Flipper

The term flipper has a number of meanings:

• Some animals, such as sea turtles, have limbs which are formed into flippers - see: flipper (anatomy).
• A scuba diver's fin.
• Flipper is the name of several TV series and films featuring extremely intelligent bottlenose dolphins named Flipper.
  • The original Flipper was a 1963 film directed by James B. Clark.
  • The first Flipper TV series which originally ran from 1964-1968 and has subsequently been re-run many times all over the world. Park Ranger Porter Ricks (played by Brian Kelly) and his sons Sandy (Luke Halpin, who played the same role in the 1963 film) and Bud (Tommy Norden) are the "owners" of Flipper, played by a dolphin named Suzy.
  • The 1995-2000 incarnation of Flipper included Jessica Alba.
  • The most recent re-telling of Flipper is the 1996 film starring Elijah Wood as the main character, Sandy. Sandy is a teenager from Chicago who is sent to live with his uncle Porter (Paul Hogan) over the summer and learn the fishing trade. While staying there, Sandy becomes quite proficient helping his uncle to fish and meets Flipper, a dolphin, along with some other new friends.
• Flipper was a punk band from San Francisco - see: Flipper (band).
• A flipper is also a type of delivery in the sport of cricket - see: flipper (cricket).
• Pinball machines have flippers that 'flip' the ball up higher on the game surface.
• Flipper is the name of the GPU chip, produced by ATi, that is used in the Nintendo Gamecube videogame console.