Ziggo's appearance for the final 2 seasons.
Ziggo was a robot built by Team Ziggy that competed in all six lightweight competitions of BattleBots. It was a full-body spinner with a bladed shell made from a steel wok. The name "Ziggo" was a portmanteau of its two inspirations - Johnathan Ridder's deceased cat Ziggy, and the dangerously destructive Blendo. Ridder's aim was to create a spinner like Blendo, but have it grab hold and claw deep into other robots like his cat used to do to house-guests.
Ziggo was highly effective in both offense and defense, the whole of Ziggo became an unapproachable weapon when spinning at full speed, and its armor proved near impossible to damage. Ziggo was responsible for some of the greatest destruction seen in the lightweight class and was hailed as the most destructive lightweight in BattleBots. Ziggo had a very successful career, winning three championships, one royal rumble, and one "Most Aggressive" award.
Ziggo was once mistakenly referred to as Ziggy in Ultimate Real Robots Magazine.
Robot History
Long Beach 1999
Ziggo's Long Beach 1999 appearance.
Ziggo with the remains of half of Hot Air.
Ziggo's first ever match in BattleBots was against Hot Air. Ziggo won by a devastating KO in 53 seconds and advanced to the next round, where it faced Executioner. Before this match, it was initially determined that Ziggo was not allowed to compete due to sending a piece of Hot Air's hole saw out of the arena. However, Trey and Greg reconsidered and the safety inspectors allowed Ziggo to continue in the competition with its dome only able to spin at 1500 RPM. Ziggo won by KO and advanced to the next round, where it faced Toe-Crusher. Ziggo won by KO and advanced to the next round, where it faced Defiant. Defiant won by crowd vote and was now in the loser's bracket, where it faced Executioner again. Ziggo won by KO and was now in the kilobot finals, where it faced Defiant again. Ziggo won by crowd vote and it was declared the kilobot champion.
Ziggo wasn't finished, however, as it participated the kilobot royal rumble at the end of the tournament.
Season 1.0
Ziggo's Season 1.0 appearance.
The aftermath between Ziggo and Missing Link.
After receiving a bye, Ziggo went up against The Missing Link in its first fight. The Missing Link charged straight at Ziggo while it was spinning up to speed, but failed to slow the spinning down. Ziggo drove away and tried to attack The Missing Link, but was deflected off of the attachment added to The Missing Link for this fight. Ziggo managed a glancing blow on one of The Missing Link's wheels, before managing to send The Missing Link flying with its next hit and tearing the wheel clean off. Ziggo attacked its crippled opponent again, ripping off the other wheel and making sparks fly. Immobilized, The Missing Link took a final hit from the killsaws and was counted out. Ziggo won by KO at 1:18 and advanced to the quarterfinals, where it faced Das Bot.
The impact between Das Bot and Ziggo.
Ziggo again caused a lot of destruction in this fight, doing huge damage to Das Bot. However, the impact of one of Ziggo's attacks caused it to ricochet into the spikestrip, where it got stuck. Because of this, Das Bot surprisingly went through and Ziggo was eliminated, with it being freed from the spikestrip with a crowbar after the fight.
The Ziggo immobilized right under Afterthought.
Ziggo wasn't finished, however, as it entered one of two lightweight consolation rumbles. Unfortunately, an early hit from Sallad caused it to ricochet into the lexan wall before landing on the floor with a broken flag arm and its shell spinning down. Ziggo was left there for the rest of the rumble and it lost overall to Sallad, Cereal Box Killer, Rott-Bott 2000 and Mouser Mecha-Catbot.
Season 2.0
Ziggo's Season 2.0 appearance.
Ziggo attacks Scrap Metal.
Ziggo's first match was against Scrap Metal. Ziggo started spinning its dome as Scrap Metal travels across the BattleBox. Scrap Metal tries to line up a shot on Ziggo, but then backs off. Ziggo pursues and hits Scrap Metal's front wedge, bending it. Scrap Metal moves over to the killsaws in case Ziggo follows. Ziggo waits and then attacks Scrap Metal when it came back around the side. This impact rips Scrap Metal's wedge halfway off. Scrap Metal moves around a bit and Ziggo hits Scrap Metal again. This time the front wedge is torn off and the rest of the Scrap Metal is thrown to the other side of the BattleBox. Ziggo accidentally knocked itself into the killsaws. Scrap Metal is barely moving and Ziggo moves in and hits Scrap Metal again, knocking loose the battery pack inside Scrap Metal, who stops moving. This last impact also stops Ziggo from spinning and Scrap Metal was being counted out. Ziggo won by KO at 2:27 and advanced to the round of 16, where it faced Scrap Daddy LW 55.
