Carrot Top demonstrates one of his many comic props on the MDA Telethon.

What do these three people have in common? Bruce Wayne ... Clark Kent ... Scott Thompson ... That's right -- all three are alter egos of famous superheroes.

Of course, Bruce Wayne is the millionaire playboy with the secret underground lab that serves as his Bat Cave, as he fights Gotham City crime in the guise of the dark knight known as Batman. And everybody knows Clark Kent is the mild-mannered reporter for the Daily Planet in Metropolis who, when things get tough, ducks into a phone booth and emerges as the Man of Steel -- Superman.

Scott Thompson, on the other hand, does battle almost daily in cities across the United States -- not against evil villains with menacing nicknames, but against neuromuscular diseases. And while his archenemies don't come in brightly colored costumes of their own, this MDA national vice president brings more than enough color to go around.

While villains and thugs cower before the high-tech intensity of Batman and the awesome power of Superman, mild-mannered Scott Thompson simply transforms himself into world-renowned comedian Carrot Top, reaches into his trunk of highly imaginative -- albeit remarkably low-tech -- props and prepares to battle neuromuscular diseases with the most powerful weapon in his arsenal -- comedy.

Not Just Another Pretty Face

During his travels to perform, the comedian and MDA national vice president often visits the kids served by MDA, such as MDA South Carolina Goodwill Ambassador Neil Scott.

Carrot Top doesn't wear a costume per se but is nonetheless one of the most easily recognized celebrities on the planet. Others have described him as "an endearing mass of orange curls and hyperactivity," and "Opie Taylor if he was raised in Berkeley."

Ask him and he'll tell you that he's 5-foot-11 (6-foot-3 on television or in heels) with huge hands, feet and teeth. He says his favorite color is plaid, but he loves all colors and he thinks they should all be worn at the same time. His clothing philosophy is "Never match, it's boring."

Of course, there's his famous hair that "looks like an explosion at the Orange Crush factory." Carrot Top's been compared to Little Orphan Annie, Pippi Longstocking and, most often, the girl in the Wendy's fast food chain logo. But behind his colorful eccentricity is a passionate commitment to his career and to the causes he believes in.

All this while working a grueling schedule, performing before packed crowds from Las Vegas showrooms to college campuses, from television specials to movies (he starred in "Chairman of the Board," a surfing comedy), from the "Late Show With David Letterman" to the MDA Telethon (naturally).

Despite the travel and the hours he works, Carrot Top somehow manages to make personal appearances for MDA at many stops along the way.

"When I travel across the country doing my act, I've been stopping to visit families of kids with neuromuscular diseases.

"I found out something," he says. "Whether they have muscular dystrophy or not, kids are kids. They're silly. They're funny. They're happy. They're sad. They're deeper and wiser than you ever expected. And if you open your heart and love them, they'll love you back a thousand times more."

Just Call Him 'Vice President Top'

1994 marked the manic comedian's first appearance on the MDA Telethon, and since then he's become a regular fixture. (He was unable to appear this year because of a scheduling conflict.)

"Being onstage with a comedian of Jerry Lewis' stature is great," Carrot Top says. "And I know that by being on the Telethon, I'm helping support MDA research that's working all over the world to find new treatments and cures for neuromuscular diseases. That's wonderful."

So it comes as no surprise that in 1999 -- less than five years after his first appearance on the Telethon -- Scott Thompson, a.k.a. Carrot Top, joined a long line of celebrity friends as an MDA national vice president.

To Surf or to School ... That's the Question

Thompson is originally from Cocoa Beach, Fla. "Talk about a difficult place to get an education. When you get up, it's really hard making the decision to surf or go to school. I went surfing more," he laughs.

His father worked for NASA, teaching the astronauts who went to the moon how to drive the lunar module. His brother attended the Air Force Academy on a swimming scholarship, going on to become a fighter pilot.

So it seemed only natural that young Scott would attend college as ... a marketing major?

"I went to school at the 'Harvard of Florida' -- Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton. I majored in skirt chasing and minored in partying," he recalls. "My parents were really proud."

While he was in college, he decided to try his hand at comedy during an "open mike night" at a nearby comedy club. From those simple beginnings, Carrot Top's show has evolved to the point that it now takes some 35 trunks to store all of his famous props -- and an 18-wheeler to transport it all from town to town.

"You can never have enough props," says the funnyman famous for "inventing" high heels with training wheels, a Slurpee cup with a heater to prevent brain freeze, boots with a kickstand for drunk cowboys and endless other nonsensical items.

With his exhaustive touring schedule Carrot Top maintains homes in both Orlando, Fla., and Los Angeles. "I have so many frequent flier miles, they should paint the planes orange," he declares.

'Where Does He Get All That Energy?'

Ever wondered what it would be like to be an adult with all the pure, unbridled energy of a 2-year-old? Watching Carrot Top on stage offers an emphatic answer.

So what is Carrot Top's secret (or is it Carrot's Top Secret)? Coffee.

"The first thing I have in the morning is coffee, and the last thing I have in the evening is coffee. I never sleep."

MDA's Superhero

As with so many of the celebrities who embrace MDA's cause, it's the MDA families who keep Carrot Top so committed. "'Jerry's kids' have a lot to deal with," he says. "Wheelchairs. Leg braces. Breathing problems. How to get in and out of cars and buildings. Emergency hospital stays. When I meet them and am able to get them to laugh or smile ... that's as good as it gets."

In the eyes of the families he meets, Carrot Top is just as much a superhero as Batman and Superman combined. Sure, they get to beat up bad guys and create cool explosions, but while Batman and Superman are comic book characters, Carrot Top is a real person. A really strange person, but a very genuine guy, nonetheless.

And when it comes to the fight against neuromuscular disease, this "Joker" is very serious, indeed.