# Did you make up OCs in your toys like Calvin or did you have talking Companion Cubes like Susie? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 20, 2017, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-make-up-ocs-in-your-toys-like-calvin-or-did-you-have-talking-companion-cubes-like-susie/787107 "2017-05-20T22:22:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Trisha\_Gaurav](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d07c76/32.png) [@Trisha\_Gaurav](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trisha_Gaurav)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2017, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-make-up-ocs-in-your-toys-like-calvin-or-did-you-have-talking-companion-cubes-like-susie/787107/1 "2017-05-20T22:22:30Z")
Me and my brother did the former. Our very first OC was Spot, a non-talking dog that barks like “woh”: [http://imgur.com/gallery/I84Mu](http://imgur.com/gallery/I84Mu) We also had a cowardly, evil, lazy British tiger named Orangestripes: [http://imgur.com/gallery/bUfYY](http://imgur.com/gallery/bUfYY) A “mad genius” dog named Smart Dog: [http://imgur.com/gallery/zsQI3](http://imgur.com/gallery/zsQI3) A wise British dog named Brownspot: [http://imgur.com/gallery/ZvDNg](http://imgur.com/gallery/ZvDNg) A dog named Emily: [http://imgur.com/gallery/COwuS](http://imgur.com/gallery/COwuS) A 4-year-old puppy named Scruffy: [http://imgur.com/gallery/zDXXW](http://imgur.com/gallery/zDXXW) A dog named Truffles: [http://imgur.com/gallery/lxWY5](http://imgur.com/gallery/lxWY5) Hal, a dog whose catchphrase is “yo, bro”: [http://imgur.com/gallery/fpkeT](http://imgur.com/gallery/fpkeT) A dimwitted donkey named Dumb Donkey: [http://imgur.com/gallery/Nx5LH](http://imgur.com/gallery/Nx5LH) Orangestripes’ 7-year-old son: [http://imgur.com/gallery/IsaFb](http://imgur.com/gallery/IsaFb) ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2017, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-make-up-ocs-in-your-toys-like-calvin-or-did-you-have-talking-companion-cubes-like-susie/787107/2 "2017-05-20T22:53:37Z")
Can you elaborate on what you’re asking? I’m aware of what a companion cube looks like due to there being a lot of Portal merchandise, but as someone who hasn’t played the game I don’t know any of its characteristics other than being a gray cube with hearts on it. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2017, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-make-up-ocs-in-your-toys-like-calvin-or-did-you-have-talking-companion-cubes-like-susie/787107/3 "2017-05-20T22:55:45Z")
Trisha, we understand you really love your collection of stuffed animals. But you have to understand that most people aren’t going to share that enthusiasm with you. So you might want to consider branching out to other topics with a wider interest. ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2017, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-make-up-ocs-in-your-toys-like-calvin-or-did-you-have-talking-companion-cubes-like-susie/787107/4 "2017-05-20T23:18:00Z")
What does “OC” mean? ETA: I grew up in the era of “pull the string” talking toys. I preferred not to pull the string, but to make up dialogue for them out of my imagination. ---
**Author:** ![Idle\_Thoughts](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/838e76/32.png) [@Idle\_Thoughts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Idle_Thoughts)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2017, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-make-up-ocs-in-your-toys-like-calvin-or-did-you-have-talking-companion-cubes-like-susie/787107/5 "2017-05-20T23:24:04Z")
This is closed, much like your other three were. Don’t start this topic in any way, shape, or form again. Furthermore, since you already ignored mod instruction (twice now), the mods will be discussing your posting privileges. ---
**Author:** ![Idle\_Thoughts](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/838e76/32.png) [@Idle\_Thoughts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Idle_Thoughts)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2017, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-make-up-ocs-in-your-toys-like-calvin-or-did-you-have-talking-companion-cubes-like-susie/787107/6 "2017-05-22T22:14:07Z")
After some mod discussion, I am going to reopen this thread for you and it’ll be allowed, **Trisha**. Let’s try to keep this to one topic, though, please…and remember there are many other subjects and threads to talk about out there on these boards. ---
**Author:** ![JR\_Brown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d6d6ee/32.png) [@JR\_Brown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JR_Brown)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2017, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-make-up-ocs-in-your-toys-like-calvin-or-did-you-have-talking-companion-cubes-like-susie/787107/7 "2017-05-22T22:25:22Z")
OC stands for “original character”, so I assume OP means assigning a toy a certain consistent persona. I don’t know how that would differ from a “talking companion cube”, though… In my case, I was more interested in making/modifying toys than talking to them, but I did assign personality traits to many of my dolls, so while awaiting further clarification on “talking companion cube”, I will tentatively claim “OC”. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2017, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-make-up-ocs-in-your-toys-like-calvin-or-did-you-have-talking-companion-cubes-like-susie/787107/8 "2017-05-22T23:20:45Z")
