Dungeon Master = Yoda ?

[Ogrork the Mighty]

Does anyone remember the D&D cartoon back in the '80s? In it, the kids would always stumble upon Dungeon Master who would procede to give them cryptic advice.

I was thinking about this the other day and is Dungeon Master nothing more than a Yoda ripoff? They're both 3-feet tall, they both speak in riddles, they're both all-powerful, they're both well respected, and IIRC DM even carried a walking stick. And Yoda came out in Star Wars only a few years earlier.

Hmmm......

 

[Calico_Jack73]

Don't tell me you are only just now figuring that out.

 

[UniversalMonster]

I managed to catch up to Yoda at his home in Key West and asked him directly.

"Hard to find, work was, after Empire Strikes Back" he reminisced, while casually levitating a pitcher of iced tea. "More tea you would like? Yes? Hmm! Yeeess..!"

I thanked him for the tea and Yoda continued to talking about how things were back in the 80s.

"Found some work, Yoda later did, as Chaka, in the land of the Lost. The costume! Yoda did not like so much. Yeess.. Hmm...! And of course some commercials. Also, Sleestaks, so much more popular were."

 

[Ogrork the Mighty]

Don't tell me you are only just now figuring that out.

Sure am! I don't spend much time dwelling on cartoons from the '80s.

 

[Henry]

DM did NOT carry a walking stick.

However, the similarities are there; I don't attribute it to a Yoda ripoff, so much as the "wizened powerful teacher" archetype from Mythology. Dungeon Master has as much to owe to Tom Bombadil as Yoda.

 

[Gez]

Yep, wizened teachers often are small. It's part of their archetype.

As well as their occasional non-wizened behaviour (like Yoda's "Mine! Mine!" scene with the lamp or the lecherous penchant of that dude on a cloud in Dragonball).

 

[Geoff Watson]

They're both the 'old master/teacher' stereotype, which has been around for ages.

Geoff.

 

[rkanodia]

For reference:

Dungeon Master

Yoda

One does have to admit that there are certain physical similarities beyond the 'ancient teacher' archetype. Look at the shape of the skull and the nose. Also check out the hair.

 

[Eolin]

and the skin color and the ears! A blatant ripoff.

Why, even the camera angle is about the same.

 

[Ogrork the Mighty]

After seeing those piks, I'm even more convinced of a TSR/Lucas conspiracy to impregnate the minds of youngsters with pseudo-Yoda imagery!