59 things YOU noticed in Over the Garden Wall!

Buy me a coffee? ko-fi.com/donte...
Finally the follow-up video! And if I get enough comments I'll even make another. Keep sharing your ideas, guys! And thank you so much to every single one of you--especially to those of you who pointed out stuff I'd never heard of!
If something was pointed out more than once, the first person to say it was featured here. These are arranged from first-commented to last-commented, on the 112-things video and then the 113-things follow-up video.
And hey, while I have your attention--check out the OTGW zine. Submission deadline is October 20th! All proceeds go to Save the Frogs charity. waywardleaveszi...

[@aniakn9472]

The bassoon was small because it was meant for the frog.

[@Donteatacowman]

omg i like this one

[@charlotte.L.W]

That’s adorable

[@melinakorovessi713]

I think Adelaide and her sisters could be the fates from Greek mythology bcz of the siscors and string

[@Donteatacowman]

WOAH, that's a really good idea I've never thought of before! Geez!!! That--that makes too much sense! Even if they're not literally the fates, there's a good chance that they were inspired by the fates, woah

[@beca8237]

i was thinking of that 😭

[@pee-flavoredvapegotojail1149]

bespoke

[@ChuchusutzUtkin]

the fates shared a single eyeball though

[@kanegray1635]

@@ChuchusutzUtkin No. That's the Grey sisters, which were prophets kinda. The Fates are just 3 ladies. One weaves the thread, the other knits it into a life, and the last cuts it where the life ends.

[@flowercrownfairy528]

I noticed that no matter where Wirt and Greg go, they make the place they leave better than when they got there. 1. Healing the dog 2. They help bring more guests to the party / manual labor to help out ( Pottsfield ) 3. They fundraise and literally save the school from failing 4. They cheer up everyone in the tavern and help make sure everyone knows their job is important - even while everyone is trying to find Wirts purpose. 5. Helping Quincy and Margueritte fall in love 6. They make the band on the boat better! ( and end up stealing the scissors for later ) 7. Curing Laurna 8. Greg trades his life for Wirt and gives Wirt the strength to save them both 9. -- flashback -- 10. Healing Beatrice's family, revealing the truth to the Woodsman which basically gets rid of the beast. And everyone returns home safely.

[@Donteatacowman]

Yes! The Unknown is supposed to be (among other things) stories that were once told and have since been forgotten, but Greg and Wirt wind up resolving nearly all of those stories as they travel through them.

[@nytnyt1479]

@@denissecanela1818 you mean the house where he process the oil??? It was... I think... The house of Beatrice and her family. If the house wasn't destroyed then the woodsman would still be feeding the beast and they wouldn't reach to the point where wirt found out that the beast was inside the lantern..... So... It is still a win😐

[@thegreatpapyrus3644]

But the brothers were also the reason why the dog turned into it's beast-like mode, because the dog ate the candy that Greg placed on the turtle, the candy got stuck on the turtle resulting in the turtle being eaten too. Why was it stuck? Because it's covered in oil-(the oil was from the other lost souls who turned into trees)-that the woodsman used to keep the lamp burning was all over the black turtle. So early on THE show, the creator already hinted the oil being connected to the beast... Look at the black turtles that Auntie Whispers ate, they are not entirely black, they have a dark green color for their skin and black for their shells(normal black turts) unlike the black turtle on ep. 1 which is completely black. The creator of the show wanted us to have a reason to think that auntie Whispers is connected to the beast and in result we didn't trust her at first... What the creator of the show did worked for the fear of the unknown. THOUGH THEY DID RESOLVED IT BY RUNNING AND GETTING THE BEAST-DOG STUCK IN THE MILL. SO YEAH. NYEH.

[@gokuss15]

The first one’s arguable, the dog became a monster after he was infected by the beast, because Greg stuck a piece of candy to one of the beast’s black turtles, which the dog ate.

[@venti2569]

@@denissecanela1818honestly thats almost a good thing since that was helping the beast

[@LifeIsABeach3210]

I heard a theory that the turtles were spies of the beast, or signs that he was near.

[@catminecraftyas]

i thought of that too

[@txboy2020]

I believe that

[@KitCat898]

Someone else said they were sin

[@emmathelovewitch]

I agree

[@chaosgoblin5075]

I always thought that too

[@celestinebuendia]

The ??? is the frog's voice actor. The joke is that the frog's name keeps on changing, so it's like they couldn't decide on what name to use, even if Jason Funderburger was decided at the end.

[@maymaytv7719]

Funderburker*

[@allenhiu8205]

damn i never noticed the duck kid before and that is terrifying

[@mariitime]

sweaty sweaty cheeses honestly I got chills like wtf

[@voxpopuli8957]

I felt like I was being watched... gosh.

[@dreadpersephone]

What duck kid? This is bugging me so much

[@Harrisbrinson]

sakurarosii you got a point. It’s called Anatidaephobia.

[@froggdoggs8551]

Captain Kirb well now I have anatidaephobia

[@adampickard9880]

When Auntie whispers goes to sleep Lorna says "come out my turtles, she sleeps". In this instance she's referring to Wilt and Greg as her food equivalent to auntie whispers turtles

[@adampickard9880]

Later the spirit possessing Lorna says "I'm sorry my turtles but I must feed"

[@Please-help-im-lost]

Holy hell 🤯

[@wingedhybrid16]

I hadn't thought of it that way. I thought she called them that because it was more subtle than using a name in case Auntie Whispers wasn't totally asleep, and as a joke since the boys were hiding in the turtles.

[@LixiaWinter]

My theory about tavern. I think it's afterlife of a dollmaker with his dolls brought to life. They don't have personalities aside from one trait/name. They assume that Wirt and Greg are also dolls. And in the end dollmaker really makes dolls of them, so now they have doppelgangers in the Unknown.

[@RANDOM27ify]

LixiaWinter WOAH THAT'S A REALLY INTERESTING THEORY!!!

[@agatheriopel8843]

Yessss!!!

[@drakesmith471]

That’s honestly a very Twilight Zone type thing to do. I think they did that with a women who was a mannequin.

[@ABANDONED23456]

That would makes a lot of sense, actually. Especially since the Tavern doesnt exactly stick to just one era, since the Tavernkeeper isnt an actual person, maybe? Im pretty sure The Unknown manifests things related to the year characters lived and such.

