Body swap

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A body swap is a storytelling device seen in a variety of fiction, most often in TV shows and movies, in which two people (or beings) exchange minds and end up in each others' bodies. Alternately, their minds may stay where they are as their bodies adjust - the end result is the same.

There are two distinct types of body swapping. Switches caused by magic items such as amulets, heartfelt wishes or just strange quirks of the universe typically reverse after the subjects have expanded their world views, gained a new appreciation for each others' troubles by literally "walking in another's shoes" and/or caused sufficient amounts of farce. Notable examples include Vice Versa (1982), Freaky Friday (1972) and the film versions of both.

Switches accomplished by technology, exempting gadgets advanced sufficiently to appear as magic, are the fare of mad scientists. Body-swapping devices are characterized by highly experimental status, straps, helmets with complicated cables that run to a central system and a tendency to direly malfunction before their effects can be reversed. Those without such means may resort to brain transplants. Such experiments can have overtones of horror; evil mad scientists seldom use willing test subjects.

The 1989 film Identity Crisis parodies the body-swap films by having its two characters share the same body, switching between personalities whenever struck, hit, or smacked. The 1984 film All of Me also portrays two characters sharing one body - in this case Steve Martin and Lily Tomlin.

On the internet, many amateur authors write and share body swap stories with one another. Fictionmania is a website publishing and archiving transgender fiction, much of it focusing on male-to-female body swaps.

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[edit] Science

While swapping bodies remains fictional as of 2007, scientific research points to the possibility of head transplants, whole-body transplants, or mind transfers somewhere in the future.

In 1973 a group of scientists from Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine in Cleveland Ohio, led by Dr. Robert White, a neurosurgeon inspired by the work of Vladimir Demikhov, transplanted the head of one monkey onto another monkey's body.[1] [2] The animal was still able to smell, taste, hear, and see.[3] The animal survived for eight days after the operation, even at times attempting to bite some of the staff. [4] In 2001 the operation was successfully repeated again on a monkey by the aforementioned Dr. White. [5]

In 2002, other head transplants were also conducted in Japan involving rats.[6] Unlike the head transplants performed by Dr. White, however, these head transplants involved grafting one rat's head onto the body of another rat that kept its head. Thus the rat ended up with two heads.

[edit] Appearances in Media

[edit] List of movies with body swaps

(Also, see Box Office History for Body Swap Movies for details on how financially successful certain body swap films have been.)

[edit] List of TV shows with body swaps

  • The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius - Jimmy and Cindy.
  • American Dragon: Jake Long - "Switcheroo" - Jake and Haley switched bodies due to a magic mirror, then later Huntsboy #88 and #89 switch because of the mirror as well.
  • Buffy the Vampire Slayer - Faith swaps bodies with Buffy using a magical device in the episode "Who Are You?". Also, In an earlier episode, "Witch", a dark witch switches bodies with her daughter Amy to relive her cheerleading glory days.
  • Dragon Ball Z - Ginyu switched bodies with Goku in order to get more power, but failed to do so. After finding Bulma, Ginyu decided to swap bodies with her.
  • Eerie, Indiana - "No Brain, No Gain" - Simon Holmes's mind is transferred into the Brainalyzer and replaced by Charles "Chappy" Furnell, saying that he would gladly go through puberty again (by not abandoning Simon's body) until his rightful body is found. Then Chappy is transferred to his own body. Then his wife shows up and the Brainalyzer discharges, leaving it Marshall in the woman's body, Chappy back into Simon's body, Simon in Chappy's body and the woman is in Marshall's body.
  • 8 Simple Rules - "Freaky Friday" - Grandpa and C.J., Bridget and her mother, Rory and his hamster.
  • Farscape - The Moya crew swap bodies twice due to the effects of an alien weapon in the episode "Out of Their Minds."
  • Fullmetal Alchemist - The character of Dante has lived for hundreds of years by continually switching bodies with others.
  • Intergalactic Kitchen - Everyone in the kitchen swaps bodies as follows: Kirk and Kirstie, Robin in Jay's body, Jay in Fleur's body and Fleur in Robin's body. At one point, Kirstie and Snoo share Kirk's body. This happens in the episode "Take me to your Larder" when an alien removes the Kitchenaut's brains and Snoo unsuccessfully tries to put their brains back.
  • Kim Possible - Kim and Ron swap bodies due to an accident in the episode "Mind Games".
  • Lilo & Stitch: The Series - "Swapper" - An experiment causes various characters to swap bodies.
  • Lizzie McGuire - Matt and Lizzie, "Those Freaky McGuires"
  • Lloyd in Space - Lloyd and his Sister in the episode "Lloyd Changes His Mind".
  • Pepper Ann - Pepper Ann and Lydia
  • Pokémon Ranger and the Temple of the Sea - Team Rocket, Ash, and Jackie due to Manaphy's Heart Swap.
  • Power Rangers: S.P.D. - Wootox switched bodies with Sky so that the rangers would chase Sky instead of him in the episode "Recognition", similar to the adaptation of the episode "Fake Blue" in Tokusou Sentai Dekaranger.
  • Red Dwarf - In the Series 3 episode "Body Swap", Rimmer and Lister.
  • Smallville - Clark and Lionel swap bodies using a Kryptonian artifact in the episode "Transference".
  • Stargate SG-1 - At least four episodes to date have dealt with body swapping.
  • Star Trek - "Turnabout Intruder" - Kirk and Dr. Janice Lester. William Shatner performs like a hysterical woman for the better part of an hour.
  • TaleSpin - Baloo and Kit Cloudkicker, and later Rebecca Cunningham and Don Karnage, switch bodies due to a magical idol in the episode "A Baloo Switcheroo."
  • Teen Titans - In the episode "Switched", Starfire and Raven swap bodies during a confrontation with the Puppet King.
  • Tokusou Sentai Dekaranger - Wojon Seijin Jinche switched bodies with Hoji to escape deletion in hope that the other four Dekarangers would delete Hoji instead in the episode "Fake Blue". His plan backfired when "Hoji" called Ban partner when the real Hoji would have replied with "Don't call me partner." This was adapted into Power Rangers: S.P.D..
  • Yvon of the Yukon - Tommy and Yvon swap bodies with a wish that was accidentally granted while they were near the Aurora Borealis.

[edit] List of video games with body swaps

  • Chrono Cross - Serge and Lynx
  • Pitfall:The Lost Expedition - The title character gets body switched by each of three animal spirits in the boss levels.

[edit] List of graphic novels/manga with body swaps

[edit] List of novels with body swaps

[edit] See also

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