Character Description
Frogpants, Tugboat, and Nigel Blimpbottom are the most prominent zombies in Zomboss‘s army, showing up in most of his plans. Like the Three Stooges, they are completely hapless, always getting into trouble, screwing up the plans, and getting picked on by Zomboss.
Nigel Blimpbottom is a Buckethead zombie. He wears a metal pail on his head, inscribed with the handwritten name, “Nigel.” He wears a pink shirt, yellow vest, and blue pants.
Unlike his compatriots Tugboat and Frogpants, Nigel cannot (or at least, has not yet to date) say his name, and can presumably only say “brains” like other zombies.
Major Story Arcs
Bully for You
Frogpants, Tugboat, and Nigel Blimpbottom, in disguise, help steal supplies from a hardware store for Zomboss’s newest evil invention.
The Emptiness
In this back-up story, the group, once again in disguise, goes through great difficulty to find some Pop Smarts for Zomboss, becoming very hungry themselves. However, he won’t give them any.
Grown Sweet Home
Frogpants, Tugboat, and Nigel are among the zombies that Zomboss trains to be human, using tips surreptitiously picked up from Patrice and Nate.
They are then part of the invading army Zomboss sends against Neighborville, and part of the parade of zombies that walks through the town, incognito.
As part of a series of individual battles, Nigel fights Jeff the Bloomerang, and loses.
Tugboat steals some of Zomboss’s Pop Smarts, which Nate and Patrice see on surveillance cameras. (Frogpants and Nigel apparently also help to steal the Pop Smarts but we don’t see them do it on panel.)
Later, the kids tell Zomboss that Tugboat, Nigel, and Frogpants stole the Pop Smarts, which turns Zomboss into a rage. He sets the rest of the zombies on the trio. Later the three are seen walking out of town, clothes in disarray, with signs proclaiming, “Zomboss iz a gerk!”, “We needz a place of our owns,” and “Zomboss unfairzz!”
Petal to the Metal
Nigel is seen testing out Echo Canyon during the race between the plants and zombies.
The three are part of the invasion force in Neighborville, which Zomboss is trying to use the race to distract the kids and plants from. However, Frogpants gets tangled up in the cord to the TV that Zomboss is using to explain his plan to the zombies, and accidentally turns the TV off. Without knowing Zomboss’s plan, the zombies basically just hang out instead of invading.
Boom Boom Mushroom
The trio is part of Zomboss’s cavern invasion force, taking over the caves below Neighborville. However all three of them screw up somehow, keeping the army from carrying out their plan on time.
Nigel leaves the popcorn machine on too long, creating a huge pile of popcorn that blocks the zombie army from attacking the town.
Tugboat and Nigel get passed over as “best zombie” in favor of Mr. Stubbins.
When Zomboss is finally ready to carry out his plan, he finds out that Nate and Twister switched his technology around, and the zombies are lifted up into the town instead of vice versa. Tugboat and Nigel are among the zombies lifted to the surface.