Professor J.S. Ibsen

Professor J.S. Ibsen (voiced by William Sanderson) – A mechanical genius, Professor J.S. Ibsen is Jumanji's resident mad scientist, referring to himself as a "Master Builder". In reality, he is an android. Tasked to work on behalf of Jumanji, Ibsen operates from a large Industrial Era factory where he designs dangerous Steampunk-style machines and vehicles, creating game perils and nightmarish mechanoid obstacles such as battle-armored rhinos, acid-tongued frogs, and biting "berbalangs". Regarding his machinations, he'll transmit nightly vocal reports to Jumanji itself, broadcasting throughout the jungle. In "The Ultimate Weapon," Ibsen was present at J.H. Slick's auctioning of the Transvector of Jumanji (a 'MacGuffin' which is similar to a Lemarchand's box). However, he elected to steal the device rather than outright bid for it, intending to destroy the Transvector on account of its potential threat to the entire world of Jumanji. In "Robo-Peter", Ibsen initiated a master scheme to replace all young people in the 'real world' with androids, trapping the humans in the game world. However, Alan, Peter and Judy thwart this, resulting in the professor's factory being destroyed. J.S. Ibsen's first and middle name initials are a reference to William Sanderson's renowned character J.F. Sebastian from the 1982 Ridley Scott film Blade Runner. Also, Ibsen's surname is a reference to Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen and his 1893 stage play The Master Builder, the title being re-used for the title of Professor Ibsen's debut episode "Master Builder".