I assume the question is whether you, as a child, imagined up a personality for your non-speaking dolls or toys or if you interacted with speaking toys which have their personality installed at the factory. The “companion cube” bit is a little puzzling since anyone who thinks that a grey cube has a personality is already in the first category. I didn’t have any talking toys of note and don’t recall giving any of my stuffed animals, even the personal favorites, a fully formed personality a la _Calvin & Hobbes_. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2017, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-make-up-ocs-in-your-toys-like-calvin-or-did-you-have-talking-companion-cubes-like-susie/787107/9 "2017-05-22T23:25:23Z")
> [@](#): > > Quoth **elfkin477** : > > Can you elaborate on what you’re asking? I’m aware of what a companion cube looks like due to there being a lot of Portal merchandise, but as someone who hasn’t played the game I don’t know any of its characteristics other than being a gray cube with hearts on it. Well, it has weight. You can put it on top of a pressure plate and it’ll activate it. And you can stand on it and maybe reach something high up that would be out of reach if you were on the floor. And… really, that’s about it. Mostly, it’s just a matter of the game’s computer antagonist assuming that you, a foolish human, will care about it, just because the computer told you to care. I have no idea what this has to do with Susy, though, because Calvin and Hobbes ended long before Portal ever existed, and she never had anything resembling a companion cube, and a “talking companion cube” is pretty much an oxymoron. To the OP: I’m sure that all of these toys have a great deal of personality… _to you_. But you can’t photograph personality. When we look at those pictures, all we see is stuffed animals. We could make up personalities for all of them, but they wouldn’t be the same personalities you made up. If you’re trying to communicate their personalities, you’ll have to do more than just show us pictures. Maybe talk to us about them? Tell us some stories of their adventures? Anything more than just pictures, because the pictures don’t mean anything at all to us. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2017, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-make-up-ocs-in-your-toys-like-calvin-or-did-you-have-talking-companion-cubes-like-susie/787107/10 "2017-05-22T23:42:17Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > To the OP: I’m sure that all of these toys have a great deal of personality… _to you_. But you can’t photograph personality. When we look at those pictures, all we see is stuffed animals. We could make up personalities for all of them, but they wouldn’t be the same personalities you made up. If you’re trying to communicate their personalities, you’ll have to do more than just show us pictures. Maybe talk to us about them? Tell us some stories of their adventures? Anything more than just pictures, because the pictures don’t mean anything at all to us. I like the photos. ---
**Author:** ![Trisha\_Gaurav](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d07c76/32.png) [@Trisha\_Gaurav](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trisha_Gaurav)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2017, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-make-up-ocs-in-your-toys-like-calvin-or-did-you-have-talking-companion-cubes-like-susie/787107/11 "2017-05-23T03:48:43Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Well, it has weight. You can put it on top of a pressure plate and it’ll activate it. And you can stand on it and maybe reach something high up that would be out of reach if you were on the floor. And… really, that’s about it. Mostly, it’s just a matter of the game’s computer antagonist assuming that you, a foolish human, will care about it, just because the computer told you to care. I have no idea what this has to do with Susy, though, because Calvin and Hobbes ended long before Portal ever existed, and she never had anything resembling a companion cube, and a “talking companion cube” is pretty much an oxymoron. > > To the OP: I’m sure that all of these toys have a great deal of personality… _to you_. But you can’t photograph personality. When we look at those pictures, all we see is stuffed animals. We could make up personalities for all of them, but they wouldn’t be the same personalities you made up. If you’re trying to communicate their personalities, you’ll have to do more than just show us pictures. Maybe talk to us about them? Tell us some stories of their adventures? Anything more than just pictures, because the pictures don’t mean anything at all to us. Spot: A dog that goes “woh” and each series of barks translates to a sentence. The only non-talking character Orangestripes: A cowardly, evil, lazy tiger with a British accent whose catchphrase is “Carry me, slaves” to me and my brother Smart Dog: A “mad genius” dog with a British accent Brownspot: A wise dog with a British accent Emily: A sweet dog Scruffy: A naïve, innocent 4-year-old puppy Truffles: A friendly dog Hal: A cool dog whose catchphrase is “Yo, bro” Dumb Donkey: A derpy donkey with a Southern accent We later added… Orangestripes’ Jr: Orangestripes’ 7-year-old son who calls him “daddy” ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2017, 11:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-make-up-ocs-in-your-toys-like-calvin-or-did-you-have-talking-companion-cubes-like-susie/787107/12 "2017-05-23T11:05:58Z")
OK, that’s a start, but that’s still not really much of a personality. I mean, “other character’s son who calls other character ‘daddy’”? That’s completely nondescript. Even Susie gave her toys more personality than that. ---
