Transmogrifier
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A transmogrifier is a device which transforms or metamorphoses an object into another object, most commonly found in fiction.
Calvin and Hobbes
In Bill Watterson's comic strip Calvin and Hobbes, the transmogrifier is a fictional device invented by Calvin capable of transmogrifying any object into any other object.
The first transmogrifier Calvin invents consists of an upside-down cardboard box (first appeared March 23, 1987) with the word "transmogrifier" handwritten on the side in marker. A dial on the side of the box may be pointed towards one of several settings, also marked on the box in marker. More settings can be added by simply writing them around the dial. A button initiates the transmogrification process, turning the thing under the box into whatever is indicated on the dial always accompanied by a loud "zap!" sound when activated. Calvin used his transmogrifier to great effect in the comic strip, transforming himself into a tiger, dinosaur, elephant and other animals.
Calvin made subsequent improvements upon the transmogrifier technology, turning the box into a duplicator (by turning it on its side and writing "duplicator" on the side) and a time machine (by turning the box upright and writing "time machine" on the side). He also produced an improved, portable transmogrifier, which was incorporated into his water pistol. (This latter invention was once used as a button icon in a paint program for the Apple Macintosh, and the operation, which randomly mixed pixels, was named transmogrify). Calvin once used his trasmogrifyer and turned it into the Cerebel Enhance-o-tron (by putting the box upside-down like the normal transmogrifyer, but with three wires connected to a colander) This was made so that Calvin could finish his homework, but due to temporary occasions, he got a D. And Also Stripped
Use in other media
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The term "transmogrifier" appears in a variety of media published after its first Calvin & Hobbes publication. "Transmogrifier" devices and procedures include:
- A DNA modifier in the Red Dwarf episode "DNA".
- A piece of equipment found in the second level of Star Trek: 25th Anniversary
- A MOGware game content pipeline
- A potion in Neopets that turn pets into mutant pets
- A downloadable program that let players create their own objects in The Sims.It is a tool by Don Hopkins for the Sims 1 PC Game.
- A tonic in Guild Wars that temporarily gives character the shape of a candycorn
- A device that changes the player into other character models in XEvil
- The character Crypto's act of "transmogfrifying" objects into ammo in Destroy All Humans! 2