Coordinates	33°51′35.9″N151°12′40″N
Caption	A floorball match between Sweden (yellow) and Finland (white).
Union	International Floorball Federation
Nickname	Innebandy, Salibandy, Unihockey
Contact	Moderate (shoulder to shoulder)
Team	5 + Goalkeeper
Category	Indoor

Floorball, a type of floor hockey, is an indoor team sport which was developed in the 1970s in Sweden. Floorball is most popular in areas where the sport has developed the longest, such as the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland. The game is played indoors on a gym floor, making it a year-round sport at the amateur and professional levels. There are professional leagues, such as Finland's Salibandyliiga and Sweden's Svenska Superligan.

While there are 49 members of the International Floorball Federation (IFF), the Czech Republic, Finland, Sweden and Switzerland have finished in most of the coveted 1st, 2nd and 3rd places at the Floorball World Championships.

In addition to those four countries, floorball is gaining popularity in countries such as Latvia, Australia, Canada, Germany, Japan, Singapore , Malaysia and the United States.

History

, floorball's governing body]] The game is believed to have originated in Gothenburg, Sweden. The sport began as something that was played for fun as a pastime at schools, and pre-season training for bandy clubs. After a decade or so, floorball began showing up in Scandinavian countries such as Finland, Norway and Sweden, where the once school pastime was becoming a developed sport. Formal rules soon were developed, and clubs began to form. After some time, several countries developed national associations, and the IFF was founded in 1986.

The game of floorball is also known by many other names, such as salibandy (in Finland), innebandy (in Sweden and Norway), and unihockey (in Switzerland and Germany). The names "salibandy" and "innebandy" are derived from bandy. Both of those names literally translate to "indoor bandy". Unihockey is derived from "universal hockey" since it is meant to be a special and simplified hockey form.

Expansion

When the IFF was founded in 1986, the sport was played in mostly Scandinavian countries, Japan, and several parts of Europe. By 1990, floorball was recognized in 7 countries, and by the time of the first European Floorball Championships in 1994, that number had risen to 14. That number included the United States, who were the first country outside of Europe and Asia to recognize floorball. By the time of the first men's world championships in 1996, 20 nations played floorball, with 12 of them participating at the tournament.

As of 2009, the sport of floorball has been played in almost 80 countries. Of those, 51 have national floorball associations that are recognized by the IFF. With the addition of Sierra Leone, Africa's first floorball nation, the IFF has at least one national association on each continent of the world, with the exception of Antarctica.

Development

10 years after the IFF was founded, the first world championships were played, with a sold out final of 15,106 people at the Globen in Stockholm, Sweden. In addition to that, the world's two largest floorball leagues, Finland's Salibandyliiga and Sweden's Svenska Superligan were formed, in 1986 and 1995 respectively.

Recognition

In December 2008, the IFF and the sport of floorball received recognition from the International Olympic Committee (IOC). The IFF hopes that this provisional recognition will help allow floorball to become a part of the 2020 Summer Olympics.

In January 2009, the IFF and the sport of floorball received recognition from Special Olympics. This recognition could make floorball an official Special Olympics sport in just two years. As well, the IFF hopes that floorball will be included as a demonstration sport at the 2013 Special Olympics World Winter Games.

In addition to recognition by the International Olympic Committee and Special Olympics, the IFF is also a member of the General Association of International Sports Federations (GAISF), and co-operates with the International University Sports Federation (FISU).

World championships

celebrates their 2006 World Floorball Championship after defeating Finland 7–6 in Sudden Victory Overtime.]] The world floorball championships are a semi-annual event where teams from across the world gather to play in a tournament in order to win the world championship. As of 2009, seven men's, as well as six women's, four men's under-19, and three women's under-19 world floorball championships have taken place. The Czech Republic, Finland, Norway Sweden, and Switzerland remain the only five countries to have ever captured a medal at a World Championship event. A floorball world championship is awarded twice a year, and bi-annually in each age group.

The Men's World Floorball Championships take place every December (since 2008) in every even year.

The Women's World Floorball Championships take place every December (since 2009) in every odd year.

The Men's under-19 World Floorball Championships take place every May (since 2009) in every odd year.

The Women's under-19 World Floorball Championships take place every May (since 2008) in every even year.