[@pauldallas8316]

Ok so I got some. One. the mystery of the black turtles- so if you look closely the only turtle that is actually all black is the first one that Beatrice's dog eats, it's probably covered in edelwood oil from the mill and that's why the dogs eyes are like the beast. All the other turtles have black shells with really dark green legs and heads so the reason auntie whispers doesn't get effected is because hers don't have edelwood oil on them. Two. the queen of the clouds who appears at the end of "babes in the wood" is the beast- my evidence for this is that after Greg's wish with the Queen he is with the beast ,who says he made a promise with Greg to show him the way home, and also the beast repeats the line that Greg tells the Queen "anything is possible if you set your mind to it". P.S. awesome video there was a lot of cool stuff I never caught I hope you agree with what I found thanks for the vid keep it up.

[@melonyrobinson9944]

I would argue that eating the turtles is affecting auntie whispers, for one because of her startling appearance that her sister doesn't have and secondly, her mental health may also be affected since she doesn't have the most sound reasoning in not destroying the bell

[@nate_2002]

The thing with the Turtles so they are soaked with the oil what if the oil turns others into monters and also because the trees are hollow what if the beast has holes because he is becoming hollow the oil is basically the blood of the lost souls so it would kinda make sense that they could turn others into monsters

[@nate_2002]

So maybe the beast wasn't always the beast but possibly even the third sister and maybe she's consumed in darkness and would die if she wouldn't feed on the oil

[@joliecrusoe387]

@@melonyrobinson9944 Maybe they don't affect her as much as if they had oil.

[@danielmeneses7688]

@@melonyrobinson9944 You just blew my mind

[@gregmcamp]

I wonder if the lyrics were chosen to be sung in Latin because it is considered a dead language and signifies Greg transitioning.

[@JosephTPorter]

Regarding whether everyone in The Unknown is there because of a near-death experience, I think Quincy Endicott's grave makes it clear that many of the people are dead. But, and this just occurred to me while watching this video, what if the reason for the setting of the show (early to mid 1800s, I think? I'm not sure) is that that's the time the people whose souls inhabit The Unknown lived. Like, what if everyone Wirt and Greg encounter is buried in the same cemetery as Endicott? Are they just behaving in the way they were used to in life? Had Wirt and Greg had their near death experience near a more modern graveyard would the series appear to take place more recently?

[@Donteatacowman]

Absolutely possible! Keep in mind though that the characters of the Unknown are set in different time periods from each other. (All following dates are approximate.) Endicott: Explicitly stated to have architecture from the Georgian period (1714-1830) Grey: Explicitly stated to have architecture in the French Rococo style from the late Baroque (1730s to 1780s). Obviously Endicott and Grey's time periods overlap since they're in the same setting and story :) Beatrice: Dressed in Regency era clothing (1795-1837) Tavern: Characters in the Dark Lantern tavern are more or less colonialist/revolution-era (1770s-1800) based on their jobs, clothing, mention of French couture being popular Langtree/Jimmy: The one-room schoolhouse implies 1800s-early 1900s Lorna: Dress implies puritan roots. Commentary by the show creators talks about the characters being set before the doorknob was invented, making Lorna from the 1860s at latest, but I really would guess based on speech patterns that she's set pre-revolution, in the mid 1600s or so (think the Scarlet Letter's time period).

[@ABANDONED23456]

@Gravestone999 Yeah. We never see a gravestone there because everyone is essentially already dead. Their bodies are already dead and they cant really die again, if they do they'd just come back to life in the Unknown.

[@kalebthecooldude]

I think the “the loveliest lies of all” line was in reference to the lyric earlier of “if dreams cant come true, why not pretend”

[@nytnyt1479]

a very late reply buuuttt...... Yes, I also think of that too and from where the beast and Greg always states this never-give-up caption: "anything is possible if you set your mind to it", the three sentences are Soo similar that....I think.... It plays a big role where the series is going since the unknown is a mysterious place where many things can happen.... And also "the loveliest lies of all" and "if dreams can't come true then why not pretend" are lyrics from the song into the unknown which was sang from the very beginning of the series

[@oceanheartz717]

"Maybe all of your memories are lies. Maybe everything you perceive is a lie. But you have to believe in something, right?" -Patrick McHale

[@caelangm]

It seems to me that everyone in the unknown has some sort of internal or external conflict, and they can’t leave until it is resolved. Wirt has to warm up to Greg and accept that he’s just a kid, and can’t be blamed for everything he does. Greg has to realize that life can’t always be fun and games, and should be taken more seriously sometimes. As for the frog, he doesn’t leave until Greg finally settles on a name for him. That would certainly explain why they’re suddenly able to leave after confronting the beast, but who knows

[@Donteatacowman]

You don't need directions, Pilgrim! You follow that compass inside ya heart.

[@shrekwazowski8199]

Donteatacowman No, I think we need directions

[@chairchairchairchairchair]

wow i would havé never guest that

[@gabrielleurbina7020]

hmm maybe beatrice and her family actually ended up back in their own timeline outside of the unknown

[@ThisIsWizardsHandle]

I know I’m late but yea that’s like the entire theme of the unknown, so I don’t get why you say this like you’re discovering something new lol.

[@darlingtarotheart]

Can I mention how much Auntie Whispers character design looks like Miyazaki's characters of old women?! It's so amazing.

[@SophiaSmurr]

That's so funny, I thought the same thing! And in "Spirited Away" there are too sisters who are witches :)

[@darlingtarotheart]

exactly!!! aw i m so happy someone agrees!

[@ravenpotter3]

I noticed that too!!!!!!!!

[@kittitachraksakham1348]

Wow I think I am alone. I noticed this too. One which is good and another which is bad witch too.

[@animatedmayhem]

So I, not sure if you mentioned these yet, but I’d thought I’d share them anyway. 1. In the comic, Greg first learns that the word “burgle” is a word from Fred the Horse and Beatrice, he doesn’t fully comprehend the burglary is bad and he thinks it sounds hilarious, so when they meet Lorna, he says that they’ll “burgle their turts” for fun. 2. When Greg is fighting the old North Wind in the little house, you can very faintly hear the Wilhelm scream, which I thought was a cool detail. Anyway, nice video, keep up the good work!

