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King Graham's mustache

ATMachineATMachine
edited May 2012 in Kings Quest Game
Back in the low-res days of KQ1 and KQ2, the art in game manuals and on the box covers provided a better look at video game characters than anything the actual games could include. So naturally, Sierra's earliest KQ manuals were illustrated...

grahamstache1.png
A vision of Graham appears in the Magic Mirror, KQ1 manual

grahamstache2.png
Graham sees Valanice in the Mirror, KQ2 manual

...and according to their pictures, King Graham had a mustache. Wow.

However, believe it or not, Graham's upper lip hair actually seems to be drawn from fairy-tale illustrations--and one particular source.

Namely, that venerable Victorian fairy tale collection, Andrew Lang's Green Fairy Book. (Out of which Roberta fished, among other things, the names Lolotte, Genesta, Rosella, and Valanice, the three-headed dragon that feeds on tasty princesses, and the magical white snake which when eaten allows speech with animals.)

The original editions of Lang's Fairy Books (he wrote 12 in all, each with a different color in the title) were illustrated by Henry Justice Ford. Ford's illustrations in the early volumes (including the Green Fairy Book) are quite notable for the magnificent mustaches sported by the heroes in these stories.

Examples of this mustached-hero tradition from the Green Fairy Book:

langstache5.png
King Kojata

langstache6.png
Prince Vivien and Princess Placida

langstache7.png
The Little Soldier

langstache8.png
Prince Narcissus and Princess Potentilla

Other examples of heroic mustaches from HJ Ford's illustrations for Andrew Lang fairy tale books:

langstache1.png
Bushy Bride, Red Fairy Book

langstache2.png
Graciosa and Percinet, Red Fairy Book

langstache3.png
The Master-Maid, Blue Fairy Book

langstache4.png
The Gold-Spinners, Blue Fairy Book

langstache9.png
The Iron Stove, Yellow Fairy Book

langstache10.png
The Princess in the Chest, Pink Fairy Book

So what should we make of this? Quite possibly Roberta liked the vintage Victorian HJ Ford illustrations in Lang's books and asked artists at Sierra to copy their style for the KQ manual drawings. And it seems this extended to Graham having facial hair.

Of course, the KQ1 re-release box cover turned Graham into Prince Valiant with a mullet. But that's another story.

grahamvaliant.png

Comments

  • IrishmileIrishmile
    edited March 2012
    Game box and booklet art in the 80's was often times pretty horrible..

    Thanks for putting this thread together.

    Mustaches were pretty fashionable in the 80s as well with many popular actors of the day sporting them.. Heck I would have too if I wasn't under the age of ten at the time.
  • Blackthorne519Blackthorne519
    edited March 2012
    King Graham was a hipster before it was cool.


    Bt
  • MusicallyInspiredMusicallyInspired
    edited March 2012
    I like him better without the stache myself. But I don't really like stache's at all anyway.
  • Anakin SkywalkerAnakin Skywalker
    edited March 2012
    If it's the choice between a mullet headed cleanshaven Graham, or a normal long haired Graham with a mustache, I think the mustachioed Graham is a better choice.
  • BagginsKQBagginsKQ
    edited March 2012
    Mario and Luigi have epic staches...

    Then there is this guy (who could be a real-life adventure game character...);

    frank-summary.jpg
  • BagginsKQBagginsKQ
    edited March 2012
    I don't get it... Isn't that a bit redundant. I already pointed out it was a screentest... Have you cracked musically?!

    Hmm, btw the earliest artwork for king 'Grahame' in the first release manual for KQ1 had him mustache-less and looking like a character from Rocky and Bullwinkle
    GrahamKQ1IBM.jpg
  • EmilyEmily Telltale Alumni
    edited March 2012
    Back on topic?

    I can't find a picture of it, but Alexander has a mysterious mustache in the intro of KQ4. It always creeped me out.
  • IrishmileIrishmile
    edited March 2012
    Emily wrote: »
    Back on topic?

    I can't find a picture of it, but Alexander has a mysterious mustache in the intro of KQ4. It always creeped me out.

    Moved the Tom Selleck as Indy discussion here

    I think its supposed to be a frown (I took this screen from the 15th anniversary CD-ROM)
    kqiv.jpg
  • MusicallyInspiredMusicallyInspired
    edited March 2012
    Yeah, I always took it as a frown too. lol But you're right, looking at it from that perspective makes him look like a prudish frenchman or something lol. Quite creepy!

    Now I can't unsee it!
  • BagginsKQBagginsKQ
    edited March 2012
    Look closely, it looks like he has purple mascara just above his eyes, LOL.

    Just an optical illusion of the black pixels next to the blue pixels though... and probably all the other purple in the screen...
  • Debbie82Debbie82
    edited March 2012
    Irishmile wrote: »
    Moved the Tom Selleck as Indy discussion here

    I think its supposed to be a frown (I took this screen from the 15th anniversary CD-ROM)
    kqiv.jpg

    Um, is that
    Graham getting sick in bed, or is he... *gulp* dead
    ?
  • EmilyEmily Telltale Alumni
    edited March 2012
    If that's a frown, he has a HUGE chin!

    There's a little red dot under the "mustache" that I think is his mouth. Also everyone else has a red mouth, including Graham.

    (Although I'll admit it is a bit far from his nose to be a mustache...)
  • thesporkmanthesporkman
    edited March 2012
    The red dot is the shadow cast by his lower lip.
  • IrishmileIrishmile
    edited March 2012
    the ladies lips have black as well... if you look close.
  • MusicallyInspiredMusicallyInspired
    edited March 2012
    @Debbie. Graham is sick. This is a shot from the introduction sequence of KQ4 and is the whole premise of the story.

    That is indeed his mouth and not a moustache. Take a look at the ending sequence when he's smiling. His upper lip is in the same spot as the "moustache".

    kq4.png
  • Debbie82Debbie82
    edited March 2012
    MusicallyInspired wrote: »
    @Debbie. Graham is sick. This is a shot from the introduction sequence of KQ4 and is the whole premise of the story.

    That is indeed his mouth and not a moustache. Take a look at the ending sequence when he's smiling. His upper lip is in the same spot as the "moustache".

    kq4.png

    Ah! As far as I can see, King Swayze (as Paw Dugan would call Graham) just keeps getting better and better! :)
  • BagginsKQBagginsKQ
    edited March 2012
    Graham had a heart attack at the beginning of KQ4 to be more precise...
  • Blackthorne519Blackthorne519
    edited March 2012
    So it must have been a super cholesterol reducing, valve repairing, blockage removing fruit then..... interesting.


    Bt
  • BagginsKQBagginsKQ
    edited March 2012
    Lol
  • BagginsKQBagginsKQ
    edited May 2012
    Simpleton_takes_The_Golden_Goose_to_the_inn_-_Project_Gutenberg_eText_15661.jpg
  • GibbeynatorGibbeynator
    edited May 2012
    BagginsKQ wrote: »
    Simpleton_takes_The_Golden_Goose_to_the_inn_-_Project_Gutenberg_eText_15661.jpg

    Medieval conga line?
  • BagginsKQBagginsKQ
    edited May 2012
    LOL!

    It's Simpleton from the fairy tale the Golden Goose. Artwork circa 1905.

    Seems as if it may be the inspiration for King Graham's appearance.
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