From 1996 to 2009, the IFF will use a world floorball championship format where the last team in the A-Division is relegated to the B-Division, while the top team in the B-Division is promoted to the A-Division. This format caused much hardship for countries such as Australia, Canada, Slovakia, and Spain, who have all been trying to get to the B-Division from the C-Division since 2004. In 2010, the IFF plans to adopt a FIFA-like continental qualification system, where teams must qualify to play at the world championships. Depending on the number of countries registered per continent or region, the IFF gives spots for the world championships. For example, Argentina, Brazil, Canada and the United States would need to play for one spot at the world championships in a continental qualification tournament for the Americas.

Gameplay

Measurements

Floorball is played indoors on a rink whose size can officially vary from 18–22 meters wide to 36–44 meters long. The rink is surrounded by 50 cm high enclosed boards with rounded corners. The goals are 160 cm wide and 115 cm high. Their depth is 65 cm and they are 2.85 meters from the end of the nearest boards.

Equipment

Field players

Typical equipment for a floorball player consists of a pair of shorts, a shirt, socks and indoor sport shoes. In addition to that, players are allowed to wear shin guards, eye protectors and protective padding for vital areas. Players, except for the goalkeeper, also carry sticks.

A floorball player is also known as a "floorballer".

Sticks

A floorball stick is short compared with ice hockey; the maximum size for a stick is 105 cm. As a stick cannot weigh any more than 350 grams, floorball manufacturers produce sticks that are often made of carbon and composite materials.

Goalkeepers

Goalkeepers wear protection that is very limited; padded pants, a padded chest protector, and a helmet. The goalkeeper can also wear other protective equipment, but bulky padding is not permitted. Some of this other protective equipment includes knee pads, jocks, and gloves.

Ball

In floorball, the objective is to get a plastic whiffle ball into a net with the aid of the stick past a goaltender. A floor ball weighs 23 grams and its diameter is 72 mm. It has 26 holes in it; each of which are 11 mm in diameter. Many of these balls now are made with aerodynamic technology, where the ball has over a thousand small dimples in it that reduce air resistance. There have been several times where a ball has been recorded to have traveled at a speed of approximately 205 km/h.

Rules

Each team can field six players at a time on the court, one player being a goalkeeper. But the coach can take the goalkeeper for a short amount of time, and switch him with an outplayer. This can make advantages for the attacking side of the team, and disadvantages when it comes to their own defence. The team is also allowed to change players any time ingame, usually they change the whole team. Individual substitution happens sometimes, but it usually happens when a player is exhausted or is hurt.

A floorball game is officially played over three periods lasting 20 minutes each (15 minutes for juniors). The time is stopped in the case of penalties, goals, time-outs and any situation where the ball is not considered to be in play. An intermission of 3–10 minutes takes place between each period, where teams change ends and substitution areas. Each team is allowed a timeout of 30 seconds (which is often used late in matches). There are two referees to oversee the game, each with equal authority.

Checking is disallowed in floorball. Controlled shoulder-to-shoulder contact is allowed, but ice hockey-like checking is forbidden. Pushing players without the ball or competing for a loose ball is also disallowed, and many of these infractions lead to two minute penalties. The best comparison in terms of legal physical contact is soccer, where checking is used to improve one's positioning in relation to the ball rather than to remove an opposing player from the play. In addition to checking, players cannot lift another opponents stick or perform any stick infractions in order to get to the ball. As well, players may not raise their stick or play the ball above their knee level, and a stick cannot be placed in between a player's legs (to avoid tripping).

When a player commits a foul, or when the ball is deemed unplayable, play is resumed from a face-off or a free hit. A free hit involves a player from one team to start play from the place where the ball was last deemed unplayable. A comparison of this is a free kick in soccer. For many fouls, such as stick infractions, a free hit is the only discipline provided. However, at the referee's discretion, a penalty may be worth either two or five minutes. At that point, the player who committed the foul sits in the penalty area, and his team is short handed for the time of the penalty. If an 'extreme' foul is committed, such as physical contact or unsportsmanlike behavior, a player may receive a 10 minute penalty or even a match misconduct.

Forms

Freebandy

Freebandy is a sport that developed in the 2000s from floorball fanatics who specialize in a technique called "zorro", which involves lifting the ball onto a stick and allowing air resistance and fast movements to keep the ball "stuck" to the stick. This technique is also referred to as "airhooking" or "skyhooking". In freebandy, the rules are very much the same of those of floorball, with the exception of high nets and no infractions for high sticking. As well, the sticks are slightly tweaked from those of a floorball variety to include a "pocket" where the ball can be placed.

