Little Lamplight is for Kids, Mungo! | Fallout Lore

Discovered in the late 19th century Lamplight Caverns was converted into a tourist attraction where people could come and learn about the caverns, how they were made and what creatures called the caverns home. On the 23rd of October 2077 82 students from The Early Dawn Elementary School were taken on a field trip to explore Lamplight Caverns. And for many hours the children, watched over by several teachers and parent chaperones, wandered the caverns unaware that it was about to become their new home.
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[@blackmesacake5361]

As awful as things were for those kids, they have no idea how lucky they were that no one from Vault 87 let them in.

[@zerowolf0006]

Right!!!

[@cinnamonflavord]

The Super Mutants saving and harvesting the kids is a way better explanation than there being 200 years worth of kids being in the cave

[@AlchemistOfNirnroot]

My headcanon is that Little Lamplight is the dumping ground of the Capital Wasteland.

[@rjayyyy9623]

​@@AlchemistOfNirnrootThat probably is the case, it's what I've always thought was the most likely answer for their presence there. It makes sense for people who haven't got facilities to raise children to take them somewhere where only children are rumoured to inhabit. I've not watched the entire video yet so he'll probably explain more on how they turn up, but I too consider it to be the dumping ground of the Wastes.

[@Your-Least-Favorite-Stranger]

@@rjayyyy9623 Second this. You hear rumor of a dumping ground for kids you can't take care of, a place kids are safe and happy - you can barely scrape out an existence let alone feed your child, so you take your kid there or at least near there and tell them "someone will find you, just stay here". Scouts from Little Lamplight go out regularly/keep an eye out and see the kid left alone outside: they establish contact, lead the kid back, feed them, give them a bed, and tell them they'll get them situated in the morning. Kids wake up and get a rundown of how the place works; they learn they'll be getting an education, regular meals, the only thing is they have to eat fungus regularly to stay healthy and they'll eventually have to help out as a guard, a doctor, a teacher, a cook, a scavenger, or they have to help in some other way that's needed. In time they grow up and will have to leave; for as bad as Big Town is now, I don't think it always was this way. Those who had to leave Lamplight probably settled down there, had their own kids, and just carried on the tradition of leaving kids near Little Lamplight to be found because it was the only safe place they knew growing up. Those who werent killed or sold into slavery eventually left Big Town as they learned more about the outside world; transplants to Rivet City and Megaton probably tell people about the place and offer to bring kids who need new homes there, or at least give general directions so the kids can get there themselves. Word of mouth and a few trustworthy sources can get you pretty far

[@lylyedits]

Actually 200 years is only 4 generations!! Or 5... Still not a lot!

[@Drave_Jr.]

@@lylyedits Don't forget Little Lamplight is cut off at 18 via own rules. So more like 10 generations of Lamplighters.

[@whambamrabbitman6770]

Little Lamplight really feels like a leftover from when the game was initially going to be set a lot closer to the bombs dropping

[@thezambambo2184]

The entire game feels like a leftover from that era of the storyline

[@RangerJackWalker]

Putting aside the fact that this 'theory' is not true, not really. If 200 years is too unbelievable for Lamplight's existence, then 25 is too.

[@isaachunt6694]

@@RangerJackWalker possibly the most moronic fallout take ever

[@RangerJackWalker]

@@isaachunt6694 Why? 25 years (the most commonly cited number for when the game was supposedly going to take place) doesn’t make Lamplight any more or less believable than 200 years. 25 years means almost 2 generations of Lamplighters coming and going. If 200 years is too much for you, then 25 years doesn’t really do anything to solve most people’s issue. Aside from that, the theory that the game was supposed to take place much earlier is simply not true. This has never been substantiated by actual evidence or developer words.

