Designer Line The Trooper Walsh Blue Line

The Trooper Walsh Blue Line is the most established and well-documented Morelia viridis bloodline in the world. Founded by Al Zulich, Trooper Walsh, and Tim Morris, it is renowned for its exceptional sky-blue coloration that has captivated enthusiasts for decades. With a pedigree tracing back to the very first green tree pythons ever bred in captivity, this line represents the Holy Grail for many breeders. Today, the Blue Line is the subject of a worldwide project involving breeders such as Dave Dendinger, Christian Stewart, Danny Brotto, Francis Gaton, Rich Culver, James Opdahl, Thomas Budway, Greg Waltz, and John Irby, among others.

Origins (1988-1996)

The Blue Line story begins with two wild imports referenced as AZ004 Wild and LR47 Wild Blue. From these two animals came AZ014 and AZ015, clutchmates bred by Al Zulich. Their pairings in 1988 and 1989 produced essential founding animals: TR8834 and TW8962. TR8834 sired the legendary TM9327 "The Legend," while TW8962 became the mother of TM9348, the famous Tim Morris Blue Female (TMBF), as well as her sisters Joan Collins and Powder — the latter going on to produce the famous Carolina with Trooper Walsh.

The Emergence of Mr. Blue (1996-2002)

The real magic happened in 1996 when Tim Morris bred The Legend with TMBF, producing a large maternally-incubated clutch. From this clutch emerged JH9618 "Mr. Blue," owned by John Holland — one of the most extraordinary Morelia viridis ever seen at the time, eventually becoming a stunning solid blue adult.
Between 1999 and 2000, Mr. Blue was bred to his own mother, TMBF, producing remarkable animals including Mitey Blue, Azure, Goliath, and Brotto Blue. But 2002 brought the historic moment: Trooper Walsh and John Holland paired Mr. Blue with his first cousin Carolina. This legendary clutch produced the first "Super Blues" in significant numbers, including Skyy, Little Boy Blue, Papa Smurf, Mojo, and Blue Volcano.

Adding Genetic Diversity (2002-2009)

Also in 2002, the pairing of BG94121 "Daddypants" with TMBF marked a turning point. Daddypants, sired by the famous Ol' Yeller (one of the first Biak outcross animals in captivity), brought crucial genetic diversity to the line. This union also introduced a colorful X-factor, paving the way for increased occurrence of high black and high yellow animals within the Blue Line. This clutch produced exceptional specimens: Ireland, Blue Deuce, Ice, and Crazy.

The following years saw the line expand through numerous line-breeding and outcross pairings. In 2007, Rich Culver's Mitey Blue x Dream Baby clutch made waves. Brad Johnson's famous "Godiva" clutch (2006) and Skyy x Topaz clutch (2008) both contributed significantly to reigniting excitement around the bloodline.
In 2009, Christian Stewart of "The Barn" teamed up with Danny Brotto to breed Blue Deuce with Brotto Blue. This pairing revealed never-before-seen potential with the birth of SSDB09 "Frosty" — an anomaly in every way, from the speed of his transition to the intensity of his bright blue coloration.

The Modern Era (2011 and Beyond)

In 2011, Rico Walder produced a historic clutch by pairing SH05188 (a 50% Mr. Blue/Carolina male he had self-produced) with SH05086 (a Bluemax/Jarvis female). This clutch, containing several Super Blues, became one of the most consistent ever seen. It produced SH11030, now owned by Dave Dendinger, and most notably SH11029 "Zeus" — considered one of the finest Super Blues ever produced and Rico Walder's crowning achievement in the Morelia viridis hobby.

This clutch marked a decisive turning point: it demonstrated that high-quality Super Blues could be achieved even through heavily outcrossed, genetically diverse animals, and in large numbers.

In 2014, Colin Guiley produced CG1410 "Everest," one of just a few Super Blue females ever produced. Since then, the Blue Line has experienced unprecedented growth. Newer keepers have amassed extraordinary collections and, alongside veteran breeders, are making immeasurable contributions to the bloodline. Genetic diversity continues to expand as more compatible outcross animals are discovered, enabling increasingly successful and consistent clutches.

Today, with the largest population of blue green tree pythons ever in circulation, color intensity and result consistency have reached unprecedented levels. The Blue Line project, now worldwide, has never been more accessible or exciting for the community.

The Different Expressions of Blue

The Trooper Walsh Blue Line is characterized by its distinctive sky-blue coloration, which is expressed in several ways:

• High Blue: Animals displaying variable amounts of blue, yet significantly more than typical locality specimens.
• Hormonal Blue: Females that become (and possibly remain) blue specifically in response to current or upcoming reproductive events.
• True Blue: Animals that end up largely blue as adults yet had an intermediate green phase prior to achieving their final adult coloration.
• Super Blue: The Holy Grail of the line. These challenging-to-produce animals change from red neonate coloration directly to 70% or more blue, with no intermediate green phase. To date, all Super Blues have been red neonates, and most have been males.

Lineage and Genetics

All Super Blues share line-bred lineage going back to the two founding wild imports: AZ004 Wild and LR47 Wild Blue. The introduction of Daddypants into the line brought essential genetic diversity while adding potential for high black and high yellow animals.

Notable Descendants

The line includes many legendary descendants:

• Mr. Blue, Carolina, Powder (founding animals)
• Skyy, Little Boy Blue, Papa Smurf, Mojo, Blue Volcano (Mr. Blue x Carolina 2002 clutch)
• Blue Deuce, Crazy, Ice, Ireland (Daddypants x TMBF clutch)
• Frosty, Jake (Blue Deuce x Brotto Blue 2009 clutch)
• Zeus, SH11030 (SH05188 x SH05086 2011 clutch)
• Everest (one of the few Super Blue females)