Special Olympics

Floorball at the Special Olympics is slightly modified from the "regular" form of floorball. Matches are played 3-on-3 with a goaltender, on a smaller court that measures 20 meters long by 12 meters wide. This form of floorball was developed for the intellectually disabled, and has yet to be played at the Special Olympics. There is a strong possibility that it will be played at the 2013 Special Olympics World Winter Games.

Streetbandy

Streetbandy is a form of floorball that is often played outside. It is usually played on a smaller court, and may involve players playing from 1-on-1 to 5-on-5. Goaltenders do not play in this type of floorball, as the nets are very small (household garbage cans are sometimes used).

Swiss floorball

Swiss floorball is a revised version of a floorball match. The match is played on a slightly smaller court and often involves only three field players playing on each side, in 3-on-3 floorball. This form of floorball is also slightly shorter, with only two periods of 15 to 20 minutes each played.

Wheelchair floorball

Originally developed for players with disabilities, wheelchair floorball is played with exactly the same rules as "regular" floorball. Players use the same stick and ball, and goaltenders are also allowed to play.

The first ever IFF-sanctioned wheelchair floorball matches were played between the men's teams of the Czech Republic and Sweden, during the 2008 Men's World Floorball Championships in Prague, Czech Republic.

In addition to this, there is also an electric wheelchair variation.

Competitions

celebrate their 2007–08 EuroFloorball Cup after narrowly defeating Warberg IC 2–1 in Sudden Victory Overtime in the final match.]] In addition to the world floorball championships, there are many international floorball club competitions.

Asia Pacific Floorball Championship

The Asia Pacific Floorball Championships are played every single year in Australia, Singapore, or Japan. The event was created by the Singapore Floorball Association together with the cooperation of the Asia Oceania Floorball Confederation (AOFC). Members of the AOFC get together during this tournament to play for the Asia Pacific Floorball Championship every year. The most recent champions are Japan.

As of 2010, the Asia Pacific Floorball Championship is also the qualifying tournament for the Floorball World Championships.

Canada Cup

The Canada Cup is an international club tournament that is held every year in Toronto, Canada. It is the largest floorball club tournament outside of Europe, and attracts 55+ clubs from worldwide, every year. The winners of the 2010 tournament were Toronto's Salming Vikings floorball club.

Czech Open

The largest club team tournament, the Czech Open is a traditional summer tournament held in Prague, Czech Republic. It is famous not only for its on-court activities, but also for those off-court. The tournament attracts 200+ clubs every year from 20 different countries. The most recent champions of the prestigious Czech Open are Sweden's IBK Dalen.

EuroFloorball Cup

The EuroFloorball Cup (formerly European Cup) is the only IFF-organized club event. It has taken place every single year since 1993, and in 2000, it changed its format to a 2-year event (i.e. 2000–01). In 2008, the tournament switched back to its one-year format. Teams qualify for the tournament in three different divisions, two of those being East Europe and West Europe, while the other division consists of runners-up to the champions of the top four countries in the previous year's EuroFloorball Cup. The reigning EuroFloorball Cup Champions as of October 2010, are Storvreta IBK, Sweden (men) and IKSU Innebandy, Sweden (women).

See also

Indoor hockey

References

External links

International Floorball Federation

Planet Floorball (International floorball resource site)

Floorball U (International floorball news site)

Floorball Category:Team sports Category:Mixed sports Category:Indoor sports Category:Ball games Category:Variations of hockey Category:Sports originating in Sweden

Zorro is a fictional character created in 1919 by New York-based pulp writer Johnston McCulley. The character has been featured in numerous books, films, television series, and other media.

Zorro (Spanish for fox) is the secret identity of Don Diego de la Vega (originally Don Diego Vega), a nobleman and master living in the Spanish colonial era of California. The character has undergone changes through the years, but the typical image of him is a dashing black-clad masked outlaw who defends the people of the land against tyrannical officials and other villains. Not only is he much too cunning and foxlike for the bumbling authorities to catch, but he delights in publicly humiliating those same foes.

Publishing history

Zorro (often called Señor or El Zorro in early stories) debuted in McCulley's 1919 story The Curse of Capistrano, serialized in five parts in the pulp magazine All-Story Weekly. At the denouement, Zorro's true identity is revealed to all.

Douglas Fairbanks and Mary Pickford, on their honeymoon, selected the story as the inaugural picture for their new studio, United Artists, beginning the character's cinematic tradition. The story was adapted as The Mark of Zorro in 1920, which was a success. McCulley's story was re-released by the publisher Grosset & Dunlap under the same title, to tie in with the film.

