How much do you know about the monster truck called Zombie? Do you know everything you want to know? Or, do you want to hang out for a bit, read this article, learn more stuff and be able to impress people with your bounteous supply of Zombie related knowledge? If you answered yes to that question then settle in Zombie fans…it’s about to get lit up in here.
Oh and if you want to take a quick break and go put on some zombie makeup so you can get in the proper mood I’ll allow it.
History
“It’s gruesome, crazy and interactive. It has moving parts, and it was voted into existence by our fans, who wanted to see a zombie-themed truck on the track.” Bari Musawwir
Zombie is not only unique in its appearance it is also unique in how it came into existence. Monster Jam gave the fans an opportunity to vote on which type of truck they wanted to see in the arena and Zombie was the winner…fans even chose the name. This voting took place in 2012 and the truck was built that same year.
Zombie made it’s official debut in 2013 in Memphis, TN and was driven by Sean Duhon. Prior to this Sean had been driving the popular truck, Superman.
Ever since it’s debut, Zombie has been a fan favorite. Many fans feel a special connection to it since they were involved in its creation. In fact, there are many fans who dress up to resemble zombies in anticipation of watching a Zombie Monster Jam Event. (I bet those of you who didn’t take me up on my earlier offer to pause and put on some zombie makeup are feeling pretty silly now, aren’t you?)
Looking Like a Zombie
The term zombie brings to mind some pretty strong imagery, decaying flesh, outstretched arms, bloody splattered skin, creepy eyes, etc… So how do you go about designing truck that needs to live up to such an iconic and horrifying legacy? Well, luckily for us and all the other Monster Jam fans the team behind Zombie found a way to do it.
With it’s rotting teeth, yellow eyes and ever so classy semi-exposed brain, Zombie’s appearance certainly did not disappoint. Adding to the fantastic esthetic was the fact that the driver, Sean, would rock some zombie-esque makeup while driving the truck.
Overtime there have been many Zombie trucks and many Zombie looks. But, the one thing they’ve all had in common is the fact that they are all mega creepy and mega dope.
*Standard Zombie– this is the normal truck; pale grey, with tattered blue clothes and ripped skin. The current Standard Zombie truck is slightly different from the original (aka less bloody) because there were complaints that the original was too scary. They also added permanent arms and removed the tie that the original Zombie wore
*Bald Zombie– other than the lack of hair being added to it the Bald Zombie was identical to the Standard Zombie
-Bald Zombie was only seen once at an encore
*Skeleton Zombie– Skeleton Zombie made its appearance in 2016 but didn’t last long because it’s body was too hard to continuously make. It featured a skeleton paint job with skeleton arms. It had purple clothes and ultraviolet lights in its eyes.
*Female Zombie– This zombie features yellow skin, green eyes, purple clothes, a ponytail, painted nails AND eyeliner and eyelashes….talk about one jazzy looking lady zombie. The Female Zombie is the second most common zombie after Standard Zombie
-the ponytail has only been used during the encore
*Yellow Zombie– Yellow Zombie is similar to Female Zombie other than the fact that it is yellow, and it does not have the eyeshadow, eyelashes or painted nail…so basically it’s Female Zombie’s slightly less jazzy alter ego
*Burned Zombie– This zombie was bright red and made to look burned and scared. It’s mouth was open in a scream and the arm’s were positioned so that it was holding its head. It only appeared once in the encore.
*Biker Zombie– This is another one time only Zombie. It had green skin, purple eyes, a beard, legs and an eyeball and intestines hanging out.
-this one might be my favorite Zombie, I just can’t pass up some loose hanging intestines
*Fire Zombie-This is the newest Zombie, it was created in 2019 and bares a very strong resemblance to the Burned Zombie
The Drivers
As I mentioned before, Sean Duhon was the original driver of Zombie, and he took Zombie to the World Finals in 2013 and 2014.
Bari Musawwir joined the team in 2015 and he took Zombie to the world finals in 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019.
In 2016 there were four Zombies. They were driven by Sean Duhon (Standard Zombie), Bari Musawwir (Skeleton Zombie), Tyler Groth (Yellow Zombie) and Brandon Vinson, Alx Danielsson, and Joe Sylvester (Yellow Zombie). George Balhan drove Zombie on the European tour.
In 2017 Sean stopped driving for Monster Jam and left the team. Ami Houde joined the team and became the first full time female Zombie driver.
In 2018 there were five Zombies. They were driven by Bari Musawwir, Tyler Groth, Ami Houde, Colt Stephens, Travis Mowery.
The 2019 team of Zombie drivers includes Bari Musawwir, Joe Urie, Paul Strong and Macey Nichter with international partner Alx Danielsson.
Fun Facts
*Zombie’s theme song is “Thriller” by Michael Jackson, which is a pretty solid choice since I can’t think of any other catchy song involving zombies…or any song involving zombies for that matter
*Many people believe the body may be a modified Donkey Kong mold, or if it wasn’t made from the mold it was at least inspired by it. Donkey Kong ran from 2007-2010
*There have been multiple trucks that have run as Zombie. The list includes: Madusa, Lucas Oil Crusader, Double Trouble, Barbarian, Hurricane Force, Storm Damage and Extreme Attitude
*Fans are known to hold their arms outstretched like a zombie and do the “Zombie Dance” when Zombie enters the arena
*Zombie’s custom airbrushed design often has to be redone after a performance because of damage
*It is not uncommon for Zombie’s arms or fingers to fall off during an event
*One of the most unique features about Zombie is the hair that whips around on its hood
Now Go Impress Your Friends
Well, I hope you enjoyed your time reading this article and learning a crap ton of stuff about Zombie. I also hope that all your newfound knowledge helps you impress all your other monster truck friends the next time you guys are all sitting around talking about monster trucks.
Maybe you guys can dress up like zombies, do the Zombie dance and watch some rad Youtube videos…(aka my typical Friday night.)
