Larry Laffer
Encyclopedia
Larry Laffer is a fictional character and the main character of the Leisure Suit Larry
series of games. He was created by game programmer Al Lowe
.
Around his 38th birthday, his brain hit a sexual alarm and started having his first kinky thoughts. He started reading adult magazines and could not concentrate on his work. Because of this his life was destroyed; he was fired from his job, and upon returning home he found his house had been sold and his mother had left for vacation.
He then decided to turn a page forward in his life; he left everything and decided to live the wild life. He moved to the city of Lost Wages, where, being a fan of the '70s
, and assuming that '70s styles were still trendy, he bought a polyester leisure suit and gold chains. He sold his Volkswagen
'bug' to a junkyard for $94 and ended up in front of Lefty's Bar, where the first game, Leisure Suit Larry in the Land of the Lounge Lizards
, begins.
During the course of the series of games, Larry loses his virginity, is married twice (and dumped twice), becomes a hero of the tropical Nontoonyt island, and eventually meets his semi-other half, Passionate Patti (who, for some parts of the games, is controlled by the player). In his most recent games, Patti is absent and Larry roams alone again.
Many fans wondered what happened to Patti in Larry 6, if they separated, and why. The Official Book Of Leisure Suit Larry, which was written between Larry 6 and Larry 7, hints that Larry was still engaged with Patti during that period, but her fate is unknown.
staff had to decide the character's name. They agreed that he should be named after a friend of Al Lowe's named Jerry (Lowe never made his last name known to the public), who had visited him at work and became well known in the Sierra studios. Jerry thought of himself as a great lover. He became an infamous point of comical reference among the staff, so the game creators agreed that since Jerry's character suited the game's 'hero', they should jokingly tribute him.
However, since they thought it would be immoral to use a real person's full name as a comical reference, "Jerry" was then altered to "Larry", a similar name, in honor of famed injury attorney Larry H. Parker, a childhood friend of Al Lowe. Al Lowe had to find a new surname, and having in mind the many L-words of the title
, skimmed through the 'L' volume of an encyclopedia in order to find a suitable word or name. He fell on the entry of Arthur Laffer
, and the name caught his attention due to its phonetic resemblance to 'laugher'.
Arthur Laffer for years had no idea about the existence of the games until much later when Al Lowe sent a letter asking his permission for the publication of a program under the title Laffer Utilities, a Larry spin-off which could potentially confuse the public due to the ambiguous title. Laffer asked his secretary if she knew about the games and she told him that she had played them for years, but never made a connection. Laffer gave the permission and also paid a visit to the Sierra studios.
, Lowe explains that Larry is intended as a satire of that type of man, rather than an endorsement of it.
Originally Larry was a typical 16-coloured sprite
, although on box covers he was seen as a cartoon with huge triangular head and nose. As technology advanced to allow more cartoon-like graphics, the VGA games updated the sprite to resemble the depiction of Larry on the covers.
In the latter games with full voiceover soundtrack, Larry is voiced by actor Jan Rabson
in all games except Leisure Suit Larry: Box Office Bust
, where he is voiced by Jeffrey Tambor
.
Leisure Suit Larry (series)
Leisure Suit Larry is a series of adventure games written by Al Lowe and published by Sierra from 1987 to 2009. The main character, whose full name is Larry Laffer, is a balding, dorky, double entendre-speaking, leisure suit-wearing "loser" in his 40s...
series of games. He was created by game programmer Al Lowe
Al Lowe
Al Lowe is an American musician and game designer/programmer who developed several adventure games, mostly for Sierra On-Line. He is best known for his creation of Leisure Suit Larry and the long-running series it spawned....
.
Biography
According to his creator, Larry was a nerdy geek all his life and eventually became a computer programmer. He never had close relations with friends, women, or his colleagues, and every day of his life was identical. He lived with his mother and brother.Around his 38th birthday, his brain hit a sexual alarm and started having his first kinky thoughts. He started reading adult magazines and could not concentrate on his work. Because of this his life was destroyed; he was fired from his job, and upon returning home he found his house had been sold and his mother had left for vacation.
He then decided to turn a page forward in his life; he left everything and decided to live the wild life. He moved to the city of Lost Wages, where, being a fan of the '70s
1970s
File:1970s decade montage.png|From left, clockwise: US President Richard Nixon doing the V for Victory sign after his resignation from office after the Watergate scandal in 1974; Refugees aboard a US naval boat after the Fall of Saigon, leading to the end of the Vietnam War in 1975; The 1973 oil...
, and assuming that '70s styles were still trendy, he bought a polyester leisure suit and gold chains. He sold his Volkswagen
Volkswagen
Volkswagen is a German automobile manufacturer and is the original and biggest-selling marque of the Volkswagen Group, which now also owns the Audi, Bentley, Bugatti, Lamborghini, SEAT, and Škoda marques and the truck manufacturer Scania.Volkswagen means "people's car" in German, where it is...