[@Donteatacowman]

Giving me too much material so fast! At this rate I'd have to make another video before the end of the month hahaha. Thank you!

[@animatedmayhem]

Donteatacowman Ahh, sorry. And no problem. 😅

[@joanna5264]

I don't know if anyone has said this, but my theory is that the Beast's true form is the faces of the children that were turned into adelwood trees. This also goes along with the fact that around that scene, the "Grow, tiny tree" part was playing.

[@taynamarinifontanela5106]

Happily Insane *Tiny seed

[@artpug5288]

Yes I think you are right because when that one frame goes past with the true form it the beast, my theory was that the beast it self was a hollow adelwood tree and his soul is in the lantern which also suggests him being hollow. And maybe the beast is in the darkness because he is a tree(the has working limbs) and doesn't want the woodsman to know so he down cut him down(that is just an added bit to my previous theory)

[@artpug5288]

And possibly his antlers are connected to the trees allowing him to move yet not to cut down tree. One last thing I was thinking that his soul is in the lantern and if it goes out he will become a adelwood tree to in the forest too

[@superboozilla9189]

This would also go with the theory of the beast representing the devil. If the lantern powers the beast and has to be fueled by the children, then he's technically harvesting souls in a sense.

[@soph6539]

In episode 9, when Wirt exits his house one of the decorations on his porch is a skeleton with a pumpkin head foreshadowing the future encounter in Potsfield

[@LouLou-mf8tb]

I thought they said that the black turtles officially had no meaning and they just wanted to see what the fans would put together as theories. My theory was that the black turtles were from the black turtles band poster that we see in Wirt’s room in the real world. Maybe it’s a little part of Wirt’s subconscious making it into the unknown. Maybe they’re trying to remind him that he’s not in the real world anymore.

[@PorcelainRequiem]

My theory on the Latin reprise of Potatoes and Molasses is this: It could be a nod to a Requiem Mass to symbolize Greg's impending death. Traditional Masses are sung in Latin.

[@catserver8577]

And in real time, a prayer, possibly of last rights, could have been being spoken over him in the hospital.

[@dragonpuns5767]

If the theory that Auntie whispers and Adelaide have a 3rd sister; it could be a reference to the three sisters. The 3 sisters are when corn, beans and squash are grown together and considering the autumn theme it could be a clue.

[@mikemudrow]

I wonder if it's also a reference to the 3 fates. That doesn't explain why one is missing though.

[@ABANDONED23456]

IDK why but I find that kinda cute

[@gabrielleurbina7020]

@@mikemudrow it could be that the third is the beast? since they both seem to have some sort of connection to him

[@aoife-burns]

@@gabrielleurbina7020 I always thought the third could be Old Lady Daniels. Remember, Greg took the rock from her garden maybe she cursed him? She’s also quite similar to Auntie Whispers and Adelaide in the way of using children for labour, since she made Greg do chores...on Halloween. Adelaide wanted a child servant, while Auntie Whispers controlled Lorna with the bell (although she WAS doing it for Lorna’s benefit.)

[@alexkrill2617]

I have the theory that lady in the clouds would be the third. Greg has a sour deal with her, just like whispers and the spirit, or Adelaïde and Beatrice.

[@stella-cz6du]

oo in relation to the meaning of the turtles and the "imperfections in the quilt" comment, maybe by imperfections it means holes of a sort in the reality of the unknown. maybe this species of turtle lives in the pond that the boys fell into, and theyre in the unknown as small bits of reality bleeding through.

[@GiantPots]

I'm so glad that my comment got to be part of your video! I still puzzle over the end of Mad Love when the coins are sinking in the fountain and get eaten by the catfish, only then to reveal a huge pile of coins at the bottom of the fountain. At first I thought this might be a sly reference to Catfishing, since Wirt and Greg were misrepresenting themselves as Quincy's nephews to get money from him. The other could be that the pile of coins came from years of casting wishing coins into the fountain, and thus the pile of coins is another example of the lovely lies (that wishes come true) that clutter the unknown.

[@traceursebas]

Patrick told some of the secret background story behind Auntie Whispers and her sister Adelaide: Adelaide was jealous of her sister for having a child servant and wanted her own child servant, that's why she want to capture Greg and Wirt. The sisters Adelaide and Auntie Whispers are inspired by the witch sisters Yubaba and Zeniba from Miyazaki's Spirited Away.

[@klink180]

Here's a quick one, in the tavern scene when Wirt sings his "song" and the tailor says "it's a metaphor" in reference to it being a love song, it's an allusion toward Wirt's affection for Sara.

[@marlowmorbid8531]

my favorite thing to point out is how Lorna planned from the start to eat Wirt and Greg. she urged the two of them inside, called them "my little turtles" (implied food), and hid them because she knew auntie whispers would warn the boys of the evil spirit. she also lied about Whispers not being her real aunt, proven false when she called auntie whispers family at the end of the episode. so, Lorna was ACTUALLY cruel. my theory as to why she's so cruel can be related to my replies to one other comment on this video--she takes after her mother 😂

[@marlowmorbid8531]

also: Beatrice "curses" the tavern keeper when she gets thrown out, harkening to the fact that Beatrice & her entire family were cursed due to her OWN abuse of a bluebird. so that lady is probably a bluebird now 😂

[@mystic-malevolence]

I don't think she means family in a literal sense there; I'm pretty sure she's just saying they've become close.

[@buzzsawenthusiast1756]

She doesn't call the brothers turtles, if I remember correctly she says "Come out my turtles," meaning get out of the turtle basket, the different speech patterns due to her being from a different time period.

[@shrekwazowski8199]

Wren Wren but she also says “I’m sorry my turtles”

[@FarhanASof]

If you look closely, the show has this filter that makes it look dreamy. You can see the corners are always blurry

[@ravenpotter3]

Could mean that it’s told from memory

[@ginar2339]

She mentioned that in a previous video.

[@adampickard9880]

@@ravenpotter3 vignetting could serve as a device to suggest memory, an unreliable narrator, dream sequence. Noteably Its not used in the flashback!

[@SincerelySadako]

Thank you for arguing against the WW1 cape. I've been saying for ages that it's a Civil War cape because why would you store a WW1 cape with a Civil War hat? It simply makes more logical sense that's it's all part of one uniform, be it authentic or simply for a reenactment.

