At long last, Scribblenauts Showdown is in our grubby little hands! Though it is a departure from the series norm, we’re having just as much fun trying to force as many bizarre adjectives, verbs, and nouns into the fray as ever. Tasked with an unquenchable thirst? Jot down ‘refreshing lemonade’ and guzzle away! Got a boulder blocking your path? Summon the ‘mighty gorilla’ and watch it do its thing. Keep dying at the same perilous boss? Declare Maxwell as being ‘immortal’ and proceed with ease, you filthy cheater, you.
Indeed, the vocabulary of words on offer in Scribblenauts is so robust, it may take you several attempts before you ever come across a phrase that it doesn’t recognize (or simply spam all of your favorite dirty words). To help spare you the trouble, we’ve prepared a list of ten of the most surprising ones to try out for yourself. Use at your own discretion and be warned – you just may learn something, squire.
Used Car Salesman
Often, the true surprise in Scribblenauts comes not just from the fact that a word will register, but the idea that it is so specifically coded to exhibit certain behaviors and qualities. Whenever you’re faced with a shabby vehicle, you can spawn the used car salesman, and all of your worries will be alleviated. He’ll seek out old cars, get in them and voila! It begins to sparkle because it is now a spectacular car. And it can be yours for a low, low cost!
Obviously, used car salesmen aren’t known for their mechanical acumen so much as their ability to make any old piece of junk seem appealing. In any event, you’ll definitely be able to get a lot of mileage from these useful characters.
Ipecac
We can’t quite figure out which is more malicious – the idea that people might want to spawn such an item or the fact that the devs put it in there to begin with.
Ipecac is a dated emetic that is used to induce vomiting, and sure enough, if you give it to a Scribblenauts character, the hapless target will begin to spew all over the place. We can’t recall a quest that specifically begged for you to make them throw up, so let’s observe the psychological aspect here: what kind of person looks at an innocent NPC milling about, minding their own person, and decides, ‘yeah, that person should be violently ill right now’?
Whoever this cruel person is, just know that you make us sick! So that would be a job well done, then.
Abbatial
Rather amusingly, adjectives in Scribblenauts can sometimes have no discernible effect, and indeed, that is fairly true to life. If you were to point at a person and describe them as being necessary, without them actually putting this into action, it’s really up for interpretation whether they are in fact necessary or not – and even if they do something that in your eyes is entirely necessary, in actuality, it’s fairly subjective. Adjectives are fun like that.
In the case of abbatial, it adds a halo to whatever noun it is assigned to. When speaking in the literal sense, abbatial is relating to an abbey, abbot or abbess, which makes its context in the game rather fitting. This is primarily an aesthetic alteration, however, and will not wildly alter the behavior of the target beyond giving it a fascination with religious items like a toddler collecting their favorite toys. If you’re after something a little more interactive (but not nearly as lyrically compelling), try making it ‘angelic’, wherein it will also sprout wings. Angelic beings may be benevolent, but if you commit an atrocity on an innocent, they can and will go to town on your wicked ass. Most damnable!
Seax
What problem isn’t solved by seax?
Again, the randomness of this item is what makes its presence quite so charming. Seax, broadly speaking, is an archaic word that refers to a knife. More specifically, it was a dagger from the Middle Ages popular with the Saxons, and indeed, the very origin of their name. Sure, it could have just spawned a generic knife, but nope, it has its own unique sprite and everything. Somewhat troublingly, meticulous effort appears to have gone into having as many weapons in-game as possible, allowing for some particularly violent results. Much like the ipecac, why are you trying to fix your problems with a deadly knife, dammit? What is wrong with you??
For the more immature players, inputting the synonym ‘hadseax’ will work, as well. It may also evoke more giggles from spectators in the room.
Communist
In its ever verbose splendor, Scribblenauts has treated us to not one, but two wonderful interpretations of the word communist, for all of your anti-capitalist needs (anti-capitalist works too, incidentally). When applied as a noun, you are greeted by an inconspicuous-looking person in a drab grey suit. They have a seething hatred for money and will attack it without provocation. Surround them with it, and it’s like watching a Jack Russell Terrier taking out 100 balloons, it’s fun for the whole family.
