The Monkey Island Cannibals, as seen from the original game
The Cannibals, otherwise known as the Monkey Island Cannibals, were recurring characters throughout the series. They were usually seen as three individuals, each wearing various tribal and fruity headgear. They originated from Monkey Island, and later moved to Blood Island after construction of LeChuck's Carnival of the Damned began. They described themselves as the only civilized people on the island, vicious man-eaters, and enjoyed preying upon nosy tourists that wander into their village. They believed in offering gifts and sacrifices to appease whichever deity they believed at the moment, such as the Giant Monkey Head and later Sherman
Despite their reputation, the Cannibals were surprisingly health conscious. They were hesitant to consume too much red meat, and worried about the negative effects of their dietary choice.
Secret of Monkey Island[]
The Monkey Island Cannibals were a tribe of (head)hunter/gatherers according to Herman Toothrot. They lived in a small and empty village, north of the Monkey Island, that seemed empty. Lemonhead later explained that they were rent controlled huts close to schools. They often wandered outside their village, perhaps hunting for their next meal. They created unique artwork, often regarding the island. They left random notes and memos addressing their grievances, in hopes they would be found and answered.
When ghost pirate LeChuck came to the island they had a lot of trouble as he took possession of the Monkey Head underground, his crew made terrible ghost noises and affected negatively the tourism to the island. The Cannibals possessed a rare root that could create a ghost-dissolving formula, but LeChuck, to be safe, stole it from them and securely locked it in his ghost ship.
The Cannibals originally lent their key to the Giant Monkey Head to Herman Toothrot, a local hermit, in return for his Banana Picker. The Cannibals would later fail to return the Banana Picker, much to Toothrot's chagrin. They also threw the oars of his Rowboat over a cliff.
Guybrush Threepwood first met the Cannibals after he was caught poking around their village. He was then held prisoner in a small hut while the Cannibals debated whether or not to eat the happless pirate. Guybrush managed to escape, though he would later enlist his former captors' help to defeat LeChuck in exchange for a unique voodoo idol (The idol given was actually made by fellow tribe member Lemonhead, but they didn't realise it at the time).
Befriended now by the cannibals, Guybrush spots the picker and retrieves it, so he could then trade it for the key to the Giant Monkey Head. Offering to confront LeChuck, the cannibals gave him the head of the navigator in exchange for a pamphlet titled "How to Get Ahead in Navigation" (which they understood it as "how to get a head"). This grotesque device would help Guybrush reach LeChuck's lair underneath the Giant Monkey Head and fetch the root hidden in LeChuck's ship's hold. Finally, the cannibals made for Guybrush the Ghost Zapping Formula.
List of Monkey Island Cannibals[]
On Blood Island[]
The Blood Island Cannibals, as seen from The Curse of Monkey Island
The cannibals, led by Lemonhead, moved to Blood Island, shortly after the events of The Secret of Monkey Island. Lemonhead himself was elected as leader of a brand new group of "Vegan Cannibals", where they curried favor with Sherman, the lactose-intolerant volcano god of Mount Acidophilus.Acidophillus was originally an unstable volcano, so they fed Sherman by offering fish, poultry, livestock, before finally appeasing him with a vegetable diet. They also worshipped a variety of food related gods, many of which could be seen around their village.
The Cannibals participated in a Cannibal Outreach program establishing relationships with other cannibals around the Caribbean. Ambassadors from other islands would come to their ceremonies.
During the official offering ceremony, Guybrush sneaked in while wearing a giant tofu as a disguise. Lemonhead, unaware of this deceit, ignore him as he and his companions roasted over the dormant volcano. Guybrush then threw cheese into the maw, causing the entire volcano to violently erupt. Lemonhead was later seen waving goodbye to Guybrush and Elaine as they sailed away. The fate of the other cannibals remained unknown.
Trivia[]
- The Cannibals are designed more like African or Oceanic tribes rather than tribes that could be found in the Caribbean.
- Although wearing huge tribal/ritual masks, the mouths of their masks are seen moving while talking.