Dylan's brother, Cole stated that the idea of twins living in a hotel was something they came up with shooting Big Daddy and staying in a hotel for four months. Sprouse said of Zack and Cody, "The characters were originally based off our personalities. In fact, they were originally named Dylan and Cole."
Character information
Zack was born at St. Joseph's Hospital in Seattle, Washington at 6:30 on a Saturday. The year of his birth is not clear. In The Suite Lifeon Deck episode, "Das Boots", it is said to be 1993. However, in the episode of The Suite Life of Zack & Cody titled "Poor Little Rich Girl", a baby video of he and his brother is date-stamped September 23, 1992. The twins attended Buckner Middle School during seasons 1 & 2, Cheevers High School during season 3 of The Suite Life of Zack & Cody, and then Seven Seas High on board the SS Tipton in The Suite Life on Deck. Zack is more laid-back, self-centered and outgoing than Cody. Zack tends to be less mature than his brother, but he does occasionally show signs of compassion and caring. He generally receives bad grades in school. He is not as academically focused as Cody, and in one episode of The Suite Life on Deck, Cody and Zack fight over the fact that Zack stole an old term paper from Cody rather than writing his own. Zack admits that he knows he'll never match Cody academically and feels inferior to his brother; in response, Cody admits that he works hard to get grades because Zack is better at sports, better with girls, and more popular, while the only thing Cody has going for him is his intelligence. This becomes a running joke throughout the series. However, Zack is intelligent as shown when he was sent to summer school and was the smartest kid in class to the point he taught the other kids the lesson himself. This shows that if Zack applied himself, he could do much better in school. He also has a talent for woodshop to the point that the teacher was willing to entrust the class into his care and recommend him for Advanced Placement woodshop. Zack is proven to have a Swedish background in the Suite Life on Deck episode "The Swede Life". Zack is referred to as a player, going on dates with many girls, as opposed to Cody, who prefers long-term relationships.
Appearances
''The Suite Life of Zack & Cody''
After traveling around the nation, the twins and their mother Carey arrive in Boston, which becomes their home until The Suite Life on Deck. He and Cody become friends with Maddie Fitzpatrick, and Zack develops an on-and-off crush on her. Zack even keeps a picture of her in his room when he moves to the SS Tipton. During the On Deck episode Maddie On Deck, Maddie flirts with Zack a bit while visiting and even kisses him to give him confidence. Like Cody, he inherits musical talents from his parents. He has singing talents like his mother, as seen in Lip-Syncing in the Rain and Sleepover Suite. He generally prefers the electric guitar, but is not skilled in other instruments. In the first season, Zack is a huge troublemaker. He generally starts devious schemes, and Cody only complies reluctantly. Cody works as a bag boy at the Paul Revereminimart over the summer during the third season. It becomes a setting and theme for some episodes, most notably Summer of Our Discontent, Sink or Swim, Who's the Boss? and Baggage.
''The Suite Life on Deck''
Zack initially shares a room with Bailey Pickett, a smart and intelligent student, who's a girl disguised as a boy. While at school on board the SS Tipton, Cody becomes the ship's towel boy to earn money after Zack maxes out both of their student cash cards on non-essential items, particularly food and gifts for girls Zack is interested in. Zack initially develops a crush on Bailey after finding out that she is a girl. He starts fighting with Cody over her, but after Mr. Moseby tells them that Bailey is still not over her ex-boyfriend Moose, Zack tells Cody that he can have her because Bailey holds too much "baggage" and he wants a girl with just a "carry-on". In the third season, Zack starts developing feelings for a girl named Maya Bennett. Initially, she rejected him because he was a "player". He attempted to use Cody's six-month plan for Bailey to win Maya, but since Maya was born in New York, she is unimpressed. They decide to remain simply friends. They finally get together in ''Party On!" In "Graduation on Deck", the series finale, Maya joined the Peace Corps in Africa, and as a result, breaks up with Zack, because she could not handle a long-distance relationship. However, they still remain friends, and are shown hugging after graduation.
''The Suite Life Movie''
Cody goes to the marine biology lab where he will intern, but Zack gets him into a quarrel and they damage the lab's property, costing Cody his spot. Cody becomes more furious with Zack. Zack attempts to make it up to him, and helps Cody to get an internship with Dr. Olsen in the Gemini Project. There they eat a fruit that connects them telepathically: first through tactile sensation, then through empathy or emotions, and finally through a process called "the merge." The first stages bring the brothers closer, but after discovering that the merge will combine them into a single personality, they try to escape.
