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Sam is one of the two titular characters of the Sam & Max franchise.

Character Detail

A member of the Freelance Police, Sam comes off as more level headed and less violent than his partner Max, albeit not by much. He typically wears a grayish film noir-styled suit, with a hat and a blue and black striped tie and also goes barefoot. In the games, he has a tendency to take everything he sees, and apparently keeps the items in a cardboard box that he carries inside his coat.

Sam is prone to long-winded sentences filled with elaborate terminology. He rarely loses his temper and is able to react to panic-inducing situations with extreme calm. When he does get angry, however, he tends to react in an uncharacteristically savage manner. In They Stole Max's Brain, Sam shows his more violent manner of investigating then the previous episodes, which include from beating a gorilla for showing a dog sign, to using a gun on a COPS member. It is usually, and somewhat ironically, Max that calms him down and prevents him from acting upon his anger.

He also has a very large sweet tooth, as during many of his adventures and assignments he can be seen enjoying a multitude of frozen treats such as popsicles and ice cream sandwiches, especially in the comics. In Sam & Max Season Two he becomes self-conscious about his weight, particularly when seeing his future and past selves.

Sam carries around a Smith & Wesson Model 29 .44 Magnum revolver. It's incredible size lends it to "droop" while being held. In the comics, he is quick to use it but is a very lousy shot. In the Telltale episodes he can hit any object on the first shot but is very reluctant to use it against living things, even villains. The gun is absent in the other incarnations.

Although most of the time he acts like a human, Sam sometimes behaves like a dog. He has growled several times in the Telltale games, and his sobbing in Sam & Max Hit the Road sounded like whining. He seems to have an enhanced sense of smell; he was able to smell where Max parked the car in Monkeys Violating the Heavenly Temple, and located the cereal aisle in Beast from the Cereal Aisle and the concession stand in Night of the Cringing Wildebeest by their non-food scents. He has also been shown to enjoy dog treats. It has been speculated that he is some sort of Irish Wolfhound.

Sam has been addressed as Samuel thrice, by Bosco in Situation: Comedy, The Mole, the Mob, and the Meatball, and Max in Bright Side of the Moon. Presumably, this is his real name.

Appearance

Sam is a 6-foot-tall brown anthropomorphic dog. His eyes are only pupils, with a cartoony design further accentuated by his long drooping dog ears and his hands with only 4 fingers including thumb. He wears a noir-ish grey hat (said to be a fedora) with a wide brim with a black band at the base and grey suit. In his suit is a collared white shirt and sometimes a belt. He also wears a black and blue striped neck-tie that runs down to his grey pants. He wears no shoes on his 3 toed feet.

Personality

Sam is calm, silly, fatherly, protective, brave, loyal, generous, kind, keen, helpful, reckless, sensitive, strict, smart, and wise, but rarely short-tempered. Despite being seen as the more level-headed of the titular duo, Sam does have moments where he shows that in reality, he can be almost or just as violent as Max. In They Stole Max's Brain!, he seemingly snaps and goes into a "noir" state, and remains that way until he sees that Max's brain is still intact. "Noir" Sam is practically as violent as Max is, and is prone to metaphorical spiels much like film-noir detectives, hence his fan-given alias.

Relationships

Max

Max is Sam's long-time partner, friend, husband and sidekick. They met as children and attended high school together before becoming the Freelance Police. In most situations, Sam tends to play the straight man against Max's chaotic behavior. Sam is incredibly close to Max and will become tangibly uncomfortable when separated from him for any reason; he is willing to delve into great lengths to protect his little buddy. Unlike most people, Sam seems to admire Max's violent tendencies for the most part. In the cartoon and games, they share a brotherly bond. According to the recap section of the first episode of the cartoon, a wedding photo in the last episode of the cartoon, confirmation from Steve Purcell, the fact that they adopted Darla together and Steve Purcell's wedding cake toppers, they are very much married. They also appear to have been married multiple times.

Bosco

Sam seems to be on friendly terms with Bosco. Sam does his best to help Bosco out when it is relevant to a case, but otherwise he enjoys poking fun at Bosco and targeting his paranoia for his own amusement.

The Geek

Alongside Max, Sam serves as a questionable father figure role to the Geek. They seem to get along fairly well, oftentimes with The Geek being the more responsible of the two. The Geek seems to care about both Sam and Max quite a lot for taking her in, despite having to clean up after them almost constantly.

