Orton Mahlson is the creator and star of the Doctor Zone franchise, playing as the titular character of the show.
He is voiced by Jemaine Clement.
Personality
Old Age
After retiring, Orton became a bit of a recluse. He avoids fans and was initially wary of his guests, immediately refusing them autographs or selfies before he even opened the door for them. He became dully sarcastic when Zack was surprised by his appearance, but proceeded to joke, bemused, with Sara about the duo being 'newbies'.
Upon finding out they were there about Milo, he became much more enthusiastic about speaking with them and some information about Cavendish and Dakota, even giving them a letter from Milo, which he'd kept safe for fifty years.
For a brief moment, Orton became worried that he'd told them too much information, which would result in a changed, or maybe disastrous, timeline. His panic didn't last long, however, and he went on with his day.
While he refuses to take selfies with the fans who come to his door, he seems to enjoy the idea of posting his own selfies to his blog. He mispronounces the word, calling them 'shelfies'.
He seems to enjoy gardening and has a large greenhouse in his backyard, full of a variety of different plants. A few feet away from the greenhouse, there are large plots of dirt for growing plants.
Youth
In his youth, Orton dreamed of becoming a writer. He ran into trouble when he realized his only life experience was learned from his father, who was a zoning commissioner, which led to relatively boring stories. After his director told him to think weird, Orton set off to get inspired.
Fortunately for him, he ran into Cavendish and Dakota as they exited the time stream. Upon seeing them, he drew up the first designs for his characters Doctor Zone and Time Ape.
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Orton shows himself to be brave and resourceful as he suddenly heads into danger. He became a strong asset to the team, helping out when he could without fear. He's a very creative, enthusiastic person who asks many questions along the way, writing down every detail of the journey.
Physical Appearance
Old Age
Orton is an elderly man with a strong chin, blue eyes, and some notable wrinkles. His short, greying hair is a light brown color and longer in the back, with a tuft of bangs at the front.
He wears a desaturated green polo shirt with brown shorts that end just above his knees. His shoes are a pair of brown sandals with two straps each, worn over long white tube socks.
Youth
When he was young, Orton had a softer face, and his hair was a deeper orange-brown. While at work, he wore a white long-sleeved dress shirt with a black tie and grey pants. This was worn with a black belt and brown shoes.
History
In Fungus Among Us, he had seen Balthazar Cavendish and Vinnie Dakota often by Milo and come to the conclusion that Milo is their young ward. Cavendish' and Dakota's appearance inspired him to create Doctor Zone. He eventually cast a time-traveling Milo in the pilot episode. ("Missing Milo") In creating the episode, he was ambushed by Derek, a pistachion who sought to restore his species to power. After Murphy's law blew Derek's cover, Orton time-travelled with Milo, Cavendish, and Dakota to Milo's time.
Sara, Melissa, and Zack watched the Doctor Zone pilot episode and are surprised when Diogee points out thirteen-year-old Milo on it. So Sara volunteered to drive them to ask Mr. Mahlson why they see their young friend on the old program. Looking at three of Melissa's photos, he talked about his history with Cavendish, Dakota, and Milo. Then the retired actor stated that Milo gave him a letter to give to curious people approximately fifty years after he was filmed. It said where and when to bring his backpack. This letter was of huge help to the kids' missing-persons case. Orton planned to post a selfie he just took after the friends left. ("Missing Milo")
In Milo's time, most of humanity had been replaced by pistachions. After escaping them through Lard World, he, Milo, Cavendish, Dakota, and Diogee set out to find Professor Time to get him to invent time-travel twelve years in advance. When the group reached his address, they are accidentally trapped by Heinz Doofenshmirtz. ("Fungus Among Us")
Relationships
Milo Murphy
Orton saved a letter from Milo for fifty years at his request. When he's young, he is surprised he finds out that Milo knows his name, and goes on to encourage Milo to tell him about the future of his own show.
Balthazar Cavendish and Vinnie Dakota
Cavendish and Dakota inspired Orton to draw up his initial designs of Doctor Zone and Time Ape. When he's older, Orton remembers them as 'very strange' and 'pistachio obsessed' fellows, and believes that Milo is their young ward.
In the past, he was excited to meet them when he watched their time vehicle exit the Timestream and promptly approached them to begin asking questions about it.
Sara Murphy
Being obsessed with Doctor Zone, Sara is a huge fan of Orton Mahlson and even spies on him from behind a tree in his yard. He seems unaware of this, but jokes with her about Zack and Melissa being 'newbies'.
Melissa Chase and Zack Underwood
Initially, he is a bit annoyed when Zack points out that he looks like a 'really old Doctor Zone', but quickly warms up to them and begins answering their questions.
Gallery
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| The image gallery for Orton Mahlson may be viewed here. |
Quotes
| “It's the home of Orton Mahlson, creator of The Doctor Zone Files. He actually retired here a few months ago and became a bit of a recluse.” —Sara Murphy[src] |
| “Oh, please go away! I don't give autographs, and I don't take shelfies, or whatever it is you kids call them.” —Orton Mahlson[src] |
| “Whoa! You look like a really old Doctor Zone.” “Yeah. That was totally worth opening the door for; thanks, kid.” “Sorry. I mean — I didn't know you were the show's creator and the star.” —Zack Underwood and Orton Mahlson[src] |
| “Let's see now. Oh! Cavendish and Dakota! Yes! Yes, very strange pistachio-obsessed fellas! It was them that gave me the inspiration for Doctor Zone and Time Ape.” —Orton Mahlson[src] |
| “They had their young ward with them. Oh, and now that I think about it, he left me something. He said that in fifty years, someone might ask about him, and I was to give them this letter.” —Orton Mahlson[src] |
| “Oh, I hope I haven't told them too much. Or too little. Oh, I don't know. Shelfie! Oh, I'm posting that.” —Orton Mahlson[src] |
| “I'm the zoning commissioner, and you, sir, have crossed the line! You're out of the zone! I mean, what I mean by that, is literally, you're going to have to move this wall. It's out of the zone that it's required to be in.” —Orton Mahlson, acting[src] |
| “But they say, "Write what you know," and my dad was a zoning commissioner, so...” —Orton Mahlson[src] |
| “And all the villains will be trash cans with light bulbs on their heads. Alright, bring in more weird stuff. Props, give me a Van de Graaff generator and a purple shovel.” —Orton Mahlson[src] |
| “But where are we going to get another Time Beehicle?” —Orton Mahlson[src] |
Appearances
- "Missing Milo" (first appearance as Orton)
- "Fungus Among Us" (past self)
Trivia
- His name is based off one of the writers, "Martin Olson."
- He is aware that Cavendish and Dakota are time travelers.
- He has topiary and a greenhouse on his property. (It is where he kept Milo's five-decade-old letter.)
- He is from New Zealand.
- His father was a zoning commissioner.