma stuck with me and R. Z. Zoot was born and never left. I’ve since used the name on countless drawings, cartoons, cutting boards (sold exclusively at the Kitchenette), sculptures, and furniture with the logo shown in the the upper left of this page.

The flipbook cover and a card from the flipbook. Poindexter, having asked his question and been bopped on the head, crumples to the ground as his question mark falls away. Mr. Lombard dances in on the right.