Due to public demand fueled by the film, McCulley wrote over 60 additional Zorro stories starting in 1922. The last, The Mask of Zorro (not to be confused with the 1998 film), was published posthumously in 1959. These stories ignore Zorro's public revelation of his identity. The black costume that modern audiences associate with the character stems from Fairbanks' smash hit movie rather than McCulley's original story, and McCulley's subsequent Zorro adventures copied Fairbanks's Zorro rather than the other way around. McCulley died in 1958, just as the Disney-produced Zorro television show was becoming phenomenally successful.

Fictional history

, starring Douglas Fairbanks, the first Zorro film and instrumental in the early success of the character]]

In The Curse of Capistrano Don Diego Vega becomes Señor Zorro in the pueblo of Los Angeles in California "to avenge the helpless, to punish cruel politicians," and "to aid the oppressed." He is the title character, as he is dubbed the "curse of Capistrano."

The story involves him romancing Lolita Pulido, an impoverished noblewoman. While Lolita is unimpressed with Diego, who pretends to be a passionless fop, she is attracted to the dashing Zorro. His rival and antagonist is Captain Ramon. Other characters include Sgt. Pedro Gonzales, Zorro's enemy and Diego's friend; Zorro's deaf and mute servant Bernardo; his ally Fray (Friar) Felipe; his father Don Alejandro Vega; and a group of noblemen (caballeros) who at first hunt him but are won over to his cause.

In later stories McCulley introduces characters such as pirates and Native Americans, some of whom know Zorro's identity.

In McCulley's later stories, Diego's surname became de la Vega. In fact, the writer was wildly inconsistent. The first magazine serial ended with the villain dead and Diego publicly exposed as Zorro, but in the sequel the antagonist was alive, and the next entry had the double identity still secret.

Several Zorro productions have expanded on the character's exploits. Many of the continuations feature a younger character taking up the mantle of Zorro.

Characteristics

In The Curse of Capistrano McCulley describes Diego as "unlike the other full-blooded youths of times"; though proud as befitting his class (and seemingly uncaring about the lower classes), he shuns action, rarely wearing his sword except for fashion, and is indifferent to romance with women. This is, of course, a sham. This portrayal, with minor variations, is followed in most Zorro media.

A notable exception to this portrayal is Disney's Zorro (1957–59), where Diego, instead, appears as a passionate and compassionate crusader for justice—but masquerades as "the most inept swordsman in all of California." (Though he still adapted the more foppish persona early on to convince the then corrupted government officials that he was harmless.) In this show, everyone knows Diego would love to do what Zorro does, but thinks he does not have the skill.

Character motifs

The character's visual motif is typically a black costume with a flowing Spanish cape, a flat-brimmed black gaucho hat or Cordobés, and a black cowl sackcloth mask that covers the top of the head from eye level upwards. In his first appearance, he wears a cloak instead of a cape, and a black cloth veil mask covering his whole face with slits for eyes. Other features of the costume may vary; sometimes black riding boots or bell-bottom trousers, sometimes a vest, a waistsash or riding belt, sometimes a moustache, sometimes not.

His favored weapon is a rapier which he often uses to leave his distinctive mark, a Z made with three quick cuts. He also uses a bullwhip. In his debut, he uses a pistol.

The fox is never depicted as Zorro's emblem, but as a metaphor for the character's wiliness ("Zorro, 'the Fox', so cunning and free..." from the Disney television show theme).

His "heroic pose" consists of rearing on his horse, sword raised high (the logo of Zorro Productions, Inc.

Skills and resources

) and Bernardo (Gene Sheldon) in the 1950s Zorro television series]]

Zorro is an agile athlete and acrobat, using his bullwhip as a gymnastic accoutrement to swing through gaps between city roofs, and is very capable of landing from great heights and taking a fall. Although he is a master swordsman and marksman he has more than once demonstrated his prowess in unarmed combat against multiple opponents.

His calculating and precise dexterity as a tactician has enabled him to use his two main weapons, his sword and bullwhip, as an extension of his very deft hand. He never uses brute strength, more his fox-like sly mind and well-practiced technique to outmatch an opponent.

Some versions of Zorro have a medium-sized dagger tucked in his left boot for emergencies. He has used his cape as a blind, a trip-mat and a disarming tool. Zorro's boots are also sometimes weighted, as is his hat which he has thrown, Frisbee-like, as an efficiently substantial warning to enemies. But more often than not he uses psychological mockery to make his opponents too angry to be coordinated in combat.

