Soldier Sam is a talking toy soldier animatronic on top of the roundabout and the guard of the roundabout. In the 2005 film, he was the secondary antagonist due to him working as Zeebad's right-hand man and was tricked into helping him finding the three enchanted diamonds. In the 2007 revival series, he was one of the supporting characters.
In the 2007 revival series, he was completely animate and is one of the supporting allies. When the roundabout's not in use, Sam would be around the Garden providing assistance to his friends.
Personality[]
Solider Sam is a loyal animatronic as he takes his mission seriously like any other soldier would do. He was designed to guard the roundabout as his purpose, but when he is completely animate by Zeebad, he is gullible when he is tricked by the evil ice wizard and blindly obeys orders from Zeebad as his henchman where Zebedee questions him about his actions while trying to get him to remember his true life.
As Zeebad's henchman, Sam can be rather clumsy and bumbling to Zeebad's annoyance. Regardless of being a bumbling henchman, Sam does take his role as soldier seriously when he points out to Zeebad that he cannot dispose of Brian on the roof of the driller train, invoking the Geneva Convention where you cannot dispose the prisoner. In the end after being injured from the driller train explosion and left to die in the snow, Sam remembers his original purpose and Zebedee's statement towards him "It's what inside that counts" where he turns against Zeebad in an effort to guard the roundabout from the evil wizard, even at the cost of his life.
But on the side of good, Sam is loyal to Zebedee, Dougal, Florence and everybody in the garden. In the 2007 revival series, Sam is shown to be no-nonsense when tasked on assignments. It is revealed that Sam does have some fears such as the 2007 revival series episode "Barmy Army" that Sam and his soldier friends are all terrified of bananas and they scamper out of sight.
Physical appearance[]
Solider Sam is a slender Foot Guard wooden figurine with fair skin, black bead eyes, brown mustache. He wears a red Foot Guard soldier's uniform with white straps, gloves, knapsack, belt, trousers, black boots and shoulder strips. He wears a black bearskin cap with a red feather on the side and a gold oval emblem on the front that has the embossed flower on it. Though Sam is bald underneath his bearskin cap, he does happen to have a few strands of hair on top of his head.
Biography[]
Sam was an inanimate object which was part of the roundabout guarding Zeebad. When Zeebad was freed, Sam was catapulted off the roundabout by the ice which froze it over and in the same direction where Zeebad went. After crash landing with Zeebad, he was brought to life by Zeebad as his minion. From that point on, Sam was tasked into helping Zeebad to find the three diamonds.
Zeebad had captured Dougal and imprisoned him where he interrogates him before ordering Sam to torture him. Because Sam is new to this, he asks Dougal on how he should torture him and was told to feed him sugar cubes in order to get more information about the diamonds. However, Sam is overpowered by Ermintrude who then rescues Dougal. Sam and Zeebad corner the gang before Zebedee shows up and duels Zeebad. Halfway through, Sam then holds the gang hostage and prevents them from leaving. This causes Zebedee to intervene and question Sam of his actions, but the soldier tries to explain that he was told to be a henchman. Just as Zebedee reminds Sam of his true duty, the good wizard is struck in the arm by Zeebad who then defeats Zebedee. After sending Zebedee down in the abyss, Zeebad and Sam then follow the gang to the volcano where they take the first diamond and the map (which was due to Dougal spilling the beans). Sam was ordered to destroy the bridge and he manages to do so where he nearly falls to his fiery demise until Zeebad saves him.
With the map in possession, Zeebad travels to find the second diamond with Sam assisting. After they managed to get the second diamond, both Zeebad and Sam fall in the mines where they come across the driller train which they use to pursue the gang. Sam was shoveling coal in the boiler to make it faster until he notices that the dial in the pressure gauge is at red and tries to warn Zeebad about the boiler pressure before the driller train explodes. The explosion injured Sam and was left for dead by Zeebad who returns to the village alone to get the third diamond.
Fortunately, the moose awakens Sam, who then remembers his original life and rides the moose to the village where he confronts his former boss. Sam reveals his true duty that he was part of the roundabout and guarding it from Zeebad. Sam then charges to fight Zeebad, but the moose was frozen easily, throwing Sam off and towards Zeebad. Just as Sam is about to battle the evil ice wizard, Zeebad struck him in the chest with a ice blast, fatally wounding him and revealing the third diamond that glows inside. Zeebad realises this and rips the diamond out of Sam which ends his life as a result.
After Zeebad's defeat and with the roundabout magically restored and repaired, it still does not work where they realise that it is missing Sam as he is still lifeless. Zebedee returns the third diamond back inside Sam's body which revives him back to life. When informed that he is returning where he belongs, Sam nods in agreement before returned back to his inanimate form and his place on the roundabout guarding Zeebad.
Gallery[]
Promotional[]
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Trivia[]
- Solider Sam didn't exist in the original series as he was created solely for the 2005 animated film adaptation, as well as the 2007 revival series.
- His inanimate form has his bearskin cap made entirely out of wood until it becomes realistic after Zeebad enchanted him to life. In the 2007 revival series, his inanimate form was used for Sam's character model.