'bug' to a junkyard for $94 and ended up in front of Lefty's Bar, where the first game, Leisure Suit Larry in the Land of the Lounge Lizards
Leisure Suit Larry in the Land of the Lounge Lizards
Leisure Suit Larry in the Land of the Lounge Lizards is the alliterative title to an adventure computer game first released in 1987, the first part of the Leisure Suit Larry series. It was a completely graphical adventure game with 16 color EGA graphics. It utilizes the Adventure Game Interpreter ...
, begins.
During the course of the series of games, Larry loses his virginity, is married twice (and dumped twice), becomes a hero of the tropical Nontoonyt island, and eventually meets his semi-other half, Passionate Patti (who, for some parts of the games, is controlled by the player). In his most recent games, Patti is absent and Larry roams alone again.
Many fans wondered what happened to Patti in Larry 6, if they separated, and why. The Official Book Of Leisure Suit Larry, which was written between Larry 6 and Larry 7, hints that Larry was still engaged with Patti during that period, but her fate is unknown.
Name
While making In the Land of the Lounge Lizards, Sierra On-lineSierra Entertainment
Sierra Entertainment Inc. was an American video-game developer and publisher founded in 1979 as On-Line Systems by Ken and Roberta Williams...
staff had to decide the character's name. They agreed that he should be named after a friend of Al Lowe's named Jerry (Lowe never made his last name known to the public), who had visited him at work and became well known in the Sierra studios. Jerry thought of himself as a great lover. He became an infamous point of comical reference among the staff, so the game creators agreed that since Jerry's character suited the game's 'hero', they should jokingly tribute him.
However, since they thought it would be immoral to use a real person's full name as a comical reference, "Jerry" was then altered to "Larry", a similar name, in honor of famed injury attorney Larry H. Parker, a childhood friend of Al Lowe. Al Lowe had to find a new surname, and having in mind the many L-words of the title
Alliteration
In language, alliteration refers to the repetition of a particular sound in the first syllables of Three or more words or phrases. Alliteration has historically developed largely through poetry, in which it more narrowly refers to the repetition of a consonant in any syllables that, according to...
, skimmed through the 'L' volume of an encyclopedia in order to find a suitable word or name. He fell on the entry of Arthur Laffer
Arthur Laffer
Arthur Betz Laffer is an American economist who first gained prominence during the Reagan administration as a member of Reagan's Economic Policy Advisory Board . Laffer is best known for the Laffer curve, an illustration of the theory that there exists some tax rate between 0% and 100% that will...
, and the name caught his attention due to its phonetic resemblance to 'laugher'.
Arthur Laffer for years had no idea about the existence of the games until much later when Al Lowe sent a letter asking his permission for the publication of a program under the title Laffer Utilities, a Larry spin-off which could potentially confuse the public due to the ambiguous title. Laffer asked his secretary if she knew about the games and she told him that she had played them for years, but never made a connection. Laffer gave the permission and also paid a visit to the Sierra studios.
Reception and evolution
Although Larry Laffer is accused by many as a symbol of male chauvinismChauvinism
Chauvinism, in its original and primary meaning, is an exaggerated, bellicose patriotism and a belief in national superiority and glory. It is an eponym of a possibly fictional French soldier Nicolas Chauvin who was credited with many superhuman feats in the Napoleonic wars.By extension it has come...
, Lowe explains that Larry is intended as a satire of that type of man, rather than an endorsement of it.
Originally Larry was a typical 16-coloured sprite
Sprite (computer graphics)
In computer graphics, a sprite is a two-dimensional image or animation that is integrated into a larger scene...
, although on box covers he was seen as a cartoon with huge triangular head and nose. As technology advanced to allow more cartoon-like graphics, the VGA games updated the sprite to resemble the depiction of Larry on the covers.
In the latter games with full voiceover soundtrack, Larry is voiced by actor Jan Rabson
Jan Rabson
Jan Rabson is an American actor and voice actor.Rabson was born in East Meadow, New York. Jan's voice has been heard on thousands of commercials, films, TV shows and animated films and series...
in all games except Leisure Suit Larry: Box Office Bust
Leisure Suit Larry: Box Office Bust
Leisure Suit Larry: Box Office Bust is a video game published by Codemasters for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Microsoft Windows and Mobile phone which was released on 27 March, 2009. It is the first Leisure Suit Larry game to be released for seventh generation consoles. It was announced on January 17,...
, where he is voiced by Jeffrey Tambor
Jeffrey Tambor
Jeffrey Michael Tambor is an American actor, perhaps best known for his roles as George Bluth Sr. and Oscar Bluth on Arrested Development and Hank Kingsley on The Larry Sanders Show.-Early life:...
.