Big Whoop
From Monkey Island wiki
- This article deals with the treasure of Big Whoop. For the amusement park see The Carnival of the Damned.
Big Whoop is the name for a supposed large, powerful treasure of an uncertain nature. Its exact meaning depends on the context used. However, it is eventually revealed to be the gates to a demon netherworld and the source of LeChuck's demonic power. Therefore, as it names implies, the true riches of Big Whoop are worth nothing of true value to pirates who want treasure and can be a true disappointment. LeChuck, however, who has an insatiable lust for voodoo and power, harnessing Big Whoop is a useful if dangerous prize.
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Monkey Island 2: LeChuck's Revenge
In the second game Big Whoop is described as a fabulous pirate treasure, located on the relatively unknown island of Dinky Island. Guybrush Threepwood is searching for it and after Largo LaGrande resurrects LeChuck he is encouraged by the Voodoo Lady to find Big Whoop before LeChuck finds him. To do this he has to collect the four map pieces left back by Captain Marley and his crew (Rum Rogers, Rapp Scallion and Young Lindy).
Through a number of events the player gets to Dinky Island and discovers a chest by digging at the great X of Dinky Island. Hitting concrete, Guybrush blows a hole with dynamite and finds a treasure chest which he believes is the treasure. However, falling down the chest breaks and merely reveals the mysterious E ticket.
Due to the ambiguous nature of the ending it is never actually learned what Big Whoop is. Original creator Ron Gilbert said that Big Whoop was actually unimportant in his idea for Monkey Island 3[1]. However, he was involved only in the first two Monkey Island games and had no involvement in the next two games.
The Curse of Monkey Island
In the third game we learn that Big Whoop is the name of an amusement park LeChuck has created to increase his army of the damned. In Part 5 of the game LeChuck also goes into a lengthy explanation of the fact that the treasure of Big Whoop was actually a Gate to Hell and is what turned him into a ghost (in the first game LeChuck was said to have died in a shipwreck, but the story explains that he survived to make it to Dinky Island).
The name
Big Whoop is a sarcastic term used to express disappointment. In the third game Guybrush describes Big Whoop by saying that he "was expecting so much more, and felt so let down."
