Original artwork, not a still
Look behind you, a three-headed monkey!
— The Secret of Monkey Island · 1990
Behind the line
What it means
Our interpretation.
It is adventure-game logic turned into a character trait: the oldest trick in the book, delivered with total confidence, that somehow works on half the Caribbean. The three-headed monkey itself is a gag about Lucasfilm's own pun-laden puzzles, which is why the line stuck as shorthand for any cheap distraction. Later games kept varying it, even swapping the monkey for a sea chimp in one duel.
Context reviewed
In context
Spoilers for The Secret of Monkey IslandShow the scene
Guybrush Threepwood's all-purpose distraction in The Secret of Monkey Island. He shouts it when he is losing an insult sword fight, and when he frees Otis from the Mêlée Island prison without having mentioned Elaine's kidnapping, the prisoner turns round and Guybrush strolls off. He tries it on the cannibals who have captured him, and with perfect timing a three-headed monkey does appear behind them a moment later, though they refuse to fall for it. In the sequels it works as a pickpocket's tool: in The Curse of Monkey Island he uses it to lift Kenny Falmouth's bottomless mug and Madame Xima's tarot cards.
Sources (1)
- Monkey Island wiki: Three-headed monkeyIntro and game-by-game sectionsReference checked
Context reviewed