[@Robb1977]

@@RangerJackWalker 25 years does make alot more sense than 200. theres alot that could/would go wrong in that timeline, where its somewhat believable that in the first 25 years kids all over the wasteland are being abandoned or orphaned, and just happen to find their way to this child colony. while there may not be direct evidence for the game being set in this time period, the atmosphere created by the game seems that it was generally meant to be a decade or two post war. things like slavery, water begging, child colonies, old-world food still being consumable*... all feels like a 20-30 year post war thing. *while this feature is retained in NV, there are nation states shown that have industrial production capabilities, implying the rusty can of beans is probably just shoddy post-war packaging rather than pre-war surplus, and the factories making snack cakes and soda are probably back online given a low intelligence courier assumes big industrial buildings (helios 1) are food factories.

[@brothers_of_nod]

Those children have essential status to protect them, no wonder Little Lamplight survived so long.

[@operator8014]

😂

[@themightyai-5302]

When you said that MacCredys story is for another time, I just felt that I would love to go through all the companions backstories and futures. Please consider doing this!

[@elijahperez6506]

That’s my companion right on my current play through

[@TruthForLies]

I always wished we had more information about the final fate of the teachers, whether they were being purposefully picked off or if it was just a matter of traversing in a new nuclear wasteland.

[@rusty_from_earth9577]

Believe it or not, cazadores.

[@_Circus_Clapped_]

​@@rusty_from_earth9577 oof

[@jonathanchevez316]

It could be that they got killed as they explored the wasteland for supplies, others would abandon them, not wanting the responsibility of taking care of all those children.

[@Player_Redacted]

@@jonathanchevez316 As some would say, fuck them kids

[@ryanwilson1072]

Well when you talk to Eclair, he says that the cave fungus started growing in the caves near some water when they "Threw the original mongos into that water." That implies to me a mutiny took place of some sort.

[@northerneastern]

Babe, wake up, Synonymous just dropped a video

[@dudemanman252]

It's 2:30 in the morning

[@lucci-bro935]

Yes babe, am awake

[@tengkualiff]

Wait who are you?! How did u get in my house?!

[@iRaeBandz]

Thanks for waking me up boo

[@everbluetip142]

I'm up I'm up

[@TheTyler211995]

It's sad if you think about the pre-war school children's situation. They would never see their parents again, nor would their parents see their own children again. Then again, the first group of litte lamplighters parents, probably didn't live very long. Either dieing instantly from a nuclear explosion or falling to the chaos, destruction and violence that followed shorty afterward.

[@killer4kash]

I always wondered how this could happen with Lamp Light Cavern, but not with Nuka World. It seems like it would've been about the same result or worse. A bunch of kids hopped up on a never ending supply of caffeine and sugar.

[@jakofthefrost]

I thought Nuka World hadn’t actually opened yet so there wasn’t anyone but employees there when the bombs dropped

[@jnic2707]

​@@jakofthefrostit had definitely opened, but lots of the final terminal entries talk about a power outage so it might've been closed for maintenance

[@calamaribowl8683]

I have a feeling that the "being in a cave" thing helped them live

[@killer4kash]

Wasn't the only kid there the guy who ended being raised by gorillas?

[@vukodlak3962]

@@killer4kash That kid was orphaned and wandered in two centuries after the great war. He was a wasteland child.

[@Mrkabrat]

Little Lamplight is one of those places where you can enter by using the verbal of blowing raspberries to the mayor

[@Jv19979]

I love fallout lore. No matter how many times I hear it.

[@revanwolfe5388]

I always thought that Random wastelanders not wanting to raise their kids in the wasteland dropped them off in L.L. An also considered Big Town kids also going there. Though that wasn't a strong theory for me given the distance, and Big Towns small population. Also Slavers value kids above all an would have snatched them up. The Super Mutant Farm theory is a new good one though, and kinda scary.

[@Newvegasfiend]

My favourite synonymous video is the lore vid on the survivalist

[@mercx007]

It was a work of art

[@Newvegasfiend]

@@mercx007 indeed

[@Brigand231]

Yeah, the whole population thing always bothered me too, picturing kids, all less than 16, delivering babies. The age of the parents doesn't "bother" me from the logic of people doing what they need to to survive, but the idea of children delivering did bother me. I guess the farm/incubator theory makes the most sense since I'm sure former Little Lamplighters wouldn't bother returning to doom their own children to the same fate once they've learned the truth.