[@TheLanimation]

I've been doing research on tape recorders in order to date the series, if it truly is in the '70s. I've always thought the Halloween decorations, wallpaper in the party house, and even simpler costumes are just old '70s styles and it could take place in either the '80s or even '90s. The first tape recorder was the 1964 Norelco Philips Carry Corder 150, but if you look at it, it does not look like the one Wirt's is inspired by. Another detail to note is that at the end of the "For Sara" A side, you hear what was previously recorded on it, Wirt's DAD playing with the recorder with baby Wirt, meaning it has been passed down to him. If it were a 1964 model, and from clues Wirt gives about his age ("I'm, like, in high school") being at least 15 years old, then it would place it in 1979 at the earliest. But I don't think the Carry Corder is what he uses, as his has a significant handle on it. The Philips EL 3302 is more close to Wirt's (Wiki pic: commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Philips_EL3302.jpg) and it came out in 1968. It still doesn't have a handle, so it could be an even newer model. That would place Over the Garden Wall in 1983 at the earliest. Hope this helped!

[@chloestokes850]

At LEAST FIFTEEN?!? What! Here where I live, You're thirteen. Lol If I were wherever you were, I'd be learning Year 5 work oml. Yeah, over here in NZ, you start elementary school two years earlier than America and that. So my year group, 11 & 12 yr olds, aka YR 7's would be learning seventh grade instead of fifth grade, which is the year 5's XD and then we go to high school when we're about thirteen, which is yr 9. I think that Wirt would be fourteen.

[@joliecrusoe387]

@@chloestokes850 Yeah, (as far as I know) most American high schools start at 14.

[@purpleblah2]

The purpose of the turts is to be burgled.

[@KenoughObiWan]

I always thought the ??? in the credits of the first episode was a nod to how the frog didn't have a real name yet

[@animatedmayhem]

Allison Iukipa That’s what I thought too

[@kaintenebris4253]

That's what she said in an earlier video when she first mentions it. In this one she was addressing what other people had told her about the show.

[@mrjaxsonjay5110]

I'm prity shoure it dose

[@serious7422]

Mr Jaxson Jay I usually don't do this but it's "I'm pretty sure it does" sorry if that was rude

[@addie_ed6804]

Allison Iukipa I think it is and she just made a mistake

[@jeyarr7930]

Oh I get it now, imperfections in the quilt, the turtles were there because there were turtles on the river and they somehow made their way into their their illusion thus the turtles representing imperfections in their reality or quilt

[@siennap9808]

Nother thing!! In the last episode during the climax when the beast appears, if you listen closely, you can hear overlapped whispering. It could be the reveal of the trees being lost souls, or the fact that the beast is made up of peoples faces(?) And their souls.

[@DanteYewToob]

This show is pretty damn incredible. Equally as incredible is your dedication to sharing your love of the show and helping people appreciate all the love and hard work that went into making it! For giving me a deeper appreciation and respect for a show I already loved, you have my respect. Also, you seem to do your research and did a good job putting these videos together. You should do more! If you can squeeze this much out of a short run mini series like OTGW, something like Gravity Falls could last you a lifetime!

[@Donteatacowman]

I started on a Gravity Falls version of this video but there was literally so much trivia that I had to stop, haha.

[@Steve19906]

What about the fact the Greg is closer to death while in the Unknown and this is symbolizing him being closer to death in real life as seen when Wirt pulls him out of the water and Greg is unconscious

[@chickensalad2572]

In the first episode the opening song has everything leading up to Wirt and Greg's "adventures" starting with Beatrice looking at the blue bird she soon throws a rock at, Potsfields mayor still as a cat harvesting pumpkins, then Jimmy in the circus in a gorilla suit, then everyone from the "I'm the highway man episode" then, Quincy first seeing the "ghost" then Adelaide making a quilt and cutting a thread of yarn with the scissors Beatrice needed to save her family THEN children releasing a toy boat down a winding river then, a clip of the auntie whispers girl, (can't remember her name sorry) organizing the bones of the ones eaten there before, then the fish that fishes up wish, then Greg stealing a the rocks fact rock, then ending with the woodsman and his daughter before the beast put "her soul" in the lantern.

[@finnmaccool5063]

a bit late, but the Latin could be a reference to Gregorian Chant. it was sung by choirs of men by the Roman Catholic Church. I just recently learned about it in my music appreciation class! it seems really fitting with the religious themes, as when it was sung, the bubonic plague was going around, and it was only sung in the church for religiously purposes. it was considered very holy and important, and people went to pray and listen to it for a sense of hope during the plague. it fits with the religious theme and it reminds me of how Adalade (spelling?) didn't want the night air, and night air was considered deadly during the bubonic plague. sort of a stretch? but hey, I thought it was a nice coincidence that since it's Greg, it fits with only men singing Gregorian Chant. and with all the religious things mentioned, I thought it seemed fitting :)

[@55alegria]

You forget something important: Quentin doesn't have a reflection... Impliying that he is also dead...

[@areshseptango9619]

the cape is the same, a lot of those old military capes folded to become half length wich is how wirt is wearing it since hes shorter than a fully grown person, also the whisper sisters are probably analogous to the fates trope in myth

[@callistoooooo]

Also in Lullaby in Frogland, where they're pretending to be part of the band, (and I might be wrong) Wirt's hat has randomly disappeared.

[@Donteatacowman]

Good catch! From what I can tell, you're right! Doesn't seem to appear onscreen in between when they duck into the storage closet and when they cut to the frogs disembarking that evening.

[@onyxiussuzannevernon7675]

The turtles are like the snail from adventure time hahaha Just everywhere without much reason

[@drserr6581]

In the new, Art of Over The Garden Wall, one of the concepts mentioned a skinless witch that kidnapped people in their sleep. Perhaps that was the 3rd witch

[@Donteatacowman]

That's definitely possible! But she was cut out of the show very very early on, and Patrick Mchale came up with the backstory for Whispers and Adelaide much later...

[@adinom687]

Right before it says "The loveliest lies of all" it talks about "golden memories", so the golden memories are the loveliest lies. Whenever I first heard the lyrics, my hypothesis on what it meant was the same as yours, and I stand by it.

