General Boy is a character created around 1975 by new wave band Devo. He is usually seen portrayed by Robert Mothersbaugh Sr., the father of Devo’s lead singer Mark Mothersbaugh, former drummer Jim Mothersbaugh, and lead guitarist Bob Mothersbaugh.
General Boy, along with his son Booji Boy, was first introduced in the 1976 short film The Truth About De-Evolution. Both characters have made numerous appearances in various short films, music videos, written propaganda and even concerts by the band. The intent of Booji Boy is to satirize infantile regression in Western culture, a quality Devo enjoyed elucidating. He would appear at their concerts in the early days, singing last encores.
Both characters were also incorporated into Devo’s 1996 PC CD-ROM video game Devo Presents Adventures of the Smart Patrol (with Booji Boy being re-christened “Boogie Boy”). The booklet of the game claims that the Boys’ true last name was Rothwell and that Booji Boy’s true name was Craig Allen Rothwell.
01 - Booji Boy with an EML 500, a monophonic analog synthesizer with dual VCOs. This image appeared on the cover of Synapse’s Summer 1978 issue.
02 - General Boy in the video for “The Men Who Make The Music”, 1979.
03 - Booji Boy in a photo taken from the fan video “DEVO - Booji Boy’s Funeral” posted on YouTube in 2012.
04 - General Boy in a photo taken from the fan video “DEVO - Duty Now For The Future! - General Boy” posted on YouTube in 2019.
05 - General Boy in a photo posted on Facebook in 2016 by the band’s profile to celebrate his life.
