I did post about this in the upcoming official merchandise topic, but I know that plushes are a popular product category for a series like Lemmings due to "nameless hordes appeal", and the plushes are in their own right a decades-long much-requested item quite apart from all of the other Lemmings merchandise, so I figure that a heads-up thread of its own is warranted.

Anyway, as of March 28th 2015, the official Lemmings plushes by Gaya Entertainment (which contain a sound module with Lemmings speech thereon) are now available for pre-order from this page at UK-but-ships-worldwide online store, Gamerabilia (I'm not associated with them - I'm just a happy repeat customer, and I pre-ordered mine this morning ). For those who haven't seen them, images of the official plushes can be seen below;







I hope everyone who wants an official Lemmings plush is able to get one!

EDIT Simon: Split from topic Lix video thread by Rubix. Corresponding wishlist entry on Lix site.

Being able to see everything [happening on a large map] at once is far better. Lix would be greatly enhanced by an improved resolution to allow for this experience in game... * hint, hint, Simon *

<-- the lix wants you to.

Hear hear!

We now have these super high-resolution displays, but very few game developers actually use them, instead preferring to stick to the old ways of keeping the relative sizes of things the same as always to the viewer, whilst adding a little more detail. Just to cite one example of a game being better for bucking this trend, the game Spelunky wouldn't be what it is if it didn't make such good use of HD displays - the fact that you can see more changes how you play. Any Lemmings-like game could have a whole lot of potential for interesting puzzles and uses of that sort of space, should a level's designer feel it appropriate to use it.

Being such a popular game, Lemmings landed itself quite a few cameos and references in numerous other games. Back then, such cameos were almost a matter of policy for the game's publisher, Psygnosis, and many of their titles featured cameos from others that they published and/or created (something that was even evidenced by DMA Design's inclusion of the Special Graphics Levels in the original Lemmings). It was therefore only natural that there were Lemmings references in several other Psygnosis titles.

Also due to that same popularity, Lemmings has been referenced in other people's products, too.

This thread is here for the purpose of trying to create a list of these cameos and references, as it's pretty interesting to see Lemmings' cultural impact. Here's what I have so far - please add more if you know of them!

Official Cameos and References

Leander (Amiga) / The Legend of Galahad (Mega Drive) - Towards the end of the game (despite the two names, these two titles are the same game, with minimal differences between them), in World 3-3, there are prisoners who need to be freed from a particular area. These prisoners turn out to be lemmings, and Leander/Galahad must clear a path for them to reach the exit, before leaving via the same exit, himself.

The Misadventures of Flink (Mega CD; Mega Drive; Amiga CD32) - Mixing magic spells incorrectly will occasionally result in a Lemmings cameo.

Wiz 'n' Liz (Mega Drive; Amiga) - Mixing magic spells incorrectly can apparently occasionally produce lemmings.


Unofficial Cameos and References

Discworld - Interesting Times (Novel) - In this book, there are golems who are commanded using an interface similar to that of Lemmings. When asked about this, the book's author Terry Pratchett remarked, "Merely because the red army can fight, dig, march and climb and is controlled by little icons? Can't imagine how anyone thought that... Not only did I wipe Lemmings from my hard disk, I overwrote it so's I couldn't get it back.".

Well, it's just ticked over to Christmas Day here in the UK, and I know that it's been such for a little while for other members. I just wanted to wish everyone a great day.

Happy Christmas, all!

This thread was inspired by the recent find of the initial soundtrack from Lemmings, in which most of the entries were unlicensed arrangements of tunes from outside sources such as TV programmes, films, musicals, pop music, and so on.

I'm now curious as to what we, as a collective, would come up with, if we were compiling a soundtrack in the same vein as that one. To make you think really hard about your choices, you're restricted to (up to) three picks - two tunes from TV/film/radio or wherever, and one from any other video game, to represent your dream Special Graphics level. Keep in mind that we're talking about the same sort of audio capabilities as the Amiga, SNES, Mega Drive, and their contemporaries. I'm interested in seeing the reasons for the choices!

My picks are as follows;

Tune 1: The Wombles theme tune, by Mike Batt
Reasons: The Wombles are a British institution, and the theme song from the TV series is possibly even better-known than the original books are. The "Underground, overground" hook is also very fitting in the context of Lemmings, and the tune can be made to loop nicely, as proven by the fact that it was used in the official computer game adaptation of the series (the C64 version is shown here). (Fun fact: The Wombles themselves are actually of quite a similar build to the lemmings, with nearly identical proportions, long snouts and eye placement, along with a lack of legs and the same sort of waddling fashion of walking, too!)

Tune 2: Live And Let Die, by Paul McCartney
Reasons: Lemmings' initial soundtrack had a couple of parts cribbed from songs by The Beatles, so how about this James Bond movie theme by former Beatle, Sir Paul McCartney? It has a similar "action-packed" feel, in places, to that of some of Tim Wright's original compositions for the retail version of Lemmings, and is also the sort of tune that loops nicely, as well.