Zorro is also a skilled horseman. The name of his jet-black horse has varied through the years. In The Curse of Capistrano it was unnamed. Later versions named the horse Tornado/Toronado or Tempest. In still more versions from time to time, Zorro rides a snowy white horse named Phantom.

McCulley's concept of a band of men helping Zorro is often absent from other versions of the character. An exception is Zorro's Fighting Legion (1939), starring Reed Hadley as Diego. In McCulley's stories Zorro was aided by a deaf mute named Bernardo. In Disney's Zorro television series, Bernardo is not deaf but pretends to be, and serves as Zorro's spy. He is also a capable and invaluable helper for Zorro, even wearing the mask himself occasionally to reinforce his master's charade. The Family Channel's Zorro television series replaces Bernardo with a teenager named Felipe, played by Juan Diego Botto, with a similar disability (his muteness is the result of trauma) and pretense.

Inspirations

Zorro bears some similarities to historical Portuguese bandits. He is often associated with Joaquin Murrieta, the "Mexican and/or Chilean Robin Hood", whose life was fictionalized in an 1854 book by John Rollin Ridge, and in the 1998 film The Mask of Zorro, where Murrieta's (fictional) brother succeeds Diego as Zorro. Other possible inspirations for the character include Robin Hood himself, Reynard the Fox, Salomon Pico, Manuel Rodríguez Erdoíza, Tiburcio Vasquez, William Lamport (an Irish soldier living in Mexico in the 17th century, whose life was fictionalized by Vicente Riva Palacio and whose biography "The Irish Zorro" was published in 2004) and Yokuts Indian Estanislao, who led a revolt against the Mission San Jose in 1827.

The all-black Fairbanks film costume, which with variations has remained the standard costume for the character, was likely adapted from that of the Arrow film serial character The Masked Rider (film), the first Mexican black-clad masked mystery rider on a black horse to be seen on the silver screen, in 1919, just before the following year's release of The Mark of Zorro. In fact, Fairbanks' costume is identical to the Rider's, albeit with a half-mask and without the hat.

Appearances in media

Books

Johnston McCulley's original magazine serial, "The Curse of Capistrano" from All-Story Weekly, was published in 1924 as a novella by Grosset & Dunlap under the title The Mark of Zorro. It was reprinted by MacDonald & Co. in 1959 and by Tor books in 1998, ISBN 978-0-8125-4007-9.

Johnston McCulley's Zorro short stories were reprinted by Pulp Adventures Inc. in a series of trade paperback editions.

*Zorro The Master's Edition Volume One (1932–1944) February 2000 ISBN 1891729209

*Zorro The Master's Edition Volume Two (1944–1946) January 2002 ISBN 1891729217

*Zorro The Master's Edition: A Task For Zorro (1947) July 2002 ISBN 1891729314

A series of paperback novels were published by Tom Doherty Associates, Inc. Books in the late 1990s and early 2000s.

*Zorro and the Jaguar Warriors by Jerome Preisler September 1998 ISBN 978-0-8125-6767-0

*Zorro and The Dragon Riders by David Bergantino March 1999 ISBN 978-0-8125-6768-7

*Zorro and the Witch's Curse by John Whitman April 2000 ISBN 978-0-8125-6769-4

Isabel Allende gave her interpretation of the Zorro legend in her 2005 fictional biography Zorro. ISBN 978-0-06-077897-2

Gerard Ronan's Biography of William Lamport "The Irish Zorro" was published by Brandon Books in 2004. ISBN 978-0863223297.

Minstrel Books published A series of young reader novels based on the motion picture The Mask of Zorro.

*The Treasure of Don Diego by William McCay 1998 ISBN 978-0-671-51968-1

*Skull and Crossbones by Frank Lauria 1999 ISBN 978-0-671-51970-4

*The Secret Swordsman by William McCay 1999 ISBN 978-0-671-51969-8

*The Lost Temple by Frank Lauria 1999

Zorro filmographic books have also been published:

*The Legend of Zorro By Bill Yenne 1991 Mallard Press ISBN 978-0-7924-5547-9

*Zorro Unmasked The Official History by Sandra Curtis 1998 Hyperion ISBN 978-0-7868-8285-4

*Tales of Zorro anthology edited by Richard Dean Starr 2008 Moonstone Books ISBN 978-1-933076-31-7

Films

The character has been adapted for over forty films. They include:

The Mark of Zorro (1920), with Douglas Fairbanks

Don Q, Son of Zorro (1925), with Douglas Fairbanks

The Bold Caballero (1936), with Robert Livingston

Zorro's Fighting Legion (1939), with Reed Hadley

The Mark of Zorro (1940), with Tyrone Power

The Sign of Zorro (1958), with Guy Williams, portions of the first 13 Zorro TV series episodes edited into a feature film, released overseas in 1958 and domestically in 1960.

