Stan S. Stanman is a fast-talking, eccentric salesman in The Tri-Island Area who made regular appearances throughout the series. Whether he liked it or not, he often found himself dealing with Guybrush Threepwood as he went on with his adventures. This led to Stan being in fairly compromising or uncomfortable situations. He harbored no ill-will, however, and would gladly deal with Guybrush more often than not.
Personality[]
Stan was a shrewd businessman who would do anything and everything to clinch a sale, sometimes to his detriment. He tended to over-hype his wares, and loaded them with add-ons or extras, while praising them as real bargains.
He was characterized by his manic arm gestures, oddly-patterned jackets, and big mouth.
On the rare occasion that he allowed a customer to speak, he would stand with his hands on his hips and his foot tapped impatiently.
He claimed to be claustrophobic.
Interaction[]
Stan is first encountered during The Secret of Monkey Island on Mêlée Island as the proprietor of Stan's Previously Owned Vessels. Previously, he had purchased The Sea Monkey from the chimps who sailed it back from Monkey Island, and would eventually turn around and sell the ship to Guybrush Threepwood when the latter needed a ship to rescue Elaine Marley from LeChuck. However, it turns out that he cheated Guybrush by selling a junk boat for more than what it was worth. After Guybrush recruits all three crew members, Stan meets him at the docks and starts going on about the boat. He then refuses to sell the boat, but as soon as one of the boat's masts fall off, he changes his mind and runs away telling Guybrush that he can keep it. Near the end of the game, when Guybrush falls into Stan's grog machine after being hit by LeChuck, Stan talks to Guybrush, asking whether he wants to trade up the boat. As soon as LeChuck arrives, Stan tries to interest LeChuck in buying a boat; however, LeChuck hits him and he is sent flying away. At the end of the game, he falls into the sea.
During the events of LeChuck's Revenge, Stan moved to Booty Island and opened a mortuary. He felt it made sense to sell coffins, especially after his failed ship selling venture in Melee Island (as seen in The Secret of Monkey Island). Selling to the deceased helped avoid unsatisfied customers coming back to complain.
When he attempted a pitch to Guybrush Threepwood, believing him to be interested in making a purchase, he sat inside one of his finest coffins. He proudly called it 'The Cadillac of Coffins,' demonstrated how roomy and comfortable it was, and pointed out the built-in cup holder. Threepwood, however, shut the lid on him and nailed it down, trapping Stan inside. The coffin was eventually shipped to Blood Island and buried in one of the crypts there.
According to Curse of Monkey Island, Stan spent three months trapped inside the coffin. He was eventually freed by Guybrush, who also happened to be buried in the same crypt. Stan held no malice, though, having found that being locked away for so long had given him time to think and reflect. His thoughts led him to begin selling life insurance policies, and he promptly set up shop in the very crypt where he was released. He cheerily handed Guybrush his laminated business card, hoping to deal with him in the future. Guybrush took out an insurance policy to receive money when he died, then after Guybrush faked his identity as a member of the Goodsoup family, and faked his death (again), he retrieved his death certificate and cashed in his insurance policy with the certificate as proof, leaving Stan with no other choice but to pay up in gold.
Thanks to Guybrush and possibly other customers that Stan claimed came back as ghosts to cash in on their policies, his insurance business went bankrupt and some time before Escape from Monkey Island he moved to Jambalaya Island where he went looking for a job at Ozzie Mandrill Enterprises, but wasn't even offered an interview. This made Stan bitter against Ozzie Mandrill, criticizing his whole business. Shortly after, he started Stan's Timeshare Emporium where he sold Jambalaya Island real estate. Having a "small problem" with the local vermin (which turned out to be quite large in size, though they never specified which kind of vermin), he had to set up his desk outside his Emporium, claiming he wanted to be outside on a sunny day if customers asked.
When Guybrush met him again (Stan having apparently forgotten him, as Stan at first called him Bob before Guybrush reminded him of the correct name), Stan made a sales pitch for his timeshares, which was so long that Guybrush would fall asleep unless he drank the highly caffeinated Grogaccino. After Guybrush managed to listen to the whole pitch, he said he found it interesting but had to consult Elaine first. Stan understood, and as promised he gave Guybrush a Mega Monkey Coupon for a Mega Monkey Meal at Planet Threepwood. He also offered Guybrush a pamphlet for his timeshares, which he used to blackmail the Grouchy Judge into giving him a fair score at the Diving Contest.
Trivia[]
- According to Dave Grossman, Stan is loosely based on Cal Worthington, a car dealer famous for his commercials on the US West Coast.
- In his voiced appearances, Stan speaks with a deep-self-confident voice, imitating that of American infomercial sellers. While bargaining the extras of the Sea Monkey, he uses the catchphrase "But wait, there's more!"
- Generally only referred to as simply 'Stan', he reveals his full name in Tales of Monkey Island.
- Stan appears in the opening sequence of Stardew Valley.
- According to the Director's Commentary of Monkey Island 2: LeChuck's Revenge Special Edition, Stan's jacket pattern remains the same regardless of his movement due to the graphic limitations of the time. In Monkey Island 2 the pattern was kept the same (with the exception of the main color being black) for comedic effect and for all subsequent games thereafter. Ironically, while it was necessary to keep the pattern the same in the 2D games, in the 3D games the effect was much harder to replicate due to the nature of textures sticking on a 3D model, so the teams of Escape and Tales struggled to reproduce the effect from the previous games.
Stan's Career[]
- Stan's Previously Owned Vessels (or "Used Ship Emporium")
- Stan's Previously Owned Coffins
- Stan's Kozy Krypts
- Stan's Casual Crosses
- Mutual of Stan
- Stan's Timeshare Emporium
- Stan's Real Estate Emporium
- Stan's Previously Owned Restaurant Supplies
- StanTech (voodoo enhanced asbestos)
- Stan's Courtroom Souvenir Emporium