Booji Boy (pronounced Boogie Boy) is the alterego of Devo member Mark Mothersbaugh. The odd spelling comes from an early, unreleased film Devo made, in which the names were being spelled out with a light set. They had run out of the letter "g", and Mark substituted a "j". It was decided it looked better without the "e". Booji is a man-child, symbolic of human devolution, originally appearing on stage with a large crib around his waist. Booji also would emerge from underneath the vinyl sheeting that Devo would cover their stage in during early shows. The iconic image of Booji Boy adorns the right sleeve of Devo's official black performance T-Shirts.
Booji's appearance is... odd. Booji is a latext retard mask, purchased from a novelty shop. He has red hair, rosy cheeks, and often wears a diaper. He also wears glasses, usually Mark Mothersbaugh's prescription lenses, but also a pair of novelty glasses that look like dice. Booji also sings in a stange, high-pitched falsetto.
Booji appears in several Devo videos, notably The Truth About De-Evolution, playing keyboard in the Secret Agent Man segment, and visitng General Boy before the Jocko Homo segment. At the end of the film, he is stabbed, and his mask ripped off. He also appears in the music video for Satisfaction sticking a fork into a toaster, and in the music video for Beautiful World. Booji would often close concerts, performing The Words Get Stuck In My Throat at early shows. During the 1979 tour, he would sing In Heaven Everything Is Fine, and The One That Gets Away. He sung Tunnel Of Life on the 1980 tour, and from the 1981 tour and on, Booji sang Beautiful World. Booji would also sing You Gotta Serve Somebody when Devo performed as their Christian Rock alteregos, Dove - The Band Of Love. Booji also appears in Devo's computer game The Adventures Of The Smart Patrol, and is credited as the author of Mark Mothersbaugh's book My Struggle
In the film, Human Highway, Booji Boy plays a major role as one of the nuclear technicians (played by Devo). Booji has a short speech during the performance of Devo's cover of Worried Man. At the end of the film, the nuclear reactor explodes, and Booji is the only survivor. He then recited a poem, a twisted parody of "How Many Roads Must A Man Walk Down", taken from My Struggle, as the film ends.
At a Devo show in 2000, Booji Boy made his final appearance on stage. We don't know why. Perhaps Mark ran out of masks, or his voice can't take the strain. In any case, Booji Boy is an icon of Devo, and of Devolution. As he told us, "We're All Devo!"