[@SuperDrinkingbuddy]

I'm not sure Big town was always so bad. I got the impression that it's fall is more recent and formerly big town was the whole town but the constant raids by slavers and mutants led to the smaller town surrounded by barriers. The reason there's only one person on gaurd is that there's 6 people left and they have given up

[@justinhandy1020]

That's the impression I got when I first played fallout 3.

[@yapyapthedestroyer2562]

And now I feel bad as I had left big town in my playthrough and everyone had died.

[@kaidorade1317]

Always make sure to grab the child at heart perk before heading to little lamp light

[@thedipermontshow]

Or have a good amount of points in Speech

[@doesthisIookinfected]

@@thedipermontshow I had speech 100 and McCreedy still didn't let me in. I don't regret not being able to enter because I was able to rescue his friends from Paradise Falls.

[@samuelclark1095]

The irony behind being one of the kids that pounded on that door, denied access to safety into vault 87 to later be forced into the FEV experiments of a super mutant hoard. Pretty brutal.

[@Egzekost88]

Imagine an alternative prologue to FO3 where we grow up in Little Lamplight instead of the vault, could be interesting

[@megaton.settler]

Once again, another great video! I’ve always wondered, between fallout 3 and new Vegas … who the hell owns those tiny named shacks that have nothing in them. Nothing in them as far as people are concerned. Out in the wasteland, you’ll find some tiny shack made out of metal, usually will have a name, a bed inside, maybe an ammo container, and that’s it. No people to be found, 90% of the time there is no holo disc. Thank it would be really cool to investigate, who owned those if they are locatable

[@mrblack5145]

Canonically, I'd say that a majority of the home owners likely met a grisly fate from the various creatures of the wastes or raiders. Barely eking out a living, scavenging over scraps of metal for anything remotely resourceful but knowing it's been picked over for a century or more already, their hopes were slim but they got enough to call home; only for a group or raiders or Yao Guai to kill them far from home. If you want to see it in a more positive way, perhaps you stumble across their home while they are scavenging, or traveling to another settlement for one reason or another. Non-canon: it's a Bethesda Game, so I'd reckon that it's simply cut content, scrapped ideas, or some type of inside joke that a handful of employees knew. But I would put money on scrapped quests or side missions that for whatever reason, couldn't be properly fleshed out or assembled in a meaningful way before the deadline.

[@masteroutlaw100]

The super mutant theory is good but needs some revision. It's not so much the mutants are deliberately farming the little lamplighters as they're in sort of a symbiotic relationship. The nearby mutants keep most other threats away from the area, which allows little lamplight to exist and grow. This produces an excess of "mungos" that head out into the wasteland, usually alone and lightly armed. Assuming they head to Big Town and aren't chewed up by the various hostile forces of the wasteland then they're likely to get either enslaved by the mutants or in my case, literally eaten by various creatures of the wasteland, including mirelurks and yao guai. So it isn't so much the mutants are deliberately farming the Big Towners as much as it is they exist in a vicious symbiotic relationship neither of them are aware of.

[@gunkcancerr]

nothing beats a synonymous video while eating

[@dakotawomble5556]

While taking a lenghtly shit*

[@SomeIcelandicDude]

Super Mutant farm is now my official headcannon

[@incorporealfear]

Fallout lore is my addiction and Synonymous is my dealer

[@BADVlBES]

It’s funny I was looking through your channel the other day to look for some more on these guys after finding them in a recent playthrough… crazy how content about fallout 3 is STILL coming out today

[@wilsonweiseng6485]

I've only just played Fallout 3 recently, but it was good

[@AfroRyan]

My personal hope would be that Big Town and Little Lamplight merged, and furthermore conquered/expanded into the Supermutants and Vault 87 territories. They deserve it for their hard work.