Ziggo tears into Scrap Daddy LW 55.
Before the match began, Scrap Daddy LW55 couldn't get the gas-powered saw running. Ziggo, spinning furiously, hits Scrap Daddy LW55's right wheel, sending it flying across the BattleBox, leaving Scrap Daddy LW55 to spin in a slow circle with his remaining left wheel. Ziggo soon moves in again, hitting the back scoop end of Scrap Daddy LW55, tearing into it severely, and another hit sends Scrap Daddy LW55 flying against the arena wall by the pulverizer, in several pieces. Scrap Daddy LW55 was being counted out and Ziggo won by KO at 1:13. This win put Ziggo to the quarterfinals, where it faced Afterthought 2.0.
The impact that would send Ziggo into the hell-raisers and Afterthought on its back.
At the start of the match, Afterthought 2.0 went straight at Ziggo as Ziggo started spinning. However Afterthought 2.0 got on the entry ramp, high centering itself. Ziggo came back to attack and sends pieces of Afterthought 2.0 flying, but this hit freed Afterthought 2.0 and drove itself under the pulverizer. Both robots clash again and Afterthought 2.0 lost more of its static spikes, along with its sacrificial wood armor. Ziggo lines up for another and hits Afterthought 2.0 at full speed. This impact flipped Afterthought 2.0 and Ziggo got caught underneath the hell-raisers. The match was paused and Ziggo was freed, as well as putting Afterthought 2.0 back on its wheels. As the match got going again, Afterthought 2.0 started spinning its disc again and hits Ziggo. As Afterthought 2.0 got a couple more hits on Ziggo, one hit from Ziggo flipped Afterthought 2.0 again and Afterthought 2.0 was counted out. Ziggo won by KO at 1:55 and advanced to the semifinals, where it faced Beta Raptor.
Ziggo hits Beta Raptor.
Before facing Ziggo, Team Raptor added Styrofoam on the front of Beta Raptor. At the beginning of the match, Beta Raptor went straight at Ziggo before Ziggo started to spin its dome. Ziggo evades and started hitting Beta Raptor, while both robots were near the killsaws. Beta Raptor accidentally got on the killsaws for a few seconds and Ziggo hits Beta Raptor so hard that it sends it flying across the BattleBox. After this, Beta Raptor was only going around in circles. Ziggo came back for one more attack, but it accidentally got caught on the killsaws and the dome stopped spinning. Both robots, severely damaged, finish off the match with a few shoves, trying to position each other under the pulverizer, but Beta Raptor is counted out and Ziggo won by KO at 2:38. This win put Ziggo to the lightweight finals, where it faced Backlash.
Ziggo hits Backlash.
At the start of the match, Backlash's antenna was too far down, limiting its ability to receive Jim Smentowski's radio commands, though the TV broadcast made it seem like it was just battle damage from the previous match that was to blame. Somehow Backlash's disc remained spinning. Ziggo hit Backlash from the side, taking out a chunk from his tire and bending the extended shaft. The impact apparently disabled something inside Ziggo, because it stopped spinning. Ziggo moved in to Backlash, right at the spinning disc, and got hit. Every once in a while, Backlash was pushed within range. The non-spinning Ziggo came in and pushed Backlash from the side enough to upend it, and the gyroscopic forces of the disc took over and Backlash ended up on his back. Immediately after this hit, Ziggo found itself high-centered on the arena exit ramp. Since Backlash was out first, the referee counted it out and Ziggo won by KO at 1:23. This meant that Ziggo has won the lightweight division for the second time.
Ziggo wasn't finished, however, as it participated the lightweight royal rumble at the end of the tournament.
Season 3.0
Ziggo's Season 3.0 appearance.
Ziggo flips Wacker.
Due to being the lightweight champion, Ziggo was allowed to skip the preliminary rounds of Season 3.0, where it eventually faced Wacker. The first three seconds of the fight consist of both robots getting their spinning weapons up to speed. Ziggo and Wacker approached each other and Ziggo hits Wacker's front, disabling Wacker's spinning blades in the process. As Wacker was barely moving, Ziggo works its way toward Wacker's side and hits it hard. This hit removed the side panel and immobilized the left wheel of Wacker. Ziggo is now behind Wacker and while trying to turn around, inadvertently hits the stuffed rabbit with its flag. Ziggo hits Wacker's right wheel and Wacker stopped moving. Ziggo gets around to the rear of Wacker and one hit from Ziggo flips Wacker onto its back. Ziggo performs a victory spin as Wacker was being counted out. Ziggo won by KO at 1:28 and advanced to the round of 16, where it faced Shrike.
