Gubbage Cones were a race of intelligent, carnivorous fungi. On the planet Mechanus the First Doctor, Ian and Barbara called them fungoids.
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Biology[[edit] | [edit source]]
The Gubbage Cones had an aversion to light, their only fear. (TV: The Chase [+]Loading...["The Chase (TV story)"], COMIC: The World That Waits [+]Loading...["The World That Waits (comic story)"])
History[[edit] | [edit source]]
The Gubbage Cones originated on the planet Pluvikerr. Circa 59,000 BC, they were the dominant empire in the galaxy. Their empire encompassed the silicon Excalbians, the feathered people of Velopssi, androids from Exo III, the Lamp People of Badafex, Ice Warriors and Ogrons, as well as Mire Beast fighting pits. (PROSE: The Crystal Bucephalus [+]Loading...["The Crystal Bucephalus (novel)"])
The Master stole a Vortex Cloak from the ruins of the Gubbage Cone Throneworld. (PROSE: The Quantum Archangel [+]Loading...["The Quantum Archangel (novel)"])
By Steven Taylor's native time, the Gubbage Cones were living on the planet Mechanus, where they attacked the First Doctor, his companions and the Daleks, who had just arrived in their time machine. They could be repelled by bright light. (TV: The Chase [+]Loading...["The Chase (TV story)"])
In the 27th century, the Fungoids of Mechanus fed on dogs. The Daleks, having tracked the Mechanical Planet to Mechanus, touched down on the planet and were immediately attacked by the Fungoids. The Fungoids were quickly repelled when the Daleks covered the area with light. (COMIC: The World That Waits [+]Loading...["The World That Waits (comic story)"])
A Gubbage Cone was exhibited in the Space Museum when the Vashta Nerada invaded. (WC: Hall of Monsters [+]Loading...["Hall of Monsters (webcast)"])
Behind the scenes[[edit] | [edit source]]
Gubbage Cones were not named in on-screen dialogue, by the credits, in the novelisation of The Chase, nor in the original script. The name can, however, be traced to the shooting script, perhaps indicating that the name originated with the special effects or design department. They are only called "fungoids" on-screen, which is why many non-fictional reference works also use that term.
Indeed, the name of "fungoid" is backed up by official documentation sent to BBC One, in which the actors who played the fungoids are instructed to be only semi-credited under the word "with", but "with" is given the parenthetical "(fungoids)", which did not appear on-screen.
Nevertheless, author Craig Hinton referencing the shooting script, used the term in his novels The Crystal Bucephalus and The Quantum Archangel, which began a short-lived renaissance for the species.
The comic story The World That Waits features fungoids on Mechanus but these creatures look entirely dissimilar. This is likely attributable to artist John Woods not having any references to work from to draw Gubbage Cones.