Happy Mister Bigpants | Jim McGinley | Bigpants Games

Bigpants News

2009-11-25
Restraining Order finished!
Video and free download await.
Play the game the man doesn't want you to know about.
Now back to kicking my cold's ass.

2009-11-02
Why not read about my experience at the recent
Montreal International Game Summit (MIGS) 2009?
Chris Remo comments "Jim McGinley continues to provide
the best gaming event coverage anywhere, bar none."
He's a peach.

2009-11-02
Submitted mega improved Restraining Order to the IGF.
Black comedy, exhilarating action, burtonesque graphics
and an absolutely killer soundtrack.
That's right... it's a COMEDY.

2009-11-01
Just created a custom version of Mondrian Provoked for The Torontotron,
an indie game arcade cabinet created by the The Hand Eye Society.
New version features lives, high scores, and 8 levels.
Only available on the Torontotron - look for it around... Toronto.
If you played it, feel free to send comment or complaints.
I love them both.
Even if you didn't play it... write me.
i'm desperately lonely

Big Pants Games

Bigpants Games is McGinley
We share the same last name, because we are married.
Beware the power of the McGinley Clan.
None of our games installs any CRAP (spyware, adware, malware),
nor do they track you covertly.
All the games love you and want to be played.

All Ears    October 2009
- Help 4 blind men explore their sorroundings.
- Game created using HTML and Javascript (IE6.0 compliant). I regret everything.
- Created for the Jay Is Games - Casual Gameplay Design Competition # 6.

da Boat    May 2009
- Navigate icebergs in unforgiving seas to find 6 red pixels
that were never replaced with proper art.
- For reasons unexplained, you are able to scale the world while remaining the same size.
- Experimental Gameplay at its finest.

Restraining Order    February 2009
- "Relationships are complicated"
- Submitted mega improved version to the IGF.
- Failed to impress the PAX and IndieCade judges.
- Initially created for the first IGDA Global Game Jam

The Depths to Which I Sink    November 2008
- created for Gamma 3D
- Smashing... Dodging... Smodging... in the Third Dimension!
- a 3D game that requires 3D glasses (oldschool Red & Blue)
- guaranteed to give you a headache

Hold me closer, Giant Dancer    September 2008
- entry for the TIGSource Demake Competition
- ported the technical powerhouse PS2 game Shadow of the Colossus to the TRS-80 Model III
- I've been sent 25 new creative monsters, will incorporate soon

Goats Amoré    May 2008
- you are a lonely piece of cheese chasing a pogo hopping goat
- it's a non traditional puzzle game inspired by Quarto
- Yup, you guessed it, v2.0 is coming along

Mondrian Provoked    November 2007
- an abstract, artistic game shunned by artists
- it's Nov. 1, 2009, and I'm still working on it. Hope to have a huge release next year.
- arcade version created for The Torontotron

Mario Inna Space    September 2007
- a hard dose of galaxy jumping reality created for the TIGSource B-Game Competition
- I added 100 songs to my personal version, which created an amazing jukebox

Noodle!    May 2007
- liberate the meatballs from their saucy prison, created at the mighty TOJam
- Nick did some amazing new graphics, still need to incorporate them

A Gigantic Pile O' Pants    May 2006
- madly search for your pants in a giant pile of pants
- all you can currently do is toss pants around

Jugglin'    Started January 2003. Still finishing...
- My magnum opus. My white whale. My mirror in the bathroom.
- Even thinking about it blows my mind.
- I love how it turned out, and plan to finish this properly soon

Bigpants Comic

Director's Cut

The initial idea was to create a comic based on logic. Simply put : Character + Happy = Pants. After reading the title and seeing the first panel, it's obvious the stick man with big pants is Happy Mister Bigpants. There was no question why people called him that. Yet Happy Mister Bigpants explained it anyways.

There was no need for a second comic. It just reversed the equation into: Big Pants + Character = Happy. Thank goodness addition is associative (math joke).

The third comic was supposed to be the final comic. It was going to feature the final equation variation: Happy + Pants = Character. i.e. People ask me why I'm happy that I wear bigpants. I tell them... because I'm Happy Mister Bigpants.

However, for the first time in my life, people actually read and REMEMBERED one of my comics (not necessarily liked). I had to keep going, but I was all out of ideas. Then it hit me... What happens if a man whose entire life revolves around a pair of pants LOSES THOSE PANTS. I could keep going for another week.

It's not really a mean taunt to say he has no pants. It just states the obvious. Alas, Happy Mister Bigpants is the sensitive sort. The original ending was supposed to be: "The beautiful children have taunted me, and now I am sad." Alas, it was too similar to the previous comic. In retrospect, I have no idea why I thought that was a problem.

The next 4 comics were originally 1 giant comic. Then I realized I couldn't keep up the pace. With a pair of scissors, the giant comic was cut and reglued together into the following 4 comics. Where I once had a week, I now had a month.

Yet another variation of the bigpants equation. Two people were required to write this comic (the first of many collaborations).

Grizzled veteran cop + pants = instant comedy.

This is NOT the fourth part of the aforementioned giant comic. A special colour edition of the student newspaper was going to be published and there was physically no room to fit comic #4 (below). Since I wanted to create a colour bigpants comic, I created a new comic that would both fit in the physical newspaper space AND fit into the storyline. Unfortunately, this compromise resulted in the sewage you see above. The first of many bad bigpants comics.

The true conclusion of the giant comic. I love everything except the ending. I should have added an additional panel where the cop said "Get out."

10. Bigpants experiences the cruelty of clothing.

Another obvious joke! The only reason Mr. Bigpants would be shown pants that couldn't possibly fit is because the store didn't carry the proper size. It was obvious from the start. Why bother reading further?

Someone actually physically mailed me a penny to give to Happy Mister Bigpants. I didn't give it to him. I think Iain had the idea of Bigpants not having enough cash. For that reason alone, Iain will always be considered a genius.

I struggled to explain how Happy Mister Bigpants lost the 10 dollars. Then it dawned on me that no explanation was required. That really simplified things.

13. Bigpants doesn't know the meaning of the word quit.

This ending was planned right from the beginning. It also shows that Bigpants has a very short term memory (a touch of Alzheimer perhaps). Lenny's thoughtlessness, and the incalcuable suffering it caused, are completely forgotten by the last panel. In one fell swoop, the entire journey has been rendered meaningless.

I don't like this ending. It would be improved by removing the "Lenny" caption - simply leave Bigpants standing in disbelief. On top of that, I don't like the art. I drew Bigpants to large. He fills every panel he appears in - it looks terrible.

Happy History

"Happy Mister Bigpants" is a comic strip created by Jim McGinley. It's about a stick man who is happy because he wears big pants. Like all heros, he thrives in the face of no pants. The strip ran in the University of Western Ontario student newspaper 'The Gazette' way back in 1990. At that time, we didn't even have cars! The 14 strips you just read comprised the first and best year. Alas, there were 2 more years after that. If I find the time and the motivation, I'll post it's strange descent.

Super duper thanks to James H. G. Redekop who digitized the whole shibang.

Little known facts about Jim McGinley:

He makes his living brawling on the streets of Las Vegas
As a boy, he used to create imaginary friends using human body parts
While he hates kids, he loves children
His hobby is moosemeat