Question #1:
Where did money come from in the land of the dead? Who set up an economical system in a world filled with people who know they're dead and know that they're supposed to get out of it in four years or less? Was the whole modernisation of the LotD done by the mysterious 'Powers that be'? Or is there a soul actually in CHARGE of the populace?

Question #2:
What's with the giant living cats? Are they demons? If animals go to the LotD too, how come the only animal we see is a pidgeon, and the rest is filled with fleshy, living, breathing crocodiles and octopi?

Question #3:
Where did sproutella come from? Why is it there? Where can it be found? Is it a chemical? A mixture of some kind? Why are flowers the symbol of pain and suffering?

Question #4: Not many souls seem to be flourishing into the the LotD very fast. Is there more DoDs around the land? Different countries? Different continents? Probably not, but it seems crazy that the whole population of the living world is taken into the underworld by a building with one or two members of staff? Come on, there's got to be.

Of course, all of these questions can be answered with: "It wouldn't be as awesome a game if it was too complicated, so shut up."

...well, that's this thread out of the way.

Not really an answer to question 4 but im pretty sure more than one or two people work at the DOD.

That's great topic you took up! We need to bring up our theories and make all the detailed questions get the answers!

Question #4: Not many souls seem to be flourishing into the the LotD very fast. Is there more DoDs around the land? Different countries? Different continents? Probably not, but it seems crazy that the whole population of the living world is taken into the underworld by a building with one or two members of staff? Come on, there's got to be.

I would assume the whole DOD building is full of people like Manny, Don, Dom and Eva. We only get to their floor and therefore a small section of the company. They wouldn't have the huge message tube system and garage if it was just for Manny and Dom ;). There are probably other rival companies somewhere in the land of the Dead though, seeing as it is such a big city.

Your other questions are too hard for me to answer :p

Question #1:
Where did money come from in the land of the dead? Who set up an economical system in a world filled with people who know they're dead and know that they're supposed to get out of it in four years or less? Was the whole modernisation of the LotD done by the mysterious 'Powers that be'? Or is there a soul actually in CHARGE of the populace?

I don't know, Sanspoof? Is there really a God? If there is, where did he/she come from? If there isn't, then where did the tiny microbes that formed us come from?

Question #2:
What's with the giant living cats? Are they demons? If animals go to the LotD too, how come the only animal we see is a pidgeon, and the rest is filled with fleshy, living, breathing crocodiles and octopi?

Well, the pidgeons can lay eggs and stuff, and the cats are all artistic, and there's always the monsters that live in the sea that could have been mutants and stuff. I don't know. Let me guess, Sanspoof, you're experiencing some insomnia. Am I correct?

Question #3:
Where did sproutella come from? Why is it there? Where can it be found? Is it a chemical? A mixture of some kind? Why are flowers the symbol of pain and suffering?

I'm sure that Terrence McKenna could tell you where it came from. But I know that the reason they're symbols of pain and suffering is because the flowers are alive and they suck the death out you. :)

Question #4: Not many souls seem to be flourishing into the the LotD very fast. Is there more DoDs around the land? Different countries? Different continents? Probably not, but it seems crazy that the whole population of the living world is taken into the underworld by a building with one or two members of staff? Come on, there's got to be.

Well, that's the consequences of downsizing for ya.

Of course, all of these questions can be answered with: "It wouldn't be as awesome a game if it was too complicated, so shut up."

I do have an answer for this question: Yes.

Sorry. the sarcasm is the sheild that protects me from rejection....

I've wondered about these things as well but all that thinking has just made lose sight of the whole magic of Grim Fandango. So I just try to accept it for what it is.

Saying that though, I can't resist to have a go at answering your questions :)

#1 In regards to money, there would always be a demand for something in the Lotd and there would be someone there to sell it. An economy would just slowly grow out of that.

I tend to think that there are some 'powers that be' that influence the development of the LotD and that it's inhabitants have little desire and/or capacity to change their world. But I also think there is some form og government that's run by souls which manages the day-to-day running of El Marrow, Ruba Cava etc. Perhaps these souls are paying off their debt too?