[@bw7754]

Interesting they didn’t turn into mole miners lol

[@jclark5956]

Little limelight makes no sense being 200 years after the great war

[@MediumRareOpinions]

A lot of things in Fallout 3 don't make sense 200 years on. I'm personally convinced much of the game was originally written to take place around the same time as Fallout 1, but was hastily rewritten without the time or inclination to consider the implications.

[@zacharymccants7922]

When I first played Fallout 3, I didn’t catch the fact that it was set 200 years after the war. It was my first Fallout experience, and I had gotten the implication the game was set only a couple of decades after the war.

[@manicmonochrome7098]

As far as im concerned; mutant farm theory is now canon.

[@lordtouchme1690]

I really want to know if the brotherhood wiped out Vault 87 and if they made contact with both little lamplight and big town

[@Your-Least-Favorite-Stranger]

"Irradiated mutants!" Sir those are children "Those are irradiated mutants, unless you have enough beds and food for them?" ...Yep, just a bunch of irradiated mutants I guess.

[@somethingsomethingusername7871]

A bit late, but... LETSGOOOOO!! New Synonymous video is always a treat ❤️ This man is my go-to whenever i need some lore in my life!

[@IMeanMachine101]

Love this guy brings back such good memories

[@abnnizzy]

In typical Bethesda fashion, they cobbled together an interesting unfinished story that doesn't make sense at all.

[@MediumRareOpinions]

I feel its another example of how the story makes MUCH more sense if the date that game is set in is much earlier in the timeline. It's still a bit of a stretch but it makes much more sense than many generations of kids somehow creating a stable society.

[@JubeiSenpai]

😂

[@Monsuco]

My theory is just that Little Lamplight serves as something of an orphanage. Children whose parents have either died or are unable to care for them go there for sanctuary. Bryan Wilks can be told to go there when you finish with the quest "Those!" although he's unhappy there so it's considered a neutral ending with the good ending being getting Vera Weatherly to adopt him in Rivet City. The capital wasteland is so dangerous that I imagine there are a lot of orphaned kids and many of them probably make their way to Little Lamplight.

[@CreamyCell1]

Love the fact I was awake to see this posted

[@mobbyright]

great video as always

[@Domdrok]

Fantastic video! The guy going crazy from hearing the children was interesting, I didn't remember that bit.

[@SubjectDelta20]

I wish there had been a dialogue option in Fallout 4 when talking to McCready like *"Hey, I heard you punched a little girl in the face once?"* McCready - *"Who, Princess? Well...yeah, maybe a little bit. But she had it coming."*

[@fLowMage21]

@Synonymous your videos are becoming better and better and more in depth and rich with lore I really enjoy your videos. Please keep on making them it’s content creators like you. They keep this beautiful community of fallout alive and vivid. Thank you so much synonymous

[@kabbacallisto]

The reason for children continuing to inhabit little lamplight is because of Fallout 3’s inconsistent worldbuilding. Originally, it was set not too long after the Great War, but for some fucking (bethesda) reason, they put it in the 2200s. For some reason.

[@armandoventura9043]

The reason it was set in 2200 is because of the Brotherhood of Steel, so as not to "get in the way" of the first two Fallouts and be able to use their lore later

[@kabbacallisto]

@@armandoventura9043 makes sense, Bethesda could have made a new faction but that would have probably been quite cantankerous, especially if it's B*Thesda, so maybe what actually happened is a good thing

[@saiyansogordo1483]

A video on freeside or the kings would be great! Keep up the great work 👍

[@radiatedgeek6955]

I love you syn so very much thanks for all the lore you’ve given us, need a fallout tattoo asap

[@vukodlak3962]

I imagine Lamplight maintains its numbers in several ways, ones born to mothers before they turn 16(eww) children sent back from Big Town, and wandering Orphans. Not just one explanation. I don't think the Vault 87 Supermutants are smart enough to directly use Big Town and Lamplight in a farming scheme, not as a plan per say. They just know children make puny mutants so they wait for them to grow up before capturing them.