[@justarandomchannel1989]

There's a lot behind Greg's dream scene, so this will be a long comment. When Greg arrives, you can see a dog filming everything from a cliff. It seems like the parts they film are the parts that are in a circle, which could be the lense. If you notice, they only film the good parts (though not quite all of them), and when it cuts to the dog in the rain, there's no circle. There's also no filming the North Wind. This could show how the Beast shows promise but in reality, it's a trick, like the tavern keeper says "don't believe his lies". Also, the wind is a hint that Greg's dream is being controlled by the beast (also hinted at with Wirt carrying the lantern). This is because the woodsman says that the beast "sings like the four winds", and it seems like all the four winds were singing. A final hint that his dream is controlled by the beast is the cloud queen. She has bluebirds around her, and Greg seems attatched to Beatrice, as the beast would have seen. She is also coloured a light blue, which would make someone feel calm. She also looks a little like the tea lady (I forgot her name), who Greg was concerned about when she fainted. I feel like this was a trap set by the beast, as she told Greg that he could only come home if he left Wirt behind. Of course, the beast knew that this meant he could either have Wirt as an adlewood, or he could convince Greg to sacrifice himself. That's another psychological trick the beast uses. He gives people choices, like Greg being able to save Wirt, or leave him, and the woodsman giving or keeping the lantern. He makes it seem like the other has a choice, however both outcomes only benefit the beast in the end.

[@mistermoon9305]

This show is almost all symbolic. It’s honestly impressive how much symbolism and foreshadowing they packed into *10 FRIGGIN’ EPISODES*

[@charliefrown7198]

The duck on the duck kids shirt appears in Greg's dream running behind him

[@starandfox601]

I have a huge theory what the turtles actually represent but first I'm going to have to explain the native american turtle creation myth for the theory to make sense. in native american legend a turtle swam to the bottom of the water that covered the world and put mud on it's back to save a sky women.she ended up in the water because her husband was mad that she was going to have twins and so he tore up the tree in the center of their island that gave them light(sun didn't exist yet) which created a hole that lead straight down to the water and she fell in it cause she was curious and looked down the hole which her husband pushed her down.two birds saw her fall and saved her and brought her to the aquatic animals.the two birds and a little toad helped the turtle put mud on it's back till it became north america. the sky women gave birth to the twins sapling who was warm and kind and created things.flint who had a cold heart and would destroy saplings creations.flint made the river flow only one way,he made monsters,created winter and pretty much everything bad.sapling gave winter life to give way to spring and he drove flints monsters and flint underground. turtles also represent life and medicine is made in their shells(probably why auntie eats the turtles but not their shell). so the turtles probably represent the turtle that saved the sky women and hints that the beast is flint.they were also probably created by sapling to protect people and bring about spring. the dog spits out black oil along with a turtle.auntie is trying to protect her daughter.they show up in cloud city(sky people?)basically any time something bad is about to happen they show up to protect.

[@feikoff2206]

11:33 The “sighs“ are a reference to the spooky eidelwood that the boys encountered earlier, it was full of holes and the wind was blowing through it creating a whooshing sound ALSO- the skeletons peeling apples are participating in an old halloween tradition! peeling apples and throwing the peel behind you would supposedly tell you the first initial of your soulmate. that’s not the only apple based love game from the days of yore but it’s the only one i can see being played at the party

[@tacosaurus3517]

I'm so glad someone else noticed the duck kid in the last episode! XD In an episode of Clarence, you can see Wirt and Greg walk by in the background.

[@kavo1460]

I thought "smell you later" was a response to the witch aunt who nearly caught them because of their smell/sence

[@EmmanuelEytan]

I don't know if this was mentioned before (I also added to the Fandom web page), but the music from the Beast's song, "La la la la, la la la, chop the wood to light the fire", is directly from Humperdinck's opera Hänsel und Gretel. The song is the opera is sung by Hansel and Gretel's father who is mad that their mother let them venture alone in the woods. He sings the song on his way back home. There are similarities between Hansel and Gretel and Over the Garden Wall: both are about two children who get lost in the woods and find their way to the house of an old woman who wants to kill them but who find their way out on their own. It's important to notice that the version of Hansel and Gretel often told in the United States is often mixed with another tale, Hop-o'-My-Thumb. Originally, these are two distinct stories. In Hansel and Gretel, in some versions, the children are abandoned by their parents and don't leave a trail to come back, but in the one from the opera, they're just sent to collect berries in the forest and get lost. In Hop-o'-My-Thumb, there are seven brothers, not two siblings, and the get to an ogre's house, not the house made of candy belonging to a witch. That said, Greg did leave a trail of candy, so it's possible that McHale's intent was to use the mixed version where, after leaving food as a trail, the siblings get lost (as in Hop-o'-My-Thumb) and then get to the house made of candy (like in Hansel and Gretel). The opera sticks closely to the original story, though, and the children being lost in the forest is shown as an accident. Oddly enough, both versions match Over the Garden Wall, as in Into the Unknown, the policeman tries to keep Wirt from running into the darkness. Another, simpler point is that the policeman in Into the Unknown bears an indirect resemblance to the Woodsman. Both carry a light and both try to help Wirt. Bun in both cases, Wirt is more afraid of the person trying to help him that of people who actually wish him harm. He does that a lot: he's afraid of Enough, who's harmless. But he trusts Beatrice and is honestly looking forward to meeting Adelaide, who is trying to kill him. He also fears Auntie Whispers and trusts Lorna, even though Auntie Whispers (who does not carry a light unlike the Woodsman and the policeman) tries to help him and Lorna is trying to kill him. Greg does not have that problem: he observes everything with little judgement. More importantly, even though Wirt was always a terrible brother to him, because he projects his anger about his father onto Greg, we see, particularly in Into the Unknown, that Greg either never picks up on that or pretends not to notice. He is always trying to be kind and helpful to Wirt, trying to help him get closer to Sara. In the end, he even chooses to get changed into an Elderwood tree if it means that Wirt can go home. So Wirt always trusts the wrong person and fears or blames the wrong person. But the policemen and the Woodsman, both trying to help Wirt with their literal light in the dark that he always runs away from, are the most obvious examples. And neither the policeman nor the Woodsman give up on Wirt, no matter how ungrateful Wirt is, just like Greg.

