The Kingdom of Loathing

Player icon in the "Glad Bag Glad Rags" outfit

The Kingdom of Loathing (shortened as KOL) is an online, multi-player role-playing text adventure game, using limited graphics which resemble stick figures. A parody of traditional fantasy role-playing games, Kingdom of Loathing features humorous quests, items, enemies (ranging from evil tomato cans to mafia penguins), and text which emphasizes pop culture references and parody. Several adventure texts, item descriptions, or even images directly reference the Muppets and other Jim Henson productions.

Mentions

• The "Glad Bag Glad Rags" outfit, consisting of various garbage items, when completed, will change the player's user icon to a stick figure approximation of Oscar the Grouch.

• The "Green tongue" effect alludes to Bein' Green: "Your tongue is the color of spring, all cool and friendly-like. Believe me, it's not so easy having your tongue this color." The description for green beer also asks, "Is it easy bein' green?"

• A text adventure contains a dual reference to Kermit the Frog and Yoda, as the player encounters a little green man strumming a banjo on a log, who speaks backwards. The character explains, ""Writing I am a song about rainbows. Many songs are there about rainbows, and believe I do that a connection between them there is."

• An adventure in which a group of frog-lizard creatures chant, in hopes of raising a Lovecraftian otherwordly being, is titled "The Wake-Up Call of Kermithulu," combining Kermit's name with the H. P. Lovecraft character Cthulhu.

• The frog-based drink "hot toady," when consumed, alludes to the comedic stylings of Fozzie Bear: "You drink the hot toady. Fortunately, it doesn't make you croak. Wakka wakka wakka [sic]."

• One enemy is the Alphabet Giant, who throws letters as his main attack. His text contains several Sesame Street references. A hit message claims ""This beating was brought to you by the letter [blank]." A failed attack with a Rebel L announces that the L just goes "La, La, La."

• The "spooky felt" description Claims "It looks like a muppet managed to open that chinese puzzle box" (the latter alluding to the Hellraiser films).

• One of the bosses is the Knob Goblin King, whose fight methods, text descriptions, and items all allude to Jareth, the goblin king in Labyrinth. Amongst other moves, he turns into an owl and throws glass balls at you. His fumble message alludes to the fact that, in the film, Michael Moschen performed Jareth's manipulation: "He juggles his three glass balls in front of you. Before he can throw them, though, his robe opens and reveals another knob goblin sticking his arm out of the robe's sleeve and doing the actual juggling. The king is too embarrased to attack." If defeated under certain conditions, players gain "Glass Balls of the Goblin King" as a reward.

• The description of a familiar, the Baby Gravy Fairy, includes another Labyrinth reference, quoting the lyrics "dance, magic, dance," from the song "Magic Dance."

• The description of a stuffed owl claims it will "turn into a Knob Goblin King."

• The description of a familiar, the baby Crimbo elf, notes that "You can tell it's a boy elfling because it doesn't have wings," in a reference to Gelfling gender differences in The Dark Crystal.

External Links

• Official Site