Girl Stinky

Sam and Max first met Stinky in Season 2. Neither Sam nor Max seem to care much for her dismissive attitude, and the fact that she refuses to call them by their real names. At first they thought Stinky killed Grandpa Stinky but turns out it was all a misunderstanding. In Beyond the Alley of the Dolls, Sam plays along with Girl Stinky's lie to possibly get more information from her. He pretends to have been secretly dating her, and Stinky kisses him to make the story convincing. Sam did not seem to enjoy this experience, as it was followed by a lengthy awkward pause. Max expressed how this experience "made him wish for the sweet release of death."

Jimmy Two-Teeth

Sybil Pandemik

Sam seems to be a good friend of Sybil's, with her expressing her trust in the duo several times. While Sybil's opinion of Max is understandably iffy, she seems to have a good opinion of Sam. This does not mean that Sam is immune to annoying Sybil, however, which he has proven several times to be quite good at.

Sal

Grandpa Stinky

Grandma/Granny Ruth

Momma Bosco

In Sam & Max The Devil's Playhouse Episode 4 Beyond the Alley of the Dolls, after seeing Momma Bosco's future from Max's Future Vision Goggles, when Max reads Sam's mind he hears him say that now Momma Bosco's corporeal again, maybe he'll ask her out. Momma Bosco also when viewing the Samulacra or Dogglegangers, seemed to react positively to the clones wearing only the gold shorts saying "Mm-Mm! Those sure don't leave much to the imagination." Sam appeared conflicted to this remark.

Flint Paper

Sam is on good terms with the noir detective Flint Paper, being a fellow detective that lives in the office next to him. Sam doesn't mind Flint's violent behaviors (presumably because of his partners violent tendencies) treating him as an equal and even taking a thing or two out of Flint's book in telltale season three when Max's brain gets stolen.

Agent Superball

Sam is on good terms with Agent Superball, though Superball's unreadable expressions and business centered focus on serving the president (Max) and state makes it hard to really understand what Superball thinks of him. However, in the final episode of Sam & Max: The Devil's Playhouse, Superball does appear to think highly of him, believing that Sam will fix everything.

Possible Previous Jobs

  • Stewardess/Flight Attendant
  • Petting Zoo Caretaker
  • Monkey

Family

Sam's family first appeared in the comic The Damned Don't Dance, but only his father was explicitly pointed out. In Hit the Road, his mother leaves a message on the messaging machine reminding him to not get shot. Sam's grandmother, Ruth, who served as a prison warden and fought in the Cold War, was mentioned in some comics and sketches, but not actually seen until the animated series episode Christmas Bloody Christmas. The Final Episode mentions that his family lives in Alaska. This episode also mentions his grandfather, Leo, who "bought it in the Big One", and shows Sam's younger sister. In the episode Tonight We Love, Sam is reminded of his Aunt Trudy, who has some sort of problem with knives, when he and Max go to Love Land. Finally, he has an Uncle Rallo to whom Sam sold his baseball card collection for a kidney, not wondering why his uncle needed it until later. In the Season Three episode, The Tomb of Sammun-Mak, Max's great- great-grandfather is shown. His name is sameth, and he appears to have work with Sam's great-great-grandfather, maximus.

Likes:

Max (because he cracks him up)
Ruth
The Geek
The color orange
Glazed McGuffins
Snack foods
Friendship
Protecting the innocent
Women & men
Kids
Hugs
Shooting out the office window at passers-by
Running over things
"Treeetz" puppy treats
Fudgey Freezes
Musicals
Bluegrass music
Television
His DeSoto
The Rubber Pants Commandos
Messages on the answering machine
Playing Fizzball
Car/road trips
Buddy Hackett
Highway Surfing
Heavy weaponry
Banang!
Throwing Max into the air

Dislikes:

Pink bellies
Max in danger
Hugh Bliss
General Skun-ka'pe
Criminals, villains, and bullies
Evil
Suicide
Sadness
When someone tries to harm Max
Anyone getting hurt (especially Max)
Max being annoying and dumb
The thought of losing his best friend, Max
Told to pick up objects he doesn't want to (or can't altogether) pick up
Being separated from Max
Being called McGruff
Being alone
The Soda Poppers
Having his mind read
Being touched (sometimes and mainly on the shoulder)
Cracks about his weight
Riddles

Phrases

When talking to the Commissioner on the phone, Sam's part of the conversation is typically completely minimal, consisting only of one word reactions to what the commissioner says. In voiced appearances, these follow each other so quickly that it seems impossible for the commissioner to actually tell Sam the things he does.

Sam is known for his famous, long-winded non-sequiturs. The following is a comprehensive list of these non-sequiturs, collected from the Telltale games, comics, and cartoon:

"Jiminy Christmas eve in a padlocked sweatbox!"