[@maurajeann]

The theme the beast sings in the forest “Ra la la la” is the father’s theme from the operatic version of Hansel and Gretel. Sam Ramey who voices the beast is a very famous opera singer! The Hansel and Gretel reference definitely parallels the two boys being lost in the woods.

[@whoneedsalife_4371]

A cool little detail is when both Wirt and then later Greg are covered in branches and leaves you can see little dropplets of the oil for the lamp. Some foreshadowing that souls are used to keep the lamp going

[@soynymphfaery]

12:45 Literally the scariest thing that I've ever seen.

[@littledrummergirl_19]

That is *horrifying* 😬

[@rebeccap6878]

Ohhh... That almost made me throw up it freaked me out so much. 😳 Edit: the more and more I re-watch it, the cuter it gets. ☺

[@1three7]

About the black turtles, the "imperfection in the quilt" seems to reference the idea that quilt makers purposefully added mistakes to quilts to show humility and because it isn't actually possible to create a perfect quilt so it's best to embrace the imperfections. In my mind I think it's an example of Patrick McHale trying to craft something which can be interpreted in numerous ways to different people. He wasn't trying to create something didactic.

[@JosephTPorter]

The "imperfection in the quilt" line reminds of the short story "What You Pawn I Will Redeem" by Sherman Alexie in which a Native American man attempting to buy his grandmother's dance regalia from a pawn shop mentions that there is one off-color bead on it: an intentional imperfection included as a reminder that all humans are, and everything we put our hands to is, flawed

[@IceFireofVoid]

In the game Fran Bow, there are multiple realities representing life, death, light and darkness. In the darker realities, there are creatures called Kamalas who feed on the despair of people. They bear a striking resemblance to the Beast from Over the Garden Wall. I can't remember which came first, and I don't really think the show or the game were inspired from one another, but I find it fun to imagine they both take place in the same universe, that they traveled to one of the other realities and that The Beast is a Kamala.

[@justaghostinthesea]

If there are other Edlewood trees in the Unknown, that means that other people from "The Real World" have been to the Unkown and fell to the Beast's manipulation, thus allowing them to become Edlewood trees themselves.

[@AJChew-rp7jj]

I’ve always seen the unknown as kinda like the twilight zone. It’s based in reality but strange things happen. We know it isn’t a dream of wirts because Greg not only has the same memory of their time in the unknown but the frog still has the bell. My theory is that u and others can find ur way into the unknown through near death experience, times of fear , confusion, urgency etc. wirt is only able to escape after deciding to live in reality and learns not only that life can be scarier than death but also learns to love Greg. Gregis only saved by Wirt pulling him out. The woodsman was probably brought to the unknown after finding his daughter missing and having a breakdown and the lesson he learns bringing him back to reality is that he has to learn to let go blowing out the candle. I think the reason Quincys gravestone is in the real world is because he is dead but he died a long time ago and what brought him back to his time was finding true love the one thing he was missing. Finally Beatrice seems to be both apart of the real world and the unknown as her house is set in the unknown however when it cuts forward the house doesn’t seem to be in as bad a shape it was after the dog attack so I think she’s apart of the real world as she also learns the lesson to confront her problems face on by telling her family she is the reason their birds.

[@41-Haiku]

"An imperfection in the quilt." I like that. Something that doesn't quite fit, but makes it unique. :)

[@pawtonsansders985]

So according to the wiki for the song into the unknown,the lines from “Led through the mist” to “then why not pretend” features a scene connected to each of the ten episodes. Later, it hyperlinks the line “the loveliest lies of all” to Greg’s rock and since Greg stole the rock he lied about where he got it

[@lilcherryblossom]

Going on about this again(because I love Latin): the use of Latin at the part where Greg is turning into a tree is more than likely harkening to the requiem mass. Since “Potatoes and Molasses” is one of Greg’s most memorable songs in the series, it’s fitting that it would become his requiem.

[@DinsRune]

This was pointed out on TV Tropes, but the Highwayman's dance and music is thought to be inspired by Cab Calloway. What WASN'T pointed out by TV Tropes is that Enoch was named after a figure from the Bible, a human who is thought to be the last person to speak to an angel. The hypothetical language of angels created by John Dee, Enochian, takes his name as well.

[@Patrick_Knowlton]

Two years later I realize my comment was featured! Was watching casually and heard my name and needed a moment to process.

[@childintheivy8608]

I noticed a few interesting references to Greek mythology in the show, such as the Old North Wind and the Woodsman's comment about how the Beast "sings like the four winds" (both possible references to the Anemoi), the Oneiroi in "Babes in the Woods," and the Beast's trial, where he instructs Greg to lower the sun into a china cup. In the myths, Helios the sun deity travels around at night in a golden cup. I don't know if this stuff is exactly relevant to the plot but I love geeking out about these little tidbits.

[@hellomygoodstranger]

As a music major, out of what I learned from my music history course, Latin is used as a form of sacred religious text in order to not be diminished in meaning by another language carried on past the mass. The only thing I can suggest is the text was changed into Latin to demonstrate religious ideals when it comes to death, possibly similar to songs of Gregorian chant such as the well known "Dies Irae" which emphasizes on "The Day of Judgement."

[@rolanslide8509]

I find the "What time period are Wirt and Greg from" question rather interesting. The architecture, technology, fashion etc allude to the 60s or 70s, but there is slang from the 80s, and there is music/bands that allude to the 90s/2000s. The unknown is a place outside of time, it exists not in the present, nor in the past or future. The characters and settings allude to places and times going all the way back to the mid 17th century, all the way to the 20th century. I think it's only fitting for Wirt and Gregs home to be similar in that regard. In a way, it reminds me of the movie It Follows. It's a very dream-like and vague movie, and thusly it's not set in one time period and has allusions to many different periods in the past few decades.

[@deltaevergreen6225]

I know this video is 4 years old, but I'm surprised by how little people have talked about symbolism in the show. For example the name Wirt means "Worthy", which could imply that Wirt is worthy of his fate of being in the unknown, considering his actions are what led them there. Blue birds are a symbol of hope, which is a predominate theme in the show. They are also a symbol of renewal, which could be about how Wirt and Beatrice grow as characters. The waxing half moon in pagan/witch culture, is known as a phase meaning for "it's time to take action". Much like how it's time for the characters to take action in deciding their fate. Frogs are a symbol of rebirth and change, which I feel are also prevalent to the series. I have a lot more but these are some of the BIG ones.

