-zilla

"-zilla" is an English slang suffix, a back-formation derived from the English name of the Japanese movie monster Godzilla.^[1]^[2] It is popular for the names of software and websites. It is also found often in popular culture to imply some form of excess, denoting the monster-like qualities of Godzilla.

This trend has been observed since the popularization of the Mozilla Project, which itself included the Internet Relay Chat client ChatZilla.

The use of the suffix was contested by Toho, owners of the trademark Godzilla, in a lawsuit against the website Davezilla^[3] and also against Sears for their mark Bagzilla.^[4]

1 List of -zillas
2 References

List of -zillas

Some uses of the suffix -zilla include:

Businesses and products

Mozilla, a group of Internet-related programs created by the Mozilla Foundation, also name of the group's widely-known web browser
- Bugzilla, open source bug tracking software, with a web-based interface.
- ChatZilla, an Internet Relay Chat program
- Mozilla Application Suite
  - Classilla, a rebranded Mozilla Application Suite, an internet suite for the classic Mac OS
  - DOSzilla, an obsolete port of the Mozilla Application Suite to MS-DOS^[5]
  - Ghostzilla, a web browser
  - GNUzilla, GNUs fork of the Mozilla Application Suite
  - Warpzilla, the Mozilla Application suite for OS/2
AmiZilla, a Amiga port of Mozilla Firefox
Chipzilla, a humorous epithet for the Intel Corporation
Clonezilla, an open source disk cloning software
FileZilla, an FTP program
Go!Zilla, a download manager program
Podzilla, an open source user interface for the IPodLinux project, which allows for alternative functionality of Apple Computer's iPod
Quizilla, an online personality quiz website, which contains its own "Zillapedia"
Shopzilla, a comparison-shopping search engine, formerly BizRate.com

Entertainment

Godzilla, the film from which the -zilla suffix (as aforementioned) originates
- Mechagodzilla, a fictional character from the Godzilla series, it is the mechanical doppelgänger of Godzilla.
- SpaceGodzilla, a modified clone of Godzilla
Bongzilla, a rock band from Madison, Wisconsin
Broadzilla, a rock band from Detroit, Michigan
Tekzilla, a weekly video podcast on the Revision3 network
Davezilla, a humor website
Rapzilla, a Christian hip hop online magazine
Illzilla, an Australian hip hop group featuring live instruments
"Bootzilla", a song recorded by Bootsy's Rubber Band
Popzilla, an animated TV series in production for MTV

Miscellaneous

Bridezilla, a term indicating a difficult bride.
Hogzilla, a large male wild hog hybrid that was stabbed and killed in Georgia, United States.

References

^ Chrysti M. Smith. Verbivore's Feast: Second Course: More Word & Phrase Origins. http://books.google.com/books?id=d3bov9J_1w0C&pg=PA37&dq=zilla+suffix&hl=it&cd=1#v=onepage&q=zilla%20suffix&f=false.
^ William Tsutsui. "Godzilla and Postwar Japan Lunch Keynote". Address 2004 National Meeting Asian Studies. http://google.com/scholar?q=cache:FBf9jmdENaEJ:scholar.google.com/+zilla+suffix&hl=it&as_sdt=2000.
^ "Godzilla vs. the blog thing". CNET.com. http://news.cnet.com/Godzilla-vs.-the-blog-thing/2100-1026_3-949804.html.
^ Philip Summa. "New Test for Trademark Dilution - Why North Carolina Should Adopt Section 12 of the Model State Trademark". Campbell L. Rev. 5. http://heinonline.org/HOL/Page?men_tab=srchresults&handle=hein.journals/camplr5&id=180&size=2&collection=journals&terms=zillazilla&termtype=phrase&set_as_cursor=.
^ Kuma, Amit (30 July 1998). "DOSzilla The Free, Mozilla Based, Web Browser for DOS". idt.net. Archived from the original on 10 October 1999. http://web.archive.org/web/19991010185613/idt.net/~kassoc/dos/. Retrieved 15 June 2010.