Dream Special Graphics Level Tune: Mad Doc 4, from Mickey Mania - The Timeless Adventures of Mickey Mouse (Mega Drive), by Matt Furniss
Reasons: The Mad Doctor was one of the "showcase" levels in Mickey Mania (it was even chosen for the game's cover artwork!). I would pick this, and the graphics from this level, for my dream Special Graphics level, as the tune (which is particularly memorable for its use in the chemical-mixing segment as you approach the Mad Doctor himself), absolutely oozed atmosphere in its own game, and would certainly do so in a hypothetical Lemmings title in the same sort of way as A Beast of a Level did in the real thing. In keeping with the theme of all of the other Special Graphics levels in the original game, Lemmings' publisher, Psygnosis, actually had a hand in Mickey Mania - it was one of the first major non-gaming licenses that they ever landed. Also, the composer of this track, Matt Furniss, was responsible for the soundtracks from the Master System and Acorn Archimedes versions of Lemmings, the Archimedes version of Oh No! More Lemmings, and the Archimedes and Mega Drive versions of Lemmings 2: The Tribes.

For what it's worth, I almost put this in the Forum Games section, but I think that this could generate some interesting discussion about the soundtracks and their impact on the feel of the games. So, have at it, guys!

Recently, Mindless found the original soundtrack for Lemmings on a demo disk. This was not the "original soundtrack" as in the soundtrack that the game shipped with, but rather the *original* original soundtrack - the one from before Tim Wright was brought in to replace the copyright-infringing tunes with new compositions. The initial soundtrack, if you will.

I haven't had the time to make MP3s of the .mods in the usual fashion (i.e., two loops and then a fade after the next playthrough has begun) just yet, but I did want to start a thread about this soundtrack, because I think it's quite the find - well done, Mindless!

I'm sure all of us have wondered at some point or other what the initial soundtrack sounded like, and of course now we know that, apart from a couple of themes that survived the transformation of the music into what we all know today, it would have been enough to get the game lawsuited off of the face of the planet several times over. Let's take a look at the tunes and their source material...

Filename: addamsfamily.mod
Song: The Addams Family theme tune
Info: They're green-haired and they're cutesy, suicidal and quite kooky, when they splat they're gloopy, the Lemmings Family!

Filename: ateam.mod
Song: The A-Team theme tune
Info: We Lemmings players love it when a plan comes together, right? I wonder if that catchphrase is why this is in here? It would certainly fit.

Filename: batman.mod
Song: 1960s Batman theme tune
Info: This is probably in here due to the campiness of it, I would imagine. I remember that this was still airing in the UK in the late 1980s, which may also have been an influence on its presence here. (Note that this is quite distinct from Betmeh, who has a similar theme tune that is absolutely not the same.)

Filename: birdie.mod
Song: The Birdie Song, by The Tweets
Info: This was a 1981 novelty record that sold a hell of a lot of copies in the UK (apparently more than 1.6 million), and which was always a goofy classic at school discos. This one is known by almost every Brit of a certain age, including a great many who weren't even born when it was released - that's how long-lived it was!

Filename: cancan.mod
Song: Infernal Galop, from Orpheus in the Underworld
Info: In spite of its origins, this is, without a doubt, best known as The Can-can! One of the few tunes from the initial soundtrack to make it into the retail version's soundtrack.

Filename: daysnight.mod
Song: A Hard Day's Night, by The Beatles
Info: If even just one copyright-infringing tune could've gotten Lemmings pulled from shelves due to its presence, I'd venture a guess that it would have been this one. Those lemmings sure do work hard, though!

Filename: doggie.mod
Song: How Much Is That Doggie In The Window?, by Patti Page
Info: Another tune that made it into the retail game, this one based on a novelty record that was itself loosely based on the folk tune, Carnival of Venice. This one is an unusual survivor, in that I'm pretty sure that the version in Lemmings is not licensed in any way, and the song is still in copyright now, just as it was when the game was released. It also uses (and retains, in the final game) a sample of famed voice actor Don Messick in possibly his most famous role as Scooby-Doo, from a tune that didn't make it from the initial soundtrack to the retail one.

Filename: entertainer.mod
Song: The Entertainer
Info: I'm actually not sure why this one didn't make it in, whilst the above tune did! Any ideas, anyone?

Filename: hogan.mod
Song: Hogan's Heroes theme tune
Info: I'm honestly not familiar with this tune or the show that it's from, short of seeing claims that the popular 1990s cartoon series, Recess, was inspired by it, so I really don't have anything useful to say here.

Filename: matchespana.mod
Song: Match of the Day theme tune
Info: The theme tune from the long-running football (soccer for North American readers ) TV programme, Match of the Day. The theme tune is very well-known in the UK, which is likely why it's here.

