Top 10 Hilarious The Suite Life of Zack & Cody Running Gags

Watching the series over as an adult, you realize that Mr. Moseby wasn’t a villain– he was just misunderstood! And throughout “The Suite Life of Zack & Cody,” this was often the case. As the manager of the Tipton, Mr. Moseby was always forced to balance doing his job with dealing with those darned kids. But whenever he was at his absolute limit, a guest would catch him doing or saying something ridiculous. Moseby does his best to recover from these cringe situations, but he’s already dug himself into too deep of a hole.

Being the comedic “straight man” of the twins, Cody was constantly being roped into Zack’s pranks and schemes. This makes it all the more hilarious when Cody ends up being the butt of the joke– sorry, Cody! “Suite Life” was great at using funny set pieces and props as punchlines throughout the show. Cody’s “honey mist auburn” hair and elaborate mime costume were both perfectly timed sight gags, with great one-liners to boot. Even though having Cody in embarrassing situations was a running joke, it still feels like a surprise when you watch it happen!

While we all love London’s iconic catchphrase, “Yay me,” her most memorable characteristic was always her… intelligence. Or really, her lack thereof. Most of the jokes made by her character were usually at her own expense, without her knowing it. Some of the funniest moments in the show are built around this expectation– like the classic “Prndl” scene! Plus, London had a few moments of surprise smarts. When Maddie teaches London chess, she completely dominates without even trying! This bit is a great payoff when you’re expecting her to be totally clueless.

Rest in peace, Estelle Harris! The producers of “The Suite Life of Zack & Cody” knew to maximize her incredible comedic talent as Muriel the maid. She always stole whatever scene she was in with her flirty, lazy, or short-tempered attitude. But what Muriel was most well-known for was her line: “I’m not cleaning that up!” She was a recurring character in season one, until “retiring” later in the show. But Estelle returned to the series for the final episode to deliver her catchphrase one last time!

Each episode of “The Suite Life of Zack & Cody” brought about a slew of new mishaps and hijinks at the hotel. But always at the ready to help out the twins was Esteban, the ever-so-loyal bellhop at the Tipton. Esteban had a signature line of his own throughout the show, whenever situations got out of hand– “this is a disaster!” We can all relate, Esteban. His delivery is so dramatic, and always hilarious! Mr. Moseby even gives a perfect impression of the line– right before Esteban says it himself!

What’s funnier than unrequited love? Well, plenty of things– unless you’re on a children’s sitcom! The Tipton Hotel’s engineer, Arwin, has a massive crush on Zack and Cody’s mom, Carey, for the entirety of the show. Arwin may be brainy, but unfortunately, he has zero game when it comes to Carey. He’s constantly fawning over her and stumbles his words around her. He even has a cardboard cutout of Carey! Which is… equal parts creepy and sweet. Luckily for Arwin, when he wins the Hotel Engineers’ Games, he also wins a kiss from Carey! And no surprise, he immediately passes out.

Did you know that originally, Zack and Cody’s characters were going to be named after their actors, Dylan and Cole? Being a show about twins, the two are bound to get confused for one another from time to time. But more often, the two used their physical similarities to their advantage! For example, in Season One, Cody makes Zack go on a date for him to scare her away. They switch names again when they realize Carey wasn’t sure which twin was which after taking them home from the hospital– causing an identity crisis!

Ah, young love! A running bit throughout “Suite Life” was Zack’s crush on Maddie, the candy counter girl. Even though he was much younger than her– a fact Maddie frequently pointed out– it never stopped Zack from putting on the moves! Fun fact: in the show, Zack and Maddie are said to have a three-year age difference. But in real life, Ashley Tisdale is actually seven years older than Dylan Sprouse! Zack and Maddie didn’t live happily ever after, but they did share some sweet moments together on the show.

Once again, another classic Mr. Moseby bit! High-strung Moseby was always doing whatever he could to keep the hotel– particularly the lobby– clear of havoc. While “no running in my lobby” is one of the most recognizable quotes in the show, Mr. Moseby doesn’t actually say this line verbatim very often. More often, he says some variation of the phrase with the same general idea. But regardless of how he expresses it, Moseby’s passion for the lobby is what clearly left an impression on all of us “Suite Life” fans!

What a catch! The humor at the core of “The Suite Life of Zack & Cody” comes from the fact that the twins are chaotic fish-out-of-water in what should be a classy hotel. The fancy centerpiece of the Tipton lobby– the vase– is constantly at risk when Zack and Cody are around. This running joke began in episode one of the series, where Esteban is the one to save the vase. Moseby even makes Esteban glue the vase to the table when the Hotel Inspector comes to town, knowing the odds of it falling are high! In the finale, the vase finally breaks– bring the joke, and the show, to an end.