#2 Maybe the powers that be determine what exists in the Lotd and they have a liking for giant cats? I dunno...

#3 Can't say much about sproutella's origin but the flowers symbolise pain and suffering because that is what they cause.

#4 This was discussed to a degree in another thread. It was said that the other 7 underworlds could be other LotDs.

As for other countries etc, I don't think so (or I don't want to think so). I like to think that there is only El Marrow, Ruba Cava, Puerto Zapato and everything in between in (this) Lotd.

Also, I think its possible for there to be several branches of the DOD in El Marrow such as South El Marrow, East etc.

BTW, this is all IMHO.

Question #1:
Where did money come from in the land of the dead? Who set up an economical system in a world filled with people who know they're dead and know that they're supposed to get out of it in four years or less? Was the whole modernisation of the LotD done by the mysterious 'Powers that be'? Or is there a soul actually in CHARGE of the populace?

Remember, not everyone knows they're supposed to get out in four years. Membrillo makes it clear in Year 2 that the citizens of Rubacava no longer believe in the Ninth Underworld, and that they think that this is all there is. Basically, for some the journey has been too long and they have given up on making it, so they would have set up something they feel comfortable with, including money. Pretty much all of this can be found in the game's script, if you look hard enough.

Question #2:
What's with the giant living cats? Are they demons? If animals go to the LotD too, how come the only animal we see is a pidgeon, and the rest is filled with fleshy, living, breathing crocodiles and octopi?

This is a really interesting question. In-game, I suppose they're all demons or possibly just weird native creatures like the winged spiders or the flaming beavers. That's how I took them- just because it's a Land of the Dead for us mortals doesn't mean that it couldn't contain a number of bizarre immortal natives. Also considering that the four-year journey is supposed to be filled with hardships and knowing the gargantuan nature of the crocodile, the octopus and the cats, it's possible that they are simply placed there as obstacles to the soul making the journey. In the case of the cats, however, man has tamed beast. ^_^ The huge croc, heart-eating spiders and the flaming demon beavers all point to an immortal, deliberately-placed set of obstacles though, and the pigeons simply are the souls of dead animals. (My theory is that every time a pigeon dies, it hatches as a skeletal pigeon, which is why they lay eggs.)

Question #3:
Where did sproutella come from? Why is it there? Where can it be found? Is it a chemical? A mixture of some kind? Why are flowers the symbol of pain and suffering?

Out-of-game, marigolds represented death to the ancient Mexicans and flowers are given on their yearly Day of the Dead festival. The designers would have created the sproutella as a way of introducing death into a game about the dead: the Noir style would have fallen pretty flat if the game's villains didn't present some genuine risk to the character's health. In-game, sproutella would no doubt have developed for the same reason: said villains would seek a way of eliminating their enemies. It is essentially a form of Miracle-Gro, an amazingly fast-working plant growth formula for which the miracle ingredient is bone. The symbolism for the flowers is obvious: they represent pain and suffering in the same way that blood and bullets do for us.

Question #4: Not many souls seem to be flourishing into the the LotD very fast. Is there more DoDs around the land? Different countries? Different continents? Probably not, but it seems crazy that the whole population of the living world is taken into the underworld by a building with one or two members of staff? Come on, there's got to be.

You've got to remember, all four days of the game fall on the same day of year each time: the Day of the Dead. All of the dead souls are back in the land of the living, visiting their friends and families. I assume that this applies even to the newly-dead. Notice that the only three souls who arrive that day are Celso, whose wife has died already, Meche, who was unmarried and had only her volunteer work, and that surly midget who, let's face it, you wouldn't want visiting you dead or alive. The only people who remain in the LotD are those with no-one to see, which is why the DOD seems a little understaffed and you're not seeing any new souls. On a typical day, the DOD would probably be swarming with both employees and the souls. I doubt time works in the same way in the LotD, and rather than assume there are other branches of the DOD I imagine we're just seeing an utterly minute portion of the building. After all, how many floors does that elevator cover? :)

Wow, those are good answers.

Heh, thanks. But most of it's already there in the game: you just need to look.