[@reginleif6703]

Yay! Little Lamplight. One of my favorite cities.

[@mihneaanghelescu1190]

ahhh nothing can beat a cold beer and a lore video on a hot day

[@TheOriginalShoneBoyOnYT]

Its 8 am

[@AlChestBreachFan7]

Poor Stinky

[@roadrunner3672]

Another masterpiece of a video Synonymous great work 👍😊

[@mitchellgraff7131]

It's never too early for a banger of a video

[@Rawhide42069]

I'm glad that you were able to paint a happy picture in the end

[@Matt-md5yt]

Sweet an episode on the lost boys of Fallout 3

[@dejanjordan]

I really loved the survivalist video, dude you need to make longer videos 😊

[@Synonymous101]

I would love to, but the stories are as long as they need to be 😅

[@jimwell5608]

Little Lamplight reminds me of Lord of the Flies.

[@blacknapalm2131]

*Mungos like candy!*

[@javelin_if]

If I remember right, my first and only play through of F3 had me going through vault 87 and into Little Lamplight

[@thathusk9119]

Babe, wake up! A new Synonymous video!

[@bronmill33]

I’ve been watching you since the pandemic and it was crazy to see how much your channel grew a year later in 2021. And now, its still crazy to see you still putting out quality content now. I just wanted to say I appreciate you and your videos and will continue to watch and appreciate what you do

[@starboy3735]

Macready is one of my favorite companions

[@fearlessretaliator4997]

A new lore video, today is going to be a good day.

[@myron4445]

no matter how ridiculous or unrealistic this lore is. Its still one of my favorite parts of f3 and wish It served a bigger purpose. I think bethesda really nailed it with this one and honestly it felt like something that could have been in a west coast game.

[@orcwarchiefreviews]

You know this actually could make an interesting TV show

[@zacherytaylor]

Good start to the day

[@SomeInternetGuy]

I think Little Lamplight needs help from my boy Joshua Graham

[@scottieray]

I think The Burned Man would be an awesome father figure for them.

[@Major_Jester]

awesome. thank you for this. stay safe man.

[@MS-fh4sz]

If I'm not mistaken, wasn't the buy me, drink me Garden T chick at the bar in Rivet City. From Little Lamp Light also?

[@Gaster15]

It’s so tragic to think these kids had to go through all that and never had the chance to see there parents and say goodbye, and how the adults died trying to find and help and safety for themselves and the children.😢

[@shadesofslay]

Very cool vid. Funnily enough, I was in Little Lamplight / Vault 87 not so long ago in my own TTW playthrough.

[@GlitterGothBunny]

I always love watching your videos 💜

[@shakingaspen1526]

Ah, Big Town. Sticky was the easiest to arm and equip. I spent many hours stealing armor and weapons on to the Big Towners to upgrade them into several different looks. Oh yeah, the doctor was also easy to dress-up for the up coming battle. I once put the creeping blonde in the antwoman suit armed with the named hand saw. Armed and equipped thoughtfully and with some good shit, the Big Towners can make light work of the super mutants.

[@chemicaljellyfish]

there's also somebody from little lamplight in Rivet city. i can't remember who it is but it's the last entry in the medical terminal on rivet city

[@barrackobama7746]

O great Synonymous, I humbly suggest and would like to see a video on the Courier

[@SombraCheeks]

What about Large Lamplight, or Regular-Sized Lamplight???

[@exiled5713]

Been waiting for this one

[@saschaberger3212]

So many weird things happening. The teachers in the beginning would rather go out into radiation then to go deeper into the caves. A vault dweller hearing noises and not showing them to another person.

[@JKgyaru6969]

Maccready probably cringing himself when he remembers his foul-mouthed younger self.

[@AlexRoivas]

Children being born in little lamplight. I need you to have a seat.