[@plaitedstrings1202]

When the people at the tavern start calling Wirt the young lover they aren't entirely wrong as he ended up at the graveyard in the first place by following his crush Sara

[@daiisjah]

one thing i noticed last time i restarted the series is the fact that at the beginning of the pilot episode wirt keeps cowering behind greg, but after the dog chases them to the roof, he hoists greg up first. i don't remember if he continued to sacrifice himself for the sake of protecting greg or if it was a recurring theme (where he starts out cowering behind greg and then moves to keep greg out of harm's way) in which case could probably mean he just wants to be able to keep an eye on him. the first one, however, alludes more to his general character arc and is more wholesome imo

[@edenklein3454]

Oh boy at 13:48 you can see on the tree a sad face on it

[@applebee28]

Additional thing - No one on the frog barge seems to notice that a frog grew 6 feet and is playing the bassoon by sticking it into his stomach. Maybe they just assumed it was a bunch of frogs on each others' shoulders?

[@drawzamation39]

I feel like “the frog” somehow swallowed a firefly or something and that’s how wirt and Greg thought of the bell glowing when shaken, cause what I’ve seen is when firefly’s are in like a jar and you shake them they glow and that’s why you see “Jason the frog” still have “the bell” in his stomach. But idk

[@jordanweisblaltt5516]

The black turtles was the name of Wirt’s favorite band which was referenced as a poster in his room

[@catserver8577]

I think the entire series is the kids' struggle to live after falling and drowning, but being saved and taken to the hospital. Think of the saying "They're not out of the woods yet.". Each time a point is reached where there is a choice, or an opportunity missed, is the back and forth being experienced in real time in the hospital.

[@masoncahanap2116]

in the scene at the house party you can hear two teens talk about playing "too old cat" and earlier in the show greg plays that with the school children showing that they did have memory of things outside of the unknown

[@Hisha1303]

Oh, and I don't know if it's been brought up here before but I remember some time ago before the four-issues comics came out there were a few theories circulating about the Beast not being fully corporeal, to explain why he couldn't do anything more than try to intimidate Wirt from afar when the latter was threatening to blow out his lantern This was already proven inaccurate in the show itself with the Beast being able to touch objects the other characters can also pick up (the teacup, Greg's teapot) and the comics showing him carrying the lantern pretty much seemed to be the final nail in the coffin. Though, we never really see him touch /people/ on-screen. The closest he gets is the Edelwood growing around Greg. And his fight with the Woodsman was mostly off-screen so we don't really know how it exactly played out. Anyway, for some reason the Beast would rather throw the teacup at Greg's feet rather than get within arm's reach and handing it to him and won't move from his spot to get Wirt. Whether the Beast /can't/ or /won't/ get up close with other people is unkown.

[@amelie6436]

The turtles are souls. Hence the dog spitting out one in chapter 1, and the barrel in Auntie Whisper’s house. (Auntie claims to have killed many people)

[@dragon1496]

The outro song has some lyrics of: "Dancing in the swirl of golden memories" I'm pretty sure this is referencing how the Beast is dancing in the flames of the lantern and how he is tricking people by using their memories and relationships as reason to keep the lantern lit, which could also be referenced to by: "The loveliest lies of all" which comes directly afterward

[@Orion_TheyThem]

Also, the woodsman isn't the one singing Wayward Souls. It's the Beast's VA. And also, the Woodsman didn't know that the children become the edlewood trees (which is kinda stated in the lyrics).

[@junco88]

I think the turtles are just covered in oil, which is effecting the local life in different ways.

[@venomcap8330]

Just re-watched the whole show yesterday and now your videos! Thank u for the effort you put in to make these videos. Next, I will read all the comics :D

[@ulyssesdenice5071]

Also another little neat detail I picked up. When the Woodsman tells Wirt and Greg off, about how "the woods is no place for children", he's looking at Wirt in particular, who I noticed shares a heavy likeness with his daughter Anna, and appears to be the same age she was. As if he was speaking to his own daughter!

[@estrellacasias]

You sound like Beatrice

[@mcadambomb]

hahaha I just noticed that today also

[@SaintNixon_]

I have rewatched all your over the garden wall videos over and over for a while now, I absolutely love them!

[@holly621wood]

8:21 The third person on the wall could be another sister which also coincidentally looks like the bell that controls the spirit inside Lorna!!!

[@mobilesuitcar]

I know this video is from like, around a year ago, but I just wanted to share what I noticed. In the opening of the first episode, it's foreshadowing who the characters are, and what happened to them. a bluebird flies away in the background while Beatrice, as a human, is on screen with her dog Pumpkins are being taken to Pottsfield by a cat, Enoch, there's Jimmy Brown in the gorilla suit at the circus, The Tavern characters are toys that look like those that the Toy Maker had made, Quincy is looking at the painting of Margueritte and then notices a shadow come across screen, Two boys are playing with the Ferry that Wirt and Greg ride to get to Adelaide's, Adelaide has the scissors cutting string, possibly symbolizing how Wirt cut the strings with those scissors, Lorna is organizing bones of those who she has eaten, The big fish was fishing, they later use a net to get Wirt above the water, Greg picks up the rock from Mrs.Daniels' garden, he talks about how Wirt needs to return the rock to Mrs.Daniels. and then we see the Woodsman's daughter looking at the woods while he's in the background, also the Tavern Keeper was correct when she said "The Beast is out there!" while pointing outside. This is because we hear the Beast singing his tune and Beatrice comments on that. We also can suspect it was the Beast that was the strange shadow.

[@wingerton]

Your videos on this have been really enlightening, thank you so much! Like so many other people OTGW has become really dear, very meaningful to me, partly because of the endless references that lend it a cultural continuity all at once familiar and yet different. To my mind a lot of the symbolism has to do with growing up, individuating, maturing, and all the passages that take place in that process. For Wirt - puberty, attraction and love; and being accountable to his little brother. For Greg - leaving childhood behind (or maybe just as much how to carry childhood forward into the responsibilities that accompany being an adult!), and understanding responsibility. And overall being faced with the idea of death, something we all contend with in our youth and for the duration of our lives, and which our coming to terms with informs all of our decisions in life.

