Behind the line
What it means
Our interpretation.
It is a developer's face used as a gag, and it taught a generation that Mortal Kombat rewarded its own weirdness. The cameo was a reward for landing an uppercut and sometimes a doorway to a secret fighter, so players chased it. Forden's squeak kept returning across the series, from 'Toasty 3D' in Mortal Kombat 4 to later games' taunts, until it was a trademark.
Context reviewed
In context
Spoilers for Mortal Kombat IIShow the scene
'Toasty!' is an Easter egg that started in Mortal Kombat II (1993). Sound designer Dan Forden's face popped up in the lower-right corner of the screen and he squeaked the word in a falsetto after a particularly vicious uppercut. It began as an inside joke on the development team. On the Portal stage, if a player pressed down and Start while his face was still showing, they could face the hidden fighter Smoke. The Game Boy version also had the egg, silently, because the hardware could not play voice, and the back of its box advertised it.
Sources (2)
- Mortal Kombat Wiki: Toasty!HistoryReference checked
- Mortal Kombat Wiki: Dan Fordenopening paragraphReference checked
Context reviewed