Ziggo rips off Shrike's shell.
Ziggo was avoided by Shrike for a while. Ziggo eventually hit Shrike hard and destroyed Shrike's left wheel. Its foe now immobile, Ziggo attacked Shrike one more time, ripping off its shell. Shrike was counted out and Ziggo was now in the quarterfinals where it faced Sallad.
Ziggo and Sallad collide.
After one hit between the two robots, Ziggo suddenly stopped moving as its receiver battery had come out, and Sallad pushed the immobilized Ziggo onto the killsaws. Ziggo was being counted out and Sallad won by a surprisingly quick KO. This meant that Ziggo was eliminated from the tournament.
Ziggo wasn't finished, however, as it participated the lightweight royal rumble at the end of the tournament. After spinning at full speed it rammed Sublime and Trilobot. It didn't move much next, but it then was hit hard by Gamma Raptor, sending Ziggo into the wall. It then bumped into Backlash while trying to get away from Gamma Raptor. Next it went for Backlash. Then it gets tackled by Dr. Inferno Jr., and again by Gamma Raptor. For a while Ziggo was staying out of the action in order to get its body spinning and eventually does, but is slowed down after tackling Gamma Raptor. Then it's attacked Dr. Inferno Jr. again. After getting up to full speed again it hits a dead Bad Habit, then gets assaulted by The Crusher. It performed well as it won the lightweight royal rumble by popularity vote.
Season 4.0
Ziggo hits SnowFlake.
Due to being a former champion, Ziggo was allowed to skip the preliminary rounds of Season 4.0, where it eventually faced SnowFlake. Ziggo was rammed repeatedly at the start of the fight by SnowFlake, but Ziggo managed to knock SnowFlake away every time. Ziggo eventually damaged SnowFlake's plow, but the Team Toad robot stayed determined until Ziggo hit SnowFlake's safety switch, causing its opponent to stop moving. Snowflake was being counted out when it came back to life, but then died again shortly after. Ziggo then pushed SnowFlake into the killsaws, where it was unable to get going again and was counted out. Ziggo won by KO and advanced to the round of 16, where it faced Serial Box Killer.
Ziggo hits Serial Box Killer.
Both robots went straight at each other and Ziggo hits Serial Box Killer. Ziggo was hit by Serial Box Killer and bounces back into the screws. After both robots were chasing each other, Ziggo hits the front arm of Serial Box Killer and bends it. Serial Box Killer runs into Ziggo with the arm once more and the arm is severely bent. Serial Box Killer uses its bent arm frame to attack Ziggo. This hit from Ziggo removed Serial Box Killer's arm and the front frame. Serial Box Killer immediately tries to ram Ziggo again, now with much less keeping the internal components from being damaged. Serial Box Killer suddenly stopped moving and Ziggo hits Serial Box Killer again. Serial Box Killer came back to life, but then died again shortly after. Ziggo hits Serial Box Killer again as it was being counted out. Ziggo won by KO and advanced to the quarterfinals, where it faced Wedge of Doom.
Ziggo rips the wedge right off of Wedge of Doom.
Wedge of Doom goes straight at Ziggo, but misses and slams itself into the base of the screw. Ziggo gets up to full speed and starts shaking. While Wedge of Doom moves around the BattleBox, Ziggo goes over the killsaws and gets tossed around. Ziggo flies up the entrance ramp and starts spinning again. Wedge of Doom gets itself oriented and pushes Ziggo further up on the entrance ramp. Wedge of Doom starts to lift Ziggo, but slips out shortly after. Ziggo tries to escape, but Wedge of Doom kept it on the entrance ramp and this prevented Ziggo from spinning. Wedge of Doom backs up to try to slam into Ziggo, but Ziggo started spinning again. When Wedge of Doom approaches, Ziggo smacks the wedge and sends the robot spinning into the arena wall. As Ziggo was unbalanced, Wedge of Doom goes straight at Ziggo and gets itself underneath the spikestrip. Wedge of Doom escapes and gets hit by the pulverizer. Ziggo starts spinning again and hits Wedge of Doom's front. This hit almost flipped Ziggo onto its side and Wedge of Doom's front is bent. Ziggo starts spinning again and head towards Wedge of Doom. Ziggo hits Wedge of Doom slightly and Wedge of Doom tries to line up on Ziggo. Ziggo tries to maneuver itself toward Wedge of Doom's wheels. Ziggo hits Wedge of Doom and rips the wedge right off of Wedge of Doom. Wedge of Doom tries to position its front at Ziggo, but it couldn't and Ziggo smacks the corner of Wedge of Doom, spinning it towards the arena wall again. This impact ripped one of Wedge of Doom's wheels and Tony Buchignani taps out. Ziggo starts slowing down and smoke was coming out of the bottom of Ziggo. Wedge of Doom was being counted out and Ziggo won by another KO. After the match ended, Ziggo's internals were on fire and extinguished immediately. This win put Ziggo to the semifinals, where it faced Death By Monkeys.