**Author:** ![Trisha\_Gaurav](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d07c76/32.png) [@Trisha\_Gaurav](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trisha_Gaurav)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2017, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-make-up-ocs-in-your-toys-like-calvin-or-did-you-have-talking-companion-cubes-like-susie/787107/13 "2017-05-23T13:15:01Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > OK, that’s a start, but that’s still not really much of a personality. I mean, “other character’s son who calls other character ‘daddy’”? That’s completely nondescript. Even Susie gave her toys more personality than that. We did give the tiger a real personality. The son we added later was just too childish to call him by his real name. ---
**Author:** ![Trisha\_Gaurav](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d07c76/32.png) [@Trisha\_Gaurav](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trisha_Gaurav)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2017, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-make-up-ocs-in-your-toys-like-calvin-or-did-you-have-talking-companion-cubes-like-susie/787107/14 "2017-05-23T15:12:25Z")
> [@Trisha\_Gaurav](#): > > We did give the tiger a real personality. The son we added later was just too childish to call him by his real name. I think you should also be aware that Orangestripes’s son was the only nameless character. “Smart Dog” was a real name and referred to a stuck-up villain. “Dumb Donkey” was a real name and referred to a character similar to Derpy from My Little Pony. And I guess I didn’t do a very good job of explaining “Orangestripes”… “Orangestripes” refers to a character that’s neither a good guy nor a villain. Just an Ineffectual Sympathetic Villain. ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2017, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-make-up-ocs-in-your-toys-like-calvin-or-did-you-have-talking-companion-cubes-like-susie/787107/15 "2017-05-23T15:38:15Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Well, it has weight. You can put it on top of a pressure plate and it’ll activate it. And you can stand on it and maybe reach something high up that would be out of reach if you were on the floor. And… really, that’s about it. Mostly, it’s just a matter of the game’s computer antagonist assuming that you, a foolish human, will care about it, just because the computer told you to care. I have no idea what this has to do with Susy, though, because Calvin and Hobbes ended long before Portal ever existed, and she never had anything resembling a companion cube, and a “talking companion cube” is pretty much an oxymoron. You can also use it to block a laser beam. Or redirect an energy ball into an energy ball receptacle, perhaps to open a door or raise an elevated platform. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2017, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-make-up-ocs-in-your-toys-like-calvin-or-did-you-have-talking-companion-cubes-like-susie/787107/16 "2017-05-23T16:40:39Z")
When my daughter was preschool age, she had a dozen or so baby-dolls, each with a very specific backstory. She would make them take naps, laying them down on their own little blankets, based, I guess, on how she napped at daycare. I learned all the details by osmosis, such that I could come home from work and ask her, “hey, why isn’t Anita next to Bonnie today?” She’s a 26 year old nurse now. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2017, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-make-up-ocs-in-your-toys-like-calvin-or-did-you-have-talking-companion-cubes-like-susie/787107/17 "2017-05-31T15:25:25Z")
My sister gave her toys more consistent personalities than I did–mostly her baby dolls. I mostly changed them as I went. As I got older, most of my toys were just things for me to play with. I guess that’s more like the Companion Cube, which is just a tool. I did have an imaginary friend who was an incorporeal egg, though. He had a personality–rather goofy, but a very good listener, asking all the right questions to further my stories. His name was Humpty–not very creative. He didn’t become incorporeal until I saw some CG puppets on a muppet TV show, pretending like the CG puppet had always been there. I admit, I’m not used to hearing “OC” used as a positive thing. I usually see it used to make fun, since the characters aren’t actually original, but more like fanfic characters. The quintessential example is someone who created a Sonic character recolor, and says “Original Character. Do not steal!!!” As for the actual Companion Cube, it was a huge letdown. I expected you to keep it with you for a lot longer, and for more to happen to make me feel something. I actually kinda stopped playing Portal after that.