Zorro The Avenger (1959), with Guy Williams, another theatrical compilation of several Zorro TV episodes, released overseas, and was not seen in the United States until it was eventually aired on the Disney Channel.

Zorro (1961) and The Shadow of Zorro (aka Zorro the Avenger) (1962), two Spanish features starring Frank Latimore.

La Gran Aventura Del Zorro (1974), Mexican Western with Rodolfo de Anda, the first Mexican actor to play the role; with Pedro Armendáriz Jr as the villain and set in a very primitive San Francisco Bay Area.

Zorro (1975), Zorro meets the spaghetti western, with French actor Alain Delon as Diego Vega, posing as Governor Miguel de la Serna (a slain friend) of Nuova Aragon, fighting the corrupt Colonel Huerta.

Zorro, The Gay Blade (1981), a parody, with George Hamilton. Diego, Jr., breaks his leg shortly after launching his career as a new Zorro, and his gay twin brother Ramon, now calling himself Bunny Wigglesworth, volunteers to fill in while he recuperates.

The Mask of Zorro (1998), played against tradition, with Anthony Hopkins as an aged Diego de la Vega and Antonio Banderas as Alejandro Murrieta, a misfit outlaw who is groomed to become the next Zorro.

The Legend of Zorro (2005), the sequel to the 1998 The Mask of Zorro, again starring Antonio Banderas.

Film serials

Zorro Rides Again (1937), with John Carroll as a modern-day descendant, Jim Vega

Zorro's Fighting Legion (1939), with Reed Hadley

Zorro's Black Whip (1944), with Linda Stirling as an 1880s female descendent, The Black Whip

Son of Zorro (1947), with George Turner

Ghost of Zorro (1949), with Clayton Moore

Television

Zorro, a Walt Disney-produced half-hour television series, running from 1957 to 1959, and starring Guy Williams as Zorro. The two Guy Williams-starred features above were episode compilations, and there were two one-hour follow-ups on the Walt Disney anthology television series in the 1959-1960 TV season.

The Mark of Zorro (1974), with Frank Langella, a made for television remake of the 1940 film

The New Adventures of Zorro, 1981 animated series from Filmation.

Zorro and Son, 1983

Zorro (also known as The New Zorro or New World Zorro or Zorro 1990) was an early 1990s television series featuring Duncan Regehr. Regehr portrayed him for 88 episodes on The Family Channel from 1990 to 1993. Two feature length videos were episode compilations. It was shot entirely in Madrid, Spain.

Kaiketsu Zorro (1996) Japanese anime version from NHK and Ashi Productions.

The New Adventures of Zorro, 1997 animated series from Warner Bros..

The Amazing Zorro, 2002 made for TV animated film created by DIC Entertainment. It premiered on television on Nickelodeon Sunday Movie Toons and was released on DVD and VHS shortly afterward by MGM Home Entertainment.

(The Sword and the Rose), a (2007) Spanish language telenovela from Sony Pictures and Telemundo, starring Peruvian actor Christian Meier as Don Diego de la Vega/Zorro and Marlene Favela as Esmeralda Sánchez de Moncada. This was filmed in the colonial village of Villa de Leyva, Colombia.

,(2008) animated series follows a descendant of the original Zorro, also named Diego De La Vega, fighting crime and the corrupt government of Pueblo Grande in a future setting. In 2009, GMA Network of the Philippines have bought the rights to produce its local remake of the novel, titled Zorro, a television series which premiered on March 23, 2009. The lead role is portrayed by Richard Gutierrez with leading ladies Rhian Ramos, Bianca King, and Michelle Madrigal.

Comics

Zorro has appeared in many different comic book series over the decades. One version was rendered by Alex Toth for Dell Comics in Four Color magazine starting in 1949 and appearing through the 1950s. Zorro was given his own title in 1959, which lasted 7 more issues and then was made a regular feature of Walt Disney's Comics and Stories (also published by Dell) from #275 to #278. Gold Key Comics began a Zorro series in 1966, but, like their contemporaneous Lone Ranger series, it featured only material reprinted from the earlier Dell comics, and folded after 9 issues, in 1968. The character remained dormant for the next twenty years until it was revived by Marvel Comics in 1990, for a 12-issue tie-in with the Duncan Regehr television series Zorro. Many of these comics had Alex Toth covers.