Filename: missionimpos.mod
Song: Mission Impossible theme tune
Info: I'm almost certain that I know *exactly* why this one's in here, and it made me laugh the second I saw the filename when I was going through these tunes originally. At the time that Lemmings was being made, home video clips of squirrels performing daredevil feats, set to the Mission Impossible theme tune were becoming very popular on UK television clip shows (so much so, in fact, that an advertisement was made, capitalising on the phenomenon). It works so well in the context of Lemmings, that it's almost a shame that they were unable to use this tune in the retail game!

Filename: mountain.mod
Song: She'll Be Coming Round The Mountain
Info: Another familiar tune that made it into the final game. This is a traditional old song that fits due to its cheery-sounding nature, so there was no reason for it not to.

Filename: oblasuper.mod
Song: Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious and Life Goes On, by The Beatles
Info: Um-diddle-iddle-iddle-um-diddle-aye! This one was probably chosen due to its delightfully ridiculous nature. It was also doubtless ejected due to the fact that the song belongs to The Walt Disney Company, who wouldn't have taken kindly to its inclusion. I'm not too sure why the filename is "oblasuper", though - I wonder what's with the "obla" bit?
EDIT: I've been informed that this tune is actually made up of two songs (the other has now been added above), and the other one, which makes up the first part of the tune, is Life Goes On, by The Beatles, which features the lyric "Ob-la-di Ob-la-da" in its chorus. That explains the "obla" part completely!

Filename: panther.mod
Song: A Shot in the Dark
Info: I'm actually a bit confused by this one. I'd expected this to be the well-known theme from The Pink Panther, but whilst it sounds like it's in that style, I can't actually identify the tune. Does anyone know it, please? Our very own möbius, who is a fan of the Pink Panther series, has identified this tune as the theme from the second film, A Shot in the Dark. Ironically, given the original .mod file's name, it's actually the only one that doesn't have anything about panthers of any sort in the title!

Filename: petergunn.mod
Song: Peter Gunn theme tune
Info: This music was also famously used in the arcade game, Spy Hunter.

Filename: raindrops.mod
Song: Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head
Info: This song's really well-known, which I guess is why it's in here. It kind of makes me wish that Lemmings had some rainy-looking levels, for some reason.

Filename: richman.mod
Song: If I Were A Rich Man
Info: This is from the musical, Fiddler on the Roof. It was also used in an early release of the classic ZX Spectrum game, Jet Set Willy, and supposedly caused that game to be briefly pulled from shelves in order for the music to be replaced with In The Hall Of The Mountain King instead (as was used in the game that Jet Set Willy was the sequel to, Manic Miner). Given this anecdote, it surprises me that this one was ever considered for Lemmings at all. Come to think of it, Jet Set Willy's popularity and status as an all-time classic in the UK is probably why it was picked...

Filename: scoobydoo.mod
Song: Scooby-Doo & Scrappy-Doo theme tune
Info: This is an arrangement of the Scooby-Doo theme tune, complete with a heavily-used sample of Scooby himself (which actually remains in the final game, in the tune How Much Is That Doggie In The Window?), mainly derived from the theme tune from Scooby-Doo & Scrappy-Doo, which was still airing on UK television at the time that Lemmings was being made, and which was massively popular. (Fact-fans will note that this dates to quite some years before the time of the utterly bizarre rewriting of history that has taken place surrounding the character Scrappy-Doo, who was actually massively popular for decades; During the time that Lemmings was being worked on, this continuing popularity even spawned two different computer games in which he was the hero.)

Filename: tenlemmings.mod
Song: Ten Green Bottles
Info: Another survivor that made it into the retail Lemmings soundtrack, which isn't surprising because it's a traditional tune. An interesting fact is that in the UK, we typically say that the bottles are "sitting on a wall", rather than "hanging on a wall". The video linked here represents another variant, where the bottles are "standing on a wall", because for some reason the version where they're sitting seems to have fallen out of use over the last couple of decades.

Filename: twist.mod
Song: Let's Twist Again, by Chubby Checker
Info: I'm unsure as to why this tune would have been picked for Lemmings' initial soundtrack, aside from just plain catchiness and the fact that it was still a pretty well-known song by the time that Lemmings was being made, but here it is.

And that's all of them. All in all, it's a pretty eclectic and largely nostalgic collection of tunes - or, at least, it definitely is for Brits of a certain age. I hope this was as much fun for you guys to go through as it was for me to go through while putting this post together.

I know that this may well be a bit early, or even unnecessary if we don't move to here in the end (though I'm pretty sure we're transitioning properly, now, right?), but I was just wondering, when the forum theme is sorted out here, can we have artwork that's a bit more iconic of the Lemmings series, rather than the weird birdman-looking Sony-era lemmings?