The Icons and Lore Thread

[pumpkinbot343]

For what it’s worth… my R.I.P. Tour guide referred to Art, Freddy Fazbear, and Lyla as icons as well (but not the Artist). It’s a real Singapore approach to the term now. “Icon” simply doesn’t matter anymore.

I think I said this many times before, but TBF the term “Icons” was pretty wonky to begin with.

 

[Legacy]

I think I said this many times before, but TBF the term “Icons” was pretty wonky to begin with.

It didn’t use to be. When they introduced icons, and for 20 years, the term “icon” specifically applied to certain characters positioned in a specific way. The “icon” for the year was singular. No one in 2002 thought Nightmare or Carnage were icons. No one in 2009 thought Chucky or Jigsaw were icons. Even in 2005, and the confusion over Storyteller and Terra Queen, there was no one saying “Terra Queen is the icon.” Elsa was explicitly THE icon that year. They even made a point of saying Chance “became” an icon in 2016 with HHN 26. That implied she *wasn’t* an icon before then.

It wasn’t until HHN 30 that the term got watered down with fans applying it to characters that A&D hadn’t explicitly positioned as icons in the traditional sense (Boris and Pumpkin Lord, specifically). At that point, it’s easier to just kill the author and say “an icon is whoever you want it to be.” And that’s what A&D has done.

The benefit of that is Universal doesn’t have to worry about it as much. And with, decades of long-standing canon becomes less important. Any references are more akin to easter eggs than continuous stories.

 

[Fear2010]

I feel like there are different types of icons in certain categories. You got the lore-based characters like all the Jacks and Caretakers. While the IP’s (All the Jasons, Arts, and Leatherfaces) are technically also icons too in marketing. Aside from the clown characters, maybe Bone, Dr. Oddfellow, even the Pumpkin Lord, there was never character since 22 that instantly made me say “Yeah, this guy is one for this year to me.” cause the event is currently more like the early HHN Orlando years in the 90’s than the way of Hollywood.

 

[pumpkinbot343]

I feel like there are different types of icons in certain categories. You got the lore-based characters like all the Jacks and Caretakers. While the IP’s (All the Jasons, Arts, and Leatherfaces) are technically also icons too in marketing. Aside from the clown characters, maybe Bone, Dr. Oddfellow, even the Pumpkin Lord, there was never character since 22 that instantly made me say “Yeah, this guy is one for this year to me.” cause the event is currently more like the early HHN Orlando years in the 90’s than the way of Hollywood.

Oddfellow is an icon. The licensed characters aside from Cryptkeeper I think are called sub-icons.

 

[Fear2010]

I know Oddfellow is one fully for the lore itself, and I’m glad they were able to revisit the icon era closely as possible. That’s I kept him Jack, Chance, and Pumpkin Lord as the only exception with my POV aspects of the icons after 21 in this era. But like what they did with The Usher, they kinda treat him a little less like one to focus on the IP’s as the selling points.

 

[Rhian]

I think I said this many times before, but TBF the term “Icons” was pretty wonky to begin with.

I think there’s a point to be made between who are considered icons and characters that are iconic. Pedantic? Certainly, but my simplistic understanding is that icons have an overarching influence or connection to every aspect of an event whereas iconic characters have qualities of an icon yet don’t reach that higher tier of interconnectedness and authority.

 

[pumpkinbot343]

In Hollywood’s 2009 event. Before that, 2008 had Freddy Krueger as the icon. Looking at both years, they seemed to utilized them as Icons pretty well.

I’ve talked about this before, I think it wouldn’t be a bad idea for a licensed horror character to serve as the “main villain” icon for an event. Orlando already technically had one in 2008. Freddy and Chucky are pretty good options, so could Ghostface if the rights weren’t over the place.

Going back to this (sort-of), I’ve seen some minor comments here and there saying that Art the Clown from Terrifier could work as an “unofficial” sort-of icon for either Orlando or Hollywood this year considering that whole roaming the park thing, and that he’s a better character than all of the icons combined. So there’s that.

 

[Clive]

I mean, people loved Jack when he roamed around, too. People like roaming, memorable characters that have a lot of latitude to interact.

Part of the thing is Art has very specific and recognizable iconography and mannerisms that he can leverage from the film franchise. An original icon character doesn't necessarily have that advantage, though Jack specifically has been around long enough and demonstrated enough of a strong personality that his behavior is probably recognizable to most locals.