Over the years, various English reprint volumes have been published. This include but are not limited to:

Zorro In Old California Eclipse Books ISBN 978-0-913035-12-2

Zorro The Complete Classic Adventures By Alex Toth. Volume One Image Comics 1998. ISBN 978-1-58240-014-3

Zorro The Dailies - The First Year By Don McGregor, Thomas Yeates. 2001. ISBN 1582402396

In 1993 Topps Comics published a 2-issue mini-series Dracula Versus Zorro followed by a Zorro series that ran 11 issues. Topps created Lady Rawhide, a spin-off from the Zorro stories, in two brief series. All of this was written by Don McGregor. He subsequently scripted a miniseries adaptation of The Mask of Zorro film for Dark Horse Comics.

A newspaper daily and Sunday strip were also published in the late 1990s. This was written by McGregor and rendered by Tom Yeates. Papercutz once published a Zorro series and graphic novels as well. This version is drawn in a manga style.

Dynamite Entertainment relaunched the character in 2008 with writer Matt Wagner first adapting Isabel Allende's novel before writing his own stories. The publisher also released an earlier unpublished tale by Don McGregor.

The character also appeared in European comics and is universally beloved in Latin America, usually in licensed, translated reprints of American comics. In the Netherlands, Zorro was drawn by Hans G. Kresse for the weekly Pep.

Radio Dramas

In 2010 Brilliance Audio released Colonial Radio Theatre on the Air's full-cast radio drama production of Zorro and the Pirate Raiders (aka The Further Adventures of Zorro) based on the book by D.J. Arneson. On February 15, 2011 Colonial Radio Theater will release Zorro Rides Again based on the D.J. Arneson book of the same name. The CRT cast features: Kevin Cirone as Diego/Zorro, Shonna McEachernas Lolita, Hugh Metzler as Bardoso the Pirate, J.T. Turner as Captain Ramone, Sam Donato as Sgt Garcia, Joseph Zamperelli Jr. as Friar Felipe, and Dan Powell as Sanchez and Don Audre.

On April 1, 2011 Blackstone Audio Publishing will release The Mark of Zorro (aka The Curse of Capistrano) produced by Yuri Rasovsky (Hollywood Theater of the Ear). This production stars Val Kilmer as Diego/Zorro, Ruth Livier as Lolita Pulido, Elizabeth Peña as Doña Catalina Pulido, Armin Shimmerman as the Landlord, Meshach Taylor as Sgt Gonzalez, Keith Szarabajka as Captain Ramone, Ned Schmidtke as Don Carlos Pulido, Kristoffer Tabori as Don Alejandro, Stefan Rudnicki as Friar Felipe, Scott Brick as the Governor, Phil Proctor as Don Audre, John Sloan as the Magistrado, and Gorgo Panza as Pablo.

In February 2011 American Radio Theater will begin recording the Disney style Zorro: The Legend Begins. This 4-part 4 hour long radio drama features Gregg Porter in the role of Diego/Zorro.

Stage productions

A musical titled Zorro opened in the West End in 2008. It is directed by Christopher Renshaw, choreographed by Rafael Amargo and features music from the band Gipsy Kings. Directed by Christopher Renshaw, Zorro features the choreography of flamenco dancer Rafael Amargo.

Music

On the commercial release of the Disney series' Zorro theme, the lead vocal was by Henry Calvin, the actor who played Sergeant Garcia on the program.

Henri Salvador had a hit in 1964 with the humorous song "Zorro est arrivé." It tells from a child's point of view how exciting it is whenever a villain threatens to kill a lady in the television series. But every time again, to his relief, the "great and beautiful" Zorro comes to the rescue. An early music video was made at the time.

Alice Cooper's 1982 album Zipper Catches Skin includes the song "Zorro's Ascent" which is about Zorro facing his death.

Computer and video games

Zorro (Sinclair ZX Spectrum computer game)

The Mask of Zorro (1999), Game Boy Color

The Shadow of Zorro (2001), PC, PlayStation 2

The Destiny of Zorro, announced in 2008 for Wii

(20**), Nintendo DS

There is a Zorro themed poker machine available to play at most gaming establishments in Australia and New Zealand''

Copyright and trademark

The copyright and trademark status of the Zorro character and stories has been disputed.