Ziggo tears a piece off of Death By Monkeys' front.
Ziggo starts spinning and Death By Monkeys is afraid to approach. Death By Monkeys drives straight into Ziggo and Ziggo goes careening off toward the entrance ramp. This hit ripped something off the front of Death By Monkeys. Death By Monkeys rams into Ziggo again and Ziggo almost got hit by the pluverizer. Death By Monkeys' front has been shoved into one of its front tires and this sliced into one of the tires, leaving it unable to move Death by Monkeys more than an inch or two and unable to get away from the spikestrip. Ziggo continues spinning and head towards Death By Monkeys. Ziggo starts shaking and Death By Monkeys struggles to move forward. Ziggo hits Death By Monkeys and both bots fly away in opposite directions. Ziggo starts spinning again and head towards Death By Monkeys, which is next to the entrance ramp. Ziggo hits Death By Monkeys again and Ziggo starts slowing down. As Death By Monkeys was still struggling to move, Ziggo starts spinning again. Death By Monkeys backs into Ziggo, tossing Ziggo away against the spikestrip. Death By Monkeys stopped moving and Ziggo heads toward the center of the BattleBox. Death By Monkeys was being counted out and Ziggo won by another KO. This win put Ziggo to the lightweight finals again, where it faced newcomer The Big B.
Ziggo hits The Big B.
The Big B immediately goes straight at Ziggo and Ziggo wisely gets out of the way. The Big B turns around and heads into Ziggo, which is still getting up to full speed. Ziggo hits The Big B and no damage was caused. The Big B turns around and heads right back toward Ziggo. The Big B gets its wedge underneath Ziggo and Ziggo starts bouncing into the air, but lands steadily on its feet. The Big B tries to push Ziggo against the arena wall and Ziggo hits The Big B. The Big B goes after Ziggo, but Ziggo retreats. Both robots went straight at each and Ziggo gets pushed on the killsaws by The Big B. This hit from Ziggo knocked the plate on The Big B's front crooked. The Big B fights on and kept attacking Ziggo. The hit knocks the wedge out of place a little bit more. Ziggo initiates another hit to The Big B and still isn't able to rip the wedge right off The Big B. Ziggo takes a hit on the rear of The Big B and once again, no damage. The Big B continues to attack with its front wedge and Ziggo is around the pulverizer. The Big B drives toward Ziggo and after the pulverizer hits the BattleBox floor, both robots were bounced into the air. Ziggo stopped spinning momentarily and The Big B's wedge is hanging on just one side. The Big B tries attacking Ziggo with the front wedge and then attacking with the rear. When The Big B attacks with its rear, the reverse wedge rides up on Ziggo, raising The Big B. The Big B then stops Ziggo from spinning and starts pushing it around the BattleBox. The Big B continues to ram into Ziggo and Ziggo starts slowing down. The Big B has Ziggo's shell at a stand-still and Ziggo retreats while The Big B chases it. Ziggo starts pushing The Big B, but The Big B runs away. The Big B pushes Ziggo over the killsaws and Ziggo starts spinning again. The Big B was chasing Ziggo and The Big B gets caught on the killsaws. Ziggo hits The Big B's side and stopped spinning entirely. Ziggo starts spinning again and The Big B collides with Ziggo. The Big B pushes Ziggo over the killsaws again and tips Ziggo sideways into the air. The flagpole bounces Ziggo back onto the BattleBox floor. The Big B drives around Ziggo, which isn't spinning again, and begins to push Ziggo again. The Big B tries to push Ziggo onto the killsaws twice, but Ziggo escapes. Ziggo starts spinning again and as The Big B approaches, Ziggo immediately escapes again. The Big B moves around the BattleBox and Ziggo starts spinning once again. Ziggo hits The Big B again and the front wedge is still on The Big B. The Big B repeatedly rams into Ziggo until it stops spinning. The Big B pushes Ziggo onto the killsaws and both robots were maneuvering each other before the time ran out. Ziggo won on a close 24-21 judge's decision and was declared the lightweight champion again.