[@MillieBlackRose]

I feel like lamplight is well known in the wastes so orphans are sent there often and when the lamplighters are scavenging they may find lone children they bring back. I don't think that Big Town send their babies there. Not many would want to part with their babies and those little kids wouldn't know how to raise a baby or have the means . And yes please do a video on Maccready, his child and the sickness he has which is probably the New Plague.

[@44theshadow49]

They threw knd into a gritty post apocalyptic rpg...

[@Shushkin]

Have I ever told you that you have create amazing content?

[@ll_kennyll]

Dirty mango 🙏

[@XLucas54]

The supermutant farm makes sense since they would go to big town to adult nap them and take them back to German town since they could’ve just killed shorty and red but didn’t

[@Sarah-zs9hi]

Great video!

[@hughgrection7246]

That moment you shoot what you think is their pet rat only to have them immediately eat it .

[@Synonymous101]

Isn't that New Vegas?

[@hughgrection7246]

@@Synonymous101 probably ? I dunno man, I'm just here for the Buff-X

[@noonie6872]

The real answer to why there are still kids in lamplight is that no one at Bethesda ever thought about how long 200 years actually is.

[@znmckague]

I think the real reason was that Fo3 was meant to take place closer to the bombs dropping that it actually did

[@ktgame2640]

Nah them kids be fuckin

[@MediumRareOpinions]

Or they originally planned for an earlier timeline and later changed their mind creating inconsistencies.

[@FalloutboyLetsPlays]

One of the best locations in fallout history

[@greenconure4304]

Isn't Trinnie in Rivet city from lamplight too? I thought she was as well.

[@Silent0ne467]

Dude now that wanderer is back you and him should Collab again for spooky season

[@brandon5093]

If I came across Lamplight in real life I don't think I could leave them. I think I'd make one of the train carts outside my home and guard the cave whenever I wasn't out travelling. Those kids have suffered far too much already

[@brandonmyers1400]

lol not all wastelanders are destined for Big Town

[@Synonymous101]

No one said they were

[@stoned_kitty]

Bro, in my first playthrough, i stayed inside the cavern for about 18 saves, hopped to find a way to get the kids to megaton, or stayed to protect them. Until my dad asked why i stayed in that cave for so long😂

[@Your-Least-Favorite-Stranger]

"THE CHILDREN NEED ME, DAD!" *slowly closes door and throws himself into his work, trying to ignore his beloved child's steadily slipping grip on reality*

[@ShegoSupreme]

Question... Do kids pop out of nowhere in Lamplight? or do they go sent there?

[@RoKBottomStudios]

My guess, wasteland creats orphans all the time. Probably orphan kids or runaway slaves finding the cave for shelter and join the ranks.

[@ShegoSupreme]

@@RoKBottomStudios It makes sense.. i always thought ''How do kids know about this place'' or something like that.. Or kids created other kids lol

[@drinkinbuddy8264]

Love it I’m excited to watch. Big town is my favorite

[@drinkinbuddy8264]

Absolute justice to the topic and big town. A banger always. Much love

[@mohamdmlg9027]

Nice

[@donjowansafadi8739]

Little lamplight destroys any suspencion of disbelief by putting the kids right next to the vault full of super mutants

[@The-Nobody-666]

Yeetus.

[@defuseradical5421]

I'd love to see a video on the lore of the Big M.T. and zion canyon

[@jairm4377]

i love these videos of often not often touched upon lore. tyvm

[@desertpunkism253]

In my most recent playthrough, I decided to only use my fists, so when I went to escort Sticky, I gave him some power armor I found as well as a laser rifle and some frags. I only had one playthrough where I chose the child at heart perk, but it was nice to not have the lamplighters constantly bully me😂

[@hulCAWmanianUniverse]

when Little Lamplight becomes the Kids Next Door of the post apocalypse

[@youcefaissaoui397]

imagine synonymous is your father and it is a time for a night story .....

[@GargoyleDX]

All I need for this place as lore is: "It makes no sense and we didn't bother to explain sh*t. Enjoy MacCready and Princess."