Bucky Beaver

Are you looking for the Starling inside the Bucky costume on Broadside Beach?

* Costume
* Starling
* 64 (Character)

**Bucky Beaver** is one of the many cartoon characters created at Broadline Animation, and can be played as the main protagonist in Cogware Games' N64 title SHIPWRECKED 64. He is the main mascot of the entire company and is thus synonymous with the brand.

## Appearance

Bucky Beaver is an anthropomorphic beaver hybrid with a large build. He is depicted with fishing attire, donning a white sailor's hat and west featuring blue accents and bulging, white buttons. Just below his artificial, bulging eyes, his mouth messily shows two buck teeth lying on Bucky's top jaw. His entire body moving forward, including torso, arms and legs, all feature dark brown fur.

In his appearance in SHIPWRECKED 64, these features still stand but are heavily altered and simplified. Instead of his buttons being white, his buttons are now a dark blue color. Additionally, in the demo version of SHIPWRECKED, Bucky was depicted wearing baby blue attire, a quite contrast to Bucky's signature appearance. During the development of SHIPWRECKED 64, current overseer at Broadside Mark Mullins would comment on how unfaithful and unrecognizable this model was compared to Bucky's appearances in further media. However, this was retconned, and his model in the full version is much more faithful.

In a cutscene featured in the full version of SHIPWRECKED 64, prior to Brandon Lester attacking Nathan Stewart, Brandon is shown kneeling down at Nathan as his flesh contort with Brandon's every movement, signifying Bradnon's subjection to the Bucky Beaver costume as a Starling.

## Personality

### Broadside Mascot

Bucky is a rather simple character, who is friends with everyone he meets and is generally very outgoing. He is comparable to that of Mickey Mouse. He is also pretty prideful, believing that Giovanni Goose didn't use 'love' while frying his fish, while being certain that his flame-cooked fish WAS, in fact, made with love. Bucky is still a friendly character, and is more than willing to help others out, such as when he helped each of his friends with their respective tasks while stuck on the island of wolves in Shipwrecked 64.

### SHIPWRECKED 64

In SHIPWRECKED 64, specifically in its 1997 release, the game outright gives Bucky the ability to break the fourth wall and interact with the player directly from their screen. It should be noted that, additionally, Bucky has the sense of smell and potentially all other senses, however cannot actively prevent the player from controlling him, thus putting him through a forced nightmare when the player digs into the game beyond its first layer. After reaching Layer 2, which is first unlocked upon killing Olive Otter and traversing through The Pool, Bucky will comment on the "atrocious smell" coming from the main hub area which connects The Pool, The Diner, and The Dam. Making any further attempts to progress past this room will result in Bucky pleading to the player to use the "Respawn" button to go back to the main island at Nulla Terra.

Unfortunately, Bucky forces himself to comply with the player. After turning on all twenty computers while being chased by the Dwellers/Starlings in Layer 3, Bucky accepts that he will be subject to this phycological torture and merely asks for a small break before continuing. Additionally, Bucky refuses to call the player his "Friend" anymore due to what he is being subjected too.

In one of the first differences spotted when launching the 1997 version of SHIPWRECKED, upon entering the previously locked door which leads to the final button in Walter's Level, the player will be subject to a yellow tunnel only consisting a mirror. In this cutscene, Bucky questions his appearance and outright states that he is disgusted by how he looks, possibly referring to the fact that Bucky's sprite is represented as Brandon Lester during the post-murder cutscene of Olivia Finch after continuously failing Olivia's Level. Moreso, it may be due to the fact that Bucky represents his real-life mascot counterpart, which is directly shown to be the mainline advertising character used in Broadside Animations - the same company behind the creation of the Starlings.

He's been described as "incredibly mentally unstable" by Squeaks D'corgeh and "can't help" his outbursts at the player, even if he's by no means dangerous like his Starling counterpart is. It's unknown whether his poor mental health is a pre-existing condition or a result of his traumatic experiences in the game.

## History

Bucky Beaver was created by Rex Broadside after he had accidentally sold off his first character, Blot. While still living at his mother's house, Rex was looking at the waffles his mother had bought and thought of making a beaver character, due to the similar tail shape.

Bucky's early design was very different. At first, he had blank eyes like Blot, and rounded fur tufts on his cheeks. Instead of his sailor's uniform, he wore an orange and white striped jacket, and a blue and orange striped open shirt. His blue scarf remained relatively consistent.

The first cartoon Bucky starred in was called "Grave Mistake", and was about his being accidentally buried alive. Shortly after was "Construction Destruction" (formerly cited as his first appearance, but retconned in *SHIPWRECKED 64*), about his trying and failing to build a dam. Despite the crude artwork, these early cartoons won over audiences at their first viewing. His early appearances were very macabre in tone, and every short up until his redesign ended with him dying. To this day he remembers the torment he faced in his early appearances, and harbors a lingering resentment of his creator because of it.

After these early appearances, Bucky's design evolved. His proportions became plumper, his features became more welcoming, and his outfit changed to fit his new role. Bucky then became a household name with the growth of Broadside Animation. His face became recognized by millions around the world as a pop culture icon, though someone in the company called his design "goddamn creepy."

### Bucky's Fantastic Fish Stand

A Studiogrounds bedtime story, which features Bucky selling his cooked fish (which he helped catch alongside Olive Otter) at a food stand, when he’s suddenly met with the world renowned chef, Giovanni Goose, who had managed to set up shop right next to him.

Due to Giovanni's better serving abilities, Bucky wasn't able to gain any customers. Bucky believed that, even if Giovanni used fancy deep fryers and various spices, Bucky could still win over customers, seeing as he made his flame-cooked fish with love. He draws up and places an extra sign, saying 'MADE WITH LOVE', to help gain more customers.

### SHIPWRECKED 64

Bucky accidentally becomes shipwrecked onto an island that unfortunately held wolves, who had forced Bucky's friends to work off the damages of the crash. Bucky, controlled by the player, helped each of his friends (Walter Walrus, Olive Otter, and Giovanni Goose) along with getting his boat back from the wolves. In the end, they manage to sail away safely.

## Gallery

Olive and BuckyBucky standing next to Rex BroadsideThe Bucky costume in StudiogroundsBucky's old model in Legacy EditionBucky's costume at the shouldersBucky arriving at Bass Pro ShopsA headshot of Bucky as the logo for Broadside AnimationAn old cartoon title card showing Bucky's original design

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Stumbler O'Hare/Responses
2. ↑ https://reddit.com/r/Shipwrecked64/comments/193vuzy/\_/khehfdu/?context=1
3. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rS\_EoDOzMe4
4. ↑ https://squeaksdcorgeh.indie.af/broadsidebeachshipwrecked/about/default.html
5. ↑ https://youtu.be/pznESUP2Omc?t=1358
6. ↑ https://youtu.be/ZeWIaFlAYhg?t=95
7. ↑ https://youtu.be/oMH1lxskqQs?t=945
8. ↑ https://twitter.com/SqueaksDCorgeh/status/1547230533343641601