Anything that is given communist as an adjective will spawn carrying a hammer, and should they come across a sickle, will pick that up and wield it with pride. Their contempt is towards all things capitalist – woe betide anything or anyone that has been assigned with that distinction, as the communist will not stop until they are dead. Afterward, the communist will triumphantly raise a nearby flag… as long as it is red. None of this is hyperbole, by the way, these are all legitimate in-game actions. For the full effect, try dual wielding qualities to make it a communist communist. An idea courtesy of the department of redundancy department.
Sarcastic Fringehead
Could this be a flippant insult directed at those who find themselves above the common man? Sure, you can try, if you want, but as scathing as it may sound, it’s actually a type of African fish, and its penchant for sarcasm is dubious, at best.
One of the many (and we do mean many) aquatic creatures on offer in Scribblenauts, the variety can make the idea of creating your own personal aquarium an enticing one, but think twice before you chuck this little sucker into the mix – they’ll get up in everyone’s business, picking fights with larger fish and just straight up cannibalizing the smaller ones. In this sense, perhaps sarcastic isn’t an appropriate adjective for this territorial creature. Maybe it should have been dubbed the ‘jerkass fringehead’, instead.
Liquid Butt
The mind stirs. What could liquid butt possibly yield? And why is it a specific in-game phrase? Fear not – it won’t give you a laxative (which, of course, is another word that actually works), but will instead arm you with a stink bomb. Fling it at your enemies, and watch them scatter in a panicked frenzy as they are coated in an unbearable stench. It’s really more pesky than anything else, and won’t be well-suited to battles against grizzly bears, sea serpents, and the classic ancient Japanese phenomenon known as the giant enemy crab.
When there is such a wealth of offensive options at your disposal, you’re probably better off creating something more powerful, like a Ribaldequin. If you’re desperate, you can just assign the adjective ‘smelly’ to it.
Geoduck
Though it may sound more like the fusion of two Pokemon (a premise that sounds both horrifying and awesome), the geoduck is actually a mollusk, and once again, strangely unique from just entering the word ‘clam’. Oh Scribblenauts, we love how you reward our vocabularies so.
In-game, the geoduck will just sit there, looking geoducky and all, unless you try to attack it, at which point it will defend itself. How, exactly, isn’t immediately apparent, but kudos to it for doing its best to ensure its survival. What is apparent, however, is that the geoduck looks quite bizarre. It resembles something, but we can’t quite put our finger on it…
Wicker Man
Faced with a particularly daunting foe and need to fight fire with fire? Invoke the legendary wicker man, and watch the madness ensue (preferably from a safe distance). Steeped in some of history’s darker moments, the wicker man was an ancient wooden apparatus that was used for human sacrifice. It came into the public awareness via the 1973 film of the same name, whereupon the protagonist is led to his grim fate in its climax. It probably wasn’t the highlight of his day.
In-game, the wicker man is vivified, and displays great hostility towards everything it sees. Surely, if we were a burning effigy, we would be inclined to do the same. Alas, there isn’t any opportunity to attach a cage filled with bees atop your enemies’ heads for the full gamut of punishment, but we’re cautiously optimistic for the possibility of it happening in a Scribblenauts sequel.
Yo Mama
Ahh, that classic, sassy retort. NPC looking for something ‘large enough to sink a ship’? Yo mama. Seeking something so hideous, it could turn even Medusa to stone? Yo mama. Want a solution to sobriety? Yo mama.
One can only imagine the number of times Scribblenauts players have attempted to solve a puzzle with this insult, and been horrified with the result – because, in actual fact, it spawns a zombie that will begin to attack everything in its path on its endless hunt for flesh. Therein lies the irony, perhaps: that your contumelious demeanor is rewarded with a beast that is trying to find a brain.
Could it be divine justice served on behalf of the game developers who don’t want any more of your lip, young sir/madam? Or are we just overthinking it? If only we could find someone who cares enough to enlighten us on this eternal riddle. Just don’t answer back with ‘yo mama’, unless you’re ready for a fright.
ncG1vNJzZmisp567p7XNoqueZp6awXB%2Bj2pvaGhjZH5xedaoqZ2rXay8s7eMoqVmq5OntqOuy56lmq2kqHw%3D