The Mother Weed
The Rumor Weed is the primary antagonist of Big Idea's Larry Boy and the Rumor Weed which was published in the year 1999. In the short film the Rumor Weed, mistakenly thought to be several different entities by Larry Boy, is created by accident and spreads throughout the fictional city of Bumblyburg spreading a rumor it heard pertaining to one of the community's residents, Alfred. Once the rumor is dispelled by truth the weed, surprising even its self, blooms into a massive flower and is considered at last defeated.
Fictional Biography[]
The Rumor Weed began as plant being grown and tended to in a pot upon a roof in the city of Bumblyburg. While talking to Alfred after capturing the Milk Money Bandit the local hero, Larry-Boy, accidently knocks the plant off the roof. Falling several floors it lands upon a phoneline as a resident of Bumblyburg gossips over the phone. Eventually, with each gossipy word sending a jolt of energy through it, the plant falls off the phone line and slips down a drain grate on the road below and in moonlight shining through the grate rises up with a smile.
The next morning, a small head of it sprouting near the grate in the night prior overhears two youths- Laura and Junior Asparagus - talking about Alfred. It asks what they heard about him, presumably having some vague recollection of the name from it's fall off the building. At first Laura and Junior are reluctant to say, having been told to not talk to strangers. The Rumor Weed asks if they where taught to share and they respond positively that they have to which the Rumor Weed asks them to share what they heard with her. They tell her that they heard Alfred talk about 'going home to recharge his batteries' and believe him to be a robot. They ask her not to tell anyone and she promises not to- a promise she does not keep.
Spreading through out the city the Rumor Weed shares what it heard and hears from other residents, compiling in it's mind an ever increasingly inaccurate mental image of Alfred as a laser shooting killer robot whose a danger everyone. Eventually one of it's heads spring up in the garden of Larry, hearing that Alfred is inside the mansion the head there tries to get Larry's attention telling him that she has to tell him something important and it's urgent. Larry ignores it only for another to spring up and try the same. Before it can get Larry to listen Alfred calls him into the mansion.
Not long after the local hero, Larry-Boy arrives at one of it's heads upon the Mayor's request to do something about the rumor spreading weeds. Larry-Boy tries various methods to kill the weed he found all of which fail. Eventually the weed realizes it's neigh invincible. The weed would continue to spread and with it the increasingly bizarre and untrue story about Alfred. She would see Larry-Boy again when the Larry Mobile crashed through the sewer system with a built in tunneling mechanism and approached one of of it's small heads mistakenly thinking that one to be the Mother Weed. Before Larry can expose the head to the weed killing formula Alfred created the Mother Weed swiftly overpowers Larry-Boy who mistakenly ejected rather than sprayed the weed killer.
Hearing from the drainage grate, as Alfred tries to tell the Mayor and local constabulary that Larry-Boy is in danger the Mother Weed also hears the crowds forming around Alfred who they firmly (including the local police) believe to be a killer robot. The Rumor Weed springs up in it's massively monstrous size and captures Alfred. When Mr. Asparagus asks Rumor Weed where she heard Alfred was a robot she tells him she heard it from two reliable sources. Laura and Junior then come to Mr. Asparagus and confess that they heard Alfred talk about recharging his batteries.
Mr. Asparagus explains to the youths that some times adults say things that don't literally mean what is being said. What Alfred meant was that he's tired and needs to go home to rest. He tells them; "If you hear something about someone that sounds bad or even just weird, you should ask them about it or ask your mom or dad. But don't spread rumors. Even if it's true, God doesn't want us to tell stories that can hurt. He wants us to spread nice words." Realizing they where in error the three set about dispelling the rumor they started and spreading nice words about Alfred. Gradually at first and then rapidly by word of mouth the crowd comes to realize the truth and the Rumor Weed turns to look upon Alfred in its vine like appendage who smiles nervously. Much like the truth spreading throughout the crowd a bloom spreads through out the Rumor Weed- each head opening into a beautiful blossom and every thorn as well until the Mother Weed's own head does so and Alfred is released, sliding down one of the vines into the crowd below. The Rumor Weed at last defeated.
Biology[]
The Rumor Weed is an almost hydra like entity. It possesses multiple 'heads' that sprout out of the ground and are connected to a single Mother Weed which knows everything the other heads have heard. The Rumor Weed's various heads can act on their own but share a common personality, memory, and purpose. Self proclaimed by the Rumor Weed the lifeform is attracted to and actively spreads hearsay, rumors, and gossip as it spreads. It's shown to be immune to weedwackers, hedge trimmers, and other tools used in weeding. While a weed killing formula is devised by Alfred to kill the weed a mistake by Larry Boy renders it unutilized though it is presumed that the formula would have worked.
Personality[]
The Rumor Weed is surprisingly listed as a Neutral character by Big Idea. What this says about her intentions and motives are uncertain. While 'The Rumor Weed' song may imply some intent to make a mess of things the Rumor Weed isn't like the Fib from Outer Space in that she's not spreading the rumor to grow, rather she's spreading the rumor as she grows. Aside from Alfred, eventually creating a formula that should be able kill her, she doesn't have any direct motive for animosity towards Alfred at the start. In fact, she had the crowd's support when she finally captured Alfred whom she had heard so much about. In the end learning the truth about Alfred was transformative for her, in the sense that she went from being a weed to being a flower. The poetic element to this is that truth blossoms, and rumors like weeds spread.
Character Conception and Production Notes[]
The Rumor Weed was created by Doug Peterson, who wasn't part of Big Idea Productions. Phil Vischer was accepting ideas for new shorts at the time and initially felt Doug Peterson's idea was too similar to the first Larry-Boy episode 'The Fib from Outer Space' but after some revision to the initial concept produced it. The original was presumably closer to a parody of 'Little Shop of Horrors' and a little spoof of Bat-Man and thus Rumor Weed's origin as another alien from space was among the early concepts to be revised leading to her origin seen in the film. Phil decided to stretch the limits of what could be done in the technical production sphere, causing Rumor Weed's glasses to be animated like eyes. All in anticipation for the studios first feature length film production. A dropped concept shown in concept art was the Rumor Weed having phones gathered around her in the drainage system of the city and using such to spread the rumor or rumors. Following the publication of 'Larry-Boy and the Rumor Weed' Big Idea Productions received letters by individuals who felt the narrative enforced the stereotype of gossipy woman. In response Big Idea Productions expressed that the character wasn't built around that stereotype but rather based on a specific individual who in line with the message of the short film, they would not name.
Trivia[]
- In a possibly unintentional nod to the original character concept of an Audrey II spoof character, the Slovenian release of the short film has the Rumor Weed voiced by a male actor.