A company called Zorro Productions, Inc., asserts that it "controls the worldwide trademarks and copyrights in the name, visual likeness and the character of Zorro.". It further states that "The unauthorized, unlicensed use of the name, character and/or likeness of 'Zorro' is an infringement and a violation of state and federal laws."

These claims were disputed in the case Sony Pictures Entertainment v. Fireworks Ent. Group. On January 24, 2001, Sony Pictures, TriStar Pictures and Zorro Productions, Inc. sued Fireworks Entertainment, Paramount Pictures, and Mercury Entertainment, claiming that the Queen of Swords television series infringed upon the copyrights and trademarks of Zorro and associated characters. Sony and TriStar had paid licensing fees to Zorro Productions, Inc., related to the 1998 film The Mask of Zorro. Queen of Swords was a 2000-2001 television series set in Spanish California during the early 19th century and featuring a protagonist who wore a black costume with a red sash demonstrating many aspects of the Zorro character including the swordfighting skills of the rapier and dagger, the dagger in the boot, use of a whip and Bolas, and horse riding skills.

Zorro Productions, Inc., argued that it owned the copyright to the original character because Johnston McCulley assigned his Zorro rights to Mitchell Gertz in 1949. Gertz died in 1961 and his estate transferred to his children, who created Zorro Productions, Inc. Fireworks Entertainment argued that the original rights had already been transferred to Douglas Fairbanks, Sr. in 1920 and provided documents showing this was legally affirmed in 1929, and also questioned whether the copyright was still valid.

The court ruled that "since the copyrights in The Curse of Capistrano and The Mark of Zorro lapsed in 1995 or before, the character Zorro has been in the public domain".

Judge Collins also stated that "Plaintiffs' argument that they have a trademark in Zorro because they licensed others to use Zorro, however, is specious. It assumes that ZPI had the right to demand licenses to use Zorro at all."

On March 22, 2010, Zorro Productions, Inc., sued Mars, Incorporated, makers of M&M;'s chocolate candies, and ad agency BBDO Worldwide over a commercial featuring a Zorro-like costume.

Popular culture

's The Masked Rider is similar to Zorro]]

With some changes to reflect school colors, Zorro's black mask, cape and gaucho hat have been adopted by mascots at University of California Santa Barbara (Gauchos), Texas Tech University and Edward S. Marcus High School.

Zorro is a meetable character at Universal Studios Theme Parks.

Puss in Boots, the cat from the Shrek film series voiced by Antonio Banderas (who also played Zorro in The Mask of Zorro and The Legend of Zorro), is based loosely on the fairy tale character of the same name and at the same time Zorro, in his fighting style, accent and personality. While attacking Shrek, he used his sword to scratch a "P", a parody of Zorro's trademark move.

In the Duck Dodgers episode "The Mark of Xero," Duck Dodgers took on the guise of Xero (who is a parody of Zorro) in order to liberate a California-based planet from the clutches of the evil Commandante Hilgalgo (who is a homage to Colonel Huerta from the 1975 movie).

Corny Snaps was a Kellogg's breakfast cereal created in 1975 featuring Snappy the Turtle, a Zorro like character, with mask, sword and steed, who delivered his corny-oats "S" shaped cereal to the masses, while carving his trademark "S" as he went.

During the Halloween-Time at Disneyland and Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween at Walt Disney World events, when the character mascots dress up in costume, Mickey Mouse dresses up as Zorro.

In the video game, , one of the individuals Jack and Will Turner must fight is an officer of the Spanish Armada: Don Carerra de la Vega, master of the thousand-strike-spin.

Professional wrestler Jesus Cristóbal Martínez Rodriguez bases his wrestling character on Zorro.

References

External links

Zorro Productions, Inc.

A comprehensive guide to the New World Zorro television series

Zorro The Musical 2008

A guide to the Walt Disney television series version of Zorro

Hollywood Theater of the Ear - The Mark of Zorro

Blackstone Audio]

Colonial Radio Theater - Zorro and the Pirate Raiders/Zorro Rides Again

Brilliance Audio

American Radio Theater - Zorro: The Legend Begins

Category:Media franchises Category:Series of books Category:Fictional characters from California Category:Fictional American people of Spanish descent Category:Fictional vigilantes Category:Characters in pulp fiction Category:Film serial characters Category:Fictional Western (genre) characters Category:Fictional sword fighters Category:Fictional gentleman thieves Category:Fictional outlaws Category:1919 introductions