[@KittyFridge]

Here’s my spin on Over the garden wall based on the logic of the Beast!Wirt AU. From what I could gather from all the fanfiction, fan comics, and fan based things relating to the au, it mainly shows that Wirt turns into Beast!Wirt through accepting the deal presented by the beast. This breaks the logic the show represents because the woodsman has also accepted what is most likely the same task seeing as Greg, like the woodman’s daughter, was in some sort of danger, likely to be caused by the beast, and being told that their souls could stay alive by moving it into the lantern. The other thing I’ve noticed in this AU is that sometimes Wirt blows out the lantern killing the beast, turning himself into the new one witch throws even more thoughts I’ve had on the show out the window. This is because in the last episode it’s shown that the woodsman blew out the lantern, if this part of the AU applied that would mean that the woodsman would turn into the next beast. Idk this is just my input on the AU and how it’d apply to the show

[@JediHobbit89]

The song the skeletons are singing in Pottsfield is a type of early American folk music called shape note singing or "Sacred Harp" (the latter name from an old book which collected various songs). They were hymns to be sung in church which were written to be sung by the congregation in which different people would sing one note, blending together into a unique effect. What makes the Pottsfield song strange is that the shape notes (the wordless sounds sung to the tune of the song) come at the end rather than the beginning. These songs would start with the shape notes in order to give the singers a feel for their parts before going into the song proper.

[@Donteatacowman]

This is super informative, thank you! I wondered about that, since it's much more audible in the vinyl recording, where the nonsense syllables (zatsazalaza etc.) come at the beginning. I can't hear them in the show proper though!

[@JediHobbit89]

You're welcome. That's because like I said they come in at the end, when there are plenty of dialogue and things going on to distract the listener. I'm a huge fan of that style of choral music too, so it made me extremely happy to hear it when I was watching the show for the first time. And holy shit am I ever glad I was introduced to this show; it's amazing! I'm also a huge fan of that sort of autumnal, early American gothic aesthetic the whole thing exudes, a kind of Irving, Lovecraft, and Hawthorne mashup.

[@Please-help-im-lost]

I think Greg singing in Latin as well as the song in Latin means two different things. 1. Set the beast is a very ancient force. Latin although not the oldest language is in old language so it would make sense that this is showing how old the beast really is. 2. It also shows that Greg is surrendering/supporting this old ancient spirit. It’s just another part of this song that praises Greg’s surrender.

[@justarandomchannel1989]

The reasoning behind Greg singing potatoes and molasses in latin at the end: In the lyrics, he says "when your mout starts mumbling and your stomache starts rumbling, there's only one thing to keep your brain from crumbling". This could be in reference to the actual food, or the song, which could be why he was singing it. He was hungry (as shown by eating leaves), and was probably only able to mumble because of the cold and being so tired. He probably decided to sing the song to keep his hope and to stay concious, however he isn't actually singing the song, it's almost like it's an echo in his memory. The reason why I think it's latin is because latin is called a dead language, though it's not quite dead yet, just like Greg was.

[@bigkuriboh3814]

Can I just say that I believe the reason he said "Smell you later." to aunt whipper sand lorna is because initially she claims she can smell them hiding in the house.

[@Orion_TheyThem]

The question marks are for the frog because Gregory can never decide on a name until the very end. So it's just a fun little hint at that. Just the frog being unnamed but still a main character.

[@sevenseasonsofbrown]

8:21 why on Earth did they have to pick such a weird picture of Patrick McHale?? lol XD

[@niashq]

The question marks in the credits are actually for the frog, it was stated in the art book from what I remember. Since the frog doesn’t have a set name determined and changes constantly, he’s just listed as ???

[@icepaw2006]

"until your sighs fill the air in the night" is probably referring to trees blowing in wind and how they can make a sighing noise

[@TheDarkZeroGame]

So I have a theory. The reason that the wolf in the beginning and the beast are so similar when it comes to eye colors and being these concept of horrify monsters is because they're the only 2 characters that were "dying" in the land of limbo. The dog was choking on a turtle this entire time , while the beast through out the show is in a consistent state of dying, only being partially alive through a small lit lamp. I think it's the state of dying, but resisting that makes being in limbo become a horrifying monster. Even Lorna had an "illness" which made her into a horrible monster. Yes it's technically from a bell but the bell can also be the whole idea of a "dead bell" which was always rung for those who were considered deceased.

[@AnonymousZombie11]

The song the beast sings "tra La la la" is a direct reference from the Hansel and Gretel opera. Hansel and Gretel is of course also about 2 children lost in the woods

[@felixswift8234]

I don’t think therel be a second series but that makes it so wholesome.

[@gabrielbrennan4149]

A thing you may have missed/I didn't see in these (super awesome) videos: The voice actor for the Beast is an actual opera singer, Samuel Ramey. He's apparently pretty famous, and for good reason. John Cleese voices Aunt Whispers. Maybe that's not a thing-thing, but I mean, flippin John Cleese! Some theories: -Latin is used for Greg's final song because Latin is the root of many modern languages (including English). Potatoes and Molasses is sort of symbolic for Greg's overall personality - that is, being optimistic to the point of silly/fun (ref my absolute favorite scene in the entire series where Greg literally laughs in the Beasts face: "A golden comb of honey!"). So his core song is sung in our core language (and it just sounds cool/eerie, too lol). -The turtles represent mistrust. We know that there are other evil creatures in The Unknown besides the Beast - i.e. Adelaide, who claims to be his servant. The turtles obviously effected the dog, making it monstrous, though perhaps not consciously. It isn't obvious that they effect Auntie Whispers, though she does admit to keeping Lorna captive for her own happiness sake instead of allowing her to be free due to fear of losing her companionship. This may have been due to the turtles, though maybe not too. But since humans are more complex than animals, you would except the turtles to effect them in more subtle ways. So the dog + turtles = monster (anger, an outcome of mistrust), and Whispers + turtles = dependence/fear of loneliness (caused by a lack of faith in Lorna's honest care for her; Lorna shows that she does care by staying after being freed). I don't know why the turtle infected dog was going crazy for candy though, haha. Maybe turtles just like candy. I hope those conjectures came across clearly. Thanks again for the videos, they were really cool!