Otis is a local thief, who was known to have very bad case of halitosis. He tended to whine a lot, and would often bemoan his predicament. This tended to test the patience of those around him, especially considering his oral condition. He was seemingly of Spanish in origin, sporting a full beard. Later versions of Monkey Island gave him a unique accent.
Biography[]
Otis possibly knew Bob in his early career.
Otis had been placed in a cell under the orders of Fester Shinetop for allegedly picking rare and poisonous flowers in the forest (Guybrush Threepwood also picked some of these himself but without consequence). While in Mêlée Island Prison, Otis suffered from an intolerable case of halitosis caused by his diet of rats.
He had been gifted a carrot cake by his Aunt Tillie, but due to the fact that he did not like carrot cake, he left it sitting by. Unknown to him, it had a file hidden inside, one that he could have used to escape the cell.
Guybrush Threepwood first met Otis in the prison. Threepwood refused to speak to him until he had freshened his breath. Despite rats being his only food source, there were still too many and he wanted something to keep them away from him. Eventually he traded the cake for some gopher repellent with Guybrush Threepwood.
Rescuing the Governor[]
Once Threepwood had completed the Three Trials, the dread pirate LeChuck kidnapped Governor Elaine Marley. Threepwood took it upon himself to form a crew to go after her and attempt a rescue. Using some grog he melted the lock on Otis cell door, allowing him freedom. In return, Otis agreed to join Threepwoods crew, the Sword Master Carla, and Meathook. Once the crew had been gathered and set sail, they mutinied against their captain and instead of working, took to sunbathing on deck so Guybrush had to figure out himself how to navigate to Monkey Island and get there.
Otis and the others stayed on board while Guybrush explored the island. During that time Guybrush toyed with some cannibal contraption, resulting to the accidental sinking of the Sea Monkey. Otis, Carla and Meathook became stranded on the island and imprisoned in the Cannibal Village while Threepwood journeys back with Herman Toothrot. Somehow Carla and Otis managed to escape.
Searching for the Ultimate Insult[]
Otis was once again hired by Guybrush Threepwood to adventure with him as a member of his crew, when he began his quest for the Ultimate Insult. Otis agrees in exchange for a cushy government job.
Otis once again proved to be quite a useless addition to the team. He claimed that his experience on Monkey Island had left him a nervous wreck and he no longer had the steady hand necessary to pick a lock or a pocket.
Even so, he is arrested and imprisoned by Inspector Canard once more for the crime of picking privately owned flowers.
Searching for the secret of Monkey Island[]
When Threepwood began looking for a ship and crew to begin his latest quest, he found Otis once more imprisoned in the Mêlée Island Prison, albeit in the other cell. Otis told Threepwood that he no longer crews ships any more, but asked him to break him out of jail like he did before. He especially did not want to be there for custard night again.
He had been jailed for picking flowers again. Having learned his lesson about picking flowers from the forest, he had instead taken them from the Governor's mansion. However it seemed that the flowers at the mansion were of the same type as the one's from the forest. He was particularly disappointed as he and the governor used to be friends.
Trivia[]
- The above story gives the "canonical" fate of Otis out of the two in SoMI, resulted when Guybrush accidentally sinks his ship. This traumatic experience is regularly referenced in EfMI. In case Guybrush doesn't sink the ship, eventually Otis with Carla and Meathood find Threepwood (and Bob) inside the Giant Monkey Head and take him back to Mêlée Island.
- Otis is named after Otis Campbell, the town drunk from The Andy Griffith Show, who often did time in jail.
- Otis appears in the original Monkey Island demo. Once Guybrush gives him one mint, Otis will reluctantly remember that Tim once told him that Dave said that Ron wanted Guybrush to know that "a third Shadow is nigh" (a reference to Loom); this is one of the two "magic phrases" to pass the Troll.
- It is possible to give Otis all of Guybrush's money (one by one). This can cause the game to enter a state where it is not possible to continue playing.
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