[the_raven]

Most notably seen on the spinning mascot itself (sorry, couldn't find a better screenshot)...

...and again, on the drive through stand:

So, did anyone ever wonder why? I mean, if we think about it, it couldn't be related to copyright since Duke lent his image to the chain anyhow, not to mention that the flattop haircut is a standard haircut in the military. Could it be because the pomp' just looks better than the flattop?

[Jimmy]

It's satire.

[ck3D]

Yeah I always looked at it as satire of commercial representation in general that tries to push even low-effort collaborations as 'the real thing' when it's really just a marketing facade to sell more of the same basic product. I think on the scale of the game, the different hairstyle represents how even a rudimentary character design, companies can never do justice or get everything quite right in general. It's actually quite an artful representation of human error. Same type of in-universe humor as the 'you must be 48 pixels tall to enter' sign too, in a way. Also might have been a practical departure so that the player would recognize those Dukes are props and not supposed to be items or identifiable to the point of having significant gameplay purposes (or only so much, i.e.. the vending machine).

That's a cool question to raise though and that vending machine Duke has to be one of my personal favorite pieces of artwork from the Atomic Edition. Funnily enough I've been having some fun with the sprite lately, repurposing it for other stuff.

[the_raven]

ck3D, on 02 September 2020 - 04:12 AM, said:

Funnily enough I've been having some fun with the sprite lately, repurposing it for other stuff.

Would have been interesting to have a Duke Burger themed campaign with the DB Duke running around, shooting various enemies, from aliens to food police or whatnot, and promoting the product via one-liners, maybe even include some kind of rat map like in DNF.
Ah, a man can dream.

[Forge]

Jimmy, on 02 September 2020 - 03:58 AM, said:

It's satire.

people over-think the weirdest things, but if you're not from the US, you might not get the reference

[Aleks]

Forge, on 02 September 2020 - 05:30 AM, said:

people over-think the weirdest things, but if you're not from the US, you might not get the reference

That face looks really creepy, especially the completely out of place nose Definitely looks like someone who would serve you dog meat in a burger.

[Fox]

It's possible that's Duke normal hair, and he cuts it whenever the military needs him.

[Forge]

mascot just gets creepier as time passes

[MrFlibble]

The 1956 one is Vault Boy's cousin.

[ck3D]

[the_raven]

Forge, on 02 September 2020 - 05:30 AM, said:

people over-think the weirdest things, but if you're not from the US, you might not get the reference

Holy smokes, I guess you're right!
And yeah, I'm not from the States. The only time I actually saw Burger Boy was, I think, in the Austin Powers movies, but that was a different character, right?.

[Ninety-Six]

As a matter of fact, I have always wondered that.

Incidentally despite being American myself I've never heard of Big Boy before.

[Forge]

the_raven, on 02 September 2020 - 11:59 AM, said:

The only time I actually saw Burger Boy was, I think, in the Austin Powers movies, but that was a different character, right?.

pretty sure it's the same big boy.

[NNC]

The whole Duke Burger concept was so brilliant. I'm pretty sure anybody who played it once will remember it forever. It's just as iconic as the Stadium bossfight.

I also think the map modelled the american junk food restaurant chains very well, except with walls around. I've been in the US a couple of times and they really look like this place. Never heard of Big Boy though. At least they improved the mascot from the 1937 version consistently, that looked awful, lol.

[MrFlibble]

The Watchtower, on 02 September 2020 - 04:01 PM, said:

At least they improved the mascot from the 1937 version consistently, that looked awful, lol.

I guess its original design was rather in accord with the aesthetic expectations of the time, but what do I know.

[Mark]

Yeah, there were many cartoon characters back in the 30's that looked like they were drawn by the same people.

[Fox]

The Watchtower, on 02 September 2020 - 04:01 PM, said:

The whole Duke Burger concept was so brilliant. I'm pretty sure anybody who played it once will remember it forever. It's just as iconic as the Stadium bossfight.

I also think the map modelled the american junk food restaurant chains very well, except with walls around. I've been in the US a couple of times and they really look like this place. Never heard of Big Boy though. At least they improved the mascot from the 1937 version consistently, that looked awful, lol.

Design-wise, Duke-Burger is indeed very well done, like Derelict.

[Šneček]

I like that puzzle with shrinker and mirror in Duke Burger level. When you must shoot shrink ray to the mirror for your shrinkage due to that very narrow vent. I first noticed this clever puzzle in the Midnight Arrival map (my favorite), the second time i noticed this in Preparing for Christmas map (-by Mister Sinister), and today i saw it in above mentioned Duke Burger level. (I haven't played this level in many years, so I haven't remembered it up to now.)

However, I never thought about that mascot´s hairstyle. I was looking for a suitable topic in the local discussions for writing this.

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