Ziggo on it's side after hitting Hexy Jr.
Ziggo wasn't finished, however, as it participated the lightweight royal rumble at the end of the tournament. Ziggo was pushed under the spikestrip early on and was left there for half of the rumble. As the crowd were shouting "Free Ziggo!", The Crusher gets underneath Ziggo and frees it. Ziggo starts spinning furiously and after it connects to Hexy Jr.'s front, it became unbalanced and was knocked onto its side. Ziggo was trying to move with its flag, but it couldn't self-right and the time ran out soon after. Dr. Inferno Jr. was declared the winner of the lightweight royal rumble and Ziggo lost overall.
Season 5.0
Ziggo gets hit by Code:BLACK.
Due to being the lightweight champion, Ziggo was allowed to skip the preliminary rounds of Season 5.0, where it faced Code:BLACK. Both robots started spinning their weapons and Code:BLACK drives itself on the entrance ramp. Ziggo came in and hits Code:BLACK right off the entrance ramp. Both robots were dancing around each other and Code:BLACK delivers a hard hit on Ziggo with its spinning blade. This tossed Ziggo into the pulverizer and barely missed a few hits from the pulverizer. Ziggo suddenly stopped spinning and Code:BLACK was hitting Ziggo with its spinning blade. One hit from Code:BLACK actually destroyed Ziggo's driving wheels and Ziggo couldn't move. As Ziggo started smoking, Ziggo was being counted out and Code:Black won by KO. This meant that Ziggo was eliminated from the tournament.
As of 2015, it is unknown if Ziggo participated the lightweight consolation rumble at the end of the tournament. Even if it did participate, it wouldn't come back for the lightweight royal rumble due to an incident with Nightmare in the heavyweight consolation rumble which resulted in all the rumbles getting cancelled.
Win/Losses:
- Wins: 18
- Losses: 4
| Competition | Wins | Losses |
|---|---|---|
| Long Beach 1999 |
Bye |
Defiant |
| Season 1.0 |
Bye |
Das Bot |
| Season 2.0 | None | |
| Season 3.0 | Sallad | |
| Season 4.0 | None | |
| Season 5.0 | None | Code:BLACK |
Mark Beiro Introductions
"Weighing in at 53 pounds, from the creative mind of Jonathan Ridder. He is assisted by his accomplice Doulgas Ridder. From San Jose, California, introducing ZIGGO!"
"The thing that goes bump in the night is small with a hell of a bite. Its ZIGGO!"
"Hang down your head in pride. Poor bots, you're bound to die when you fight ZIGGO!"
"With his spinning fury and quarter inch steel blades, he'll cut out your heart and show it to you. All hail ZIGGO!"
"First he goes zig. Then he goes zag. Then you go home in a body bag. Behold the rapid, rotating force of ZIGGO!"
"He's fought his way through hell and back with three simple words. Attack, attack, attack! Here is ZIGGO!"
"He was named the most aggressive robot last season. Here is the former two-time lightweight champion ZIGGO!"
"Its two steel blades will slice and dice even the toughest robot. Its the two-time lightweight champion ZIGGO!"
"You can keep your fancy toaster, but when it comes to spinning bots of fury, let go of my ZIGGO!"
"This bot's New Year's resolution was to stop smoking, drop 10 pounds and kick the holy bejeezus out of anything with moving parts. One out of three ain't bad for ZIGGO!"
"The bile festering in this robot's soul makes him prone to chewing up robots, then spitting them out. It's ZIGGO!"
"He already has one Giant Nut and tonight he's going for two. Give it up for ZIGGO!"
"He's made from an old Chinese cooking wok, which explains why so many of his opponents are now vegetables. Here's ZIGGO!"
Merchandise
Any appearances by Ziggo in merchandise are listed below:
- Ziggo/Grip N' Grappler
- Ziggo/Battlebots: Beyond the Battlebox
- Ziggo/Battle Chains
- Ziggo/MiniBot
- Ziggo/ChromeBot
- Ziggo/BattleBots Video game
Trivia
- Ziggo was one of eight robots on display at the 2001 Toy Fair Hasbro Showroom arena. The other known robots are Overkill, BioHazard, Minion, Ginsu Vlad the Impaler, Tazbot, Diesector and Toe Crusher