Where the Hell….? PAC-MAN

Fruit is falling, all around us, PAC-MAN’s mazing, having fun, ’tis the season of ghosts and….., oh sorry there I go again, mind wandering off in any old direction. A bit like PAC-MAN in his maze. Why do I keep going back to PAC-MAn, well apart from the fact he’s the star of one of the best arcade games ever, he’s only gone and followed a maze into Quahog as part of the Quahog’s Not So Silent Night. And I thought what better post to bring you on Christmas Eve than one featuring the character that lit up many a kids Christmas Day in the 80’s.

Now all my fellow gaming geeks probably recognise PAC-MAN from his arcade game hey day but just where have we seen this little ball of mellow yellow in Family Guy before? Well he’s made a few appearances to date in the TV show and been referenced as well, and I’m going to highlight them here.

So join me on a journey as we Waka Waka Waka through PAC-MAN’s time in Family Guy.

Stuck Together – Torn  Apart – Series 3, Episode 19

Peter is on his own and his trial separation from Lois has begun to hit home, he sits and laments how his separation from Lois is just like when PAC-MAN and Ms. PAC-MAN divorced. This leads to a very funny cutaway where we see a virtually unrecognisable, depressed and nicotine addicted PAC-MAN  being comforted by his arch enemies, the Ghosts.

The Ghosts are finding life a little boring without PAC-MAN to torment at every turn. Pat first sympathetic, it’s not long before the PAC-MAN Ghosts become fed up listening to PAC-MAN’s woes about his split from Ms. PAC-MAN and they deal him a really low blow when they threaten to go hang out with Q*Bert instead.

Stewie B. Goode (Part 1 of Stewie Griffin: The Untold Story) – Season 4, Episode 28

Stewie is drunk, very drunk, and it’s kind of Brian’s fault, as he was trying to put Stewie off drinking by, yes you got it, getting him so drunk he’d never want to look at another drink again. But that doesn’t stop them having a little fun as they decide to play PAC-MAN. With Stewie at the controls, Brian becomes a bit of a back seat gamer and urges Stewie to get the fruit to increase his score, this results in a squabble as Stewie responds indignantly that he can’t get the fruit as there’s a Ghost in the way. It’s only short but quite funny, reminds me a bit of myself and my young brother playing games, lol.

Meet the Quagmire – Season 5, Episode 18

Peter persuades Death to send him back to the 1980’s, where he finds himself in the St. Elmo’s Clam. Whilst there we see him playing a Ms. PAC-MAN arcade game like no other we’ve ever seen before, “Menstrual Ms. PAC-MAN”. In this we see the Ghosts chasing Ms. PAC-MAN until she about turns and snaps shouting at them and causing them to scamper.

Road to the Multiverse – Season 8, Episode 1

Now it’s Brian’s turn to be playing PAC-MAN, only this version also has a twist as Stewie is PAC-MAN and the rest of the Griffin family are the Ghosts.

Joe’s Revenge – Season 11, Episode 5

Just a quick reference here as Peter mimics the sound PAC-MAN makes when he encounters a ghost.

Candy Quahog Marshmallow – Season 14, Episode 10

Another funny scene as Peter describing Quagmire and Sojin as a cute couple just like PAC-MAN and Ms. PAC-MAN leads to a rather risqué little cutaway that gives us a glimpse of the PAC-MANs bedroom antics, all accompanied by those well-known sound effects. Shocking, don’t think I’ll ever look at PAC-MAN in the same way again.

Do you remember any of these episodes? Or have you never seen them? Do you now plan to watch any of them? And did any of you play PAC-MAN in the arcades