"Great gouts of steaming magma on a beeline for the orphanage!"

"Sweet alligator dentures soaking in formaldehyde!"

"Holy underpants draped to the mast of a sinking pork rind freighter!"

"Holy cripes on toast!"

        "Jumping elephant fleas!"

"Great suffering lab rats!"

"Sweet mother of double jeopardy backstroking in butterscotch!"

"Sweet jellyfish paste on a stick!"

"Sweet mother of all quiz show scandals!"

"Holy chipmunk arias warbling out of a souped-up 78 speed turntable!"

"Holy cap-wearing catfish flopping a crime beat!"

"Sweet mother of all things good and plenty!"

        "Sweet mother of all things hairy and disgusting!"

"Holy mace-wielding minotaur kings!"

"Holy domesticated ursines!"

"Holyoke, Massachusetts!" (used twice)

"Holy highway hotpants!"

"Great salmon-colored cinnamon sticks on marzipan!"

"Sweet mother of bleary-eyed gambling addiction!"

"Sweet second mortgages on a summer home!"

"Holy Hannah hold the phone!"

"Great Coleco’s ghost!"

"Curdled goats milk on a warm summer’s day!"

"Sweet ptomaine!"

"Sweet suffering Saint Sebastian on the sousaphone in a short story by Susan Sontag!"

"Blessed scuba diving Buddha on a banana boat with cocktail onions and a map to the stars’ homes!"

"Holy cat-heaven!"

"Great grinning head of John the Baptist in a porkpie hat stuffed in a rhinestone bowling bag!"

"By the Greek goddess Selene in a chariot with dual overhead cams and “Silver Foxx” mudflaps!"

"Brain salad in a blender!"

"By the sacred sideburns of Isaac Asimov!"

"Holy knuckle-cracking kringles on a bullet train with a sack full of ketchup-covered cheese logs!"

"Holy jumping weasel fritters on a hot cross bun!"

"Jumping jacks and half stacks of hat racks!"

"By the ruby-red goiters of Rube Goldberg!"

"Mighty Kamehameha doing doughnuts in a splintered paddleboat!"

"Gin-running George A. Romero in a baby-doll tee shirt outside the food court with a forty-three dollar gift certificate!"

"Holy mother of pearl in a sidecar going 80!"

"Suffering serpent and the rainbow!"

"Rampaging Roy Neary with a meat and two sides!"

"Sweet mother of mole sauce!"

"Great transmogrifying vapor wolves of Rigel-17 on a booster rocket through the Van Allen belt!"

"Heaping helpings of tachyons in a gravy boat at the Grand Duchess’ bat mitzvah!"

"Sister Mary Francis in low heels walking away!"

"Holy heaping helpings of Herodotus on a bass with Marshall stacks and a wah-wah pedal!"

"Thundering tintypes of Teddy Roosevelt in a three-wheeled baby carriage with a bonus jar of moustache wax!"

"Holy Hercule Poirot in a blood-soaked bathtub with a full set of dental records and a mud-caked workboot with two missing treads!"

"Cascading Kewpie dolls in the four-color funny pages smeared with spaghetti!"

"Faith and begorrah!"

"Holy mother of Sammun-Mak dancing the Carioca with the Priests of Bast!"

"Sweet hopping Horus on a two-headed asp!"

"Sweet mother of Watson and Crick gallivanting with Rosalind Franklin on a spiral staircase!"

"Holy wheezing bellows of Krakatoa!"

"Holy H.P. Lovecraft spinning through the 13 abyssal planes on a propane grill!"

"Great galloping Golgi in lipstick on a Vespa with a leather-bound day planner!"

"Great day in the morning!"

"Consecrated Kreskin on a communion wafer!"

"Holy beer-battered Princes of Maine and Kings of New England in a glass-bottom boat with a trip-hop DJ and the second-runner up in the Miss Teen Oklahoma pageant!"

"Holy jumping mother o’ god in a side car with chocolate jimmies and a lobster bib!"

"By the dog-headed god of the dead, Khontamenti!"

"By the papyrus staff-wielding goddess Nephthys!"

"Sweet Jesus in a smoking birch-bark canoe!"

Many comics and cartoon episodes, as well as Hit the Road and a few Telltale episodes, end with Sam saying this line or a variation on it in response to something Max says (Max's end varies):

"You crack me up, little buddy."

Sometimes when Max suggests a course of action in a situation, Sam goes along with it if he finds nothing wrong with Max's reasoning.

"Can't think of a reason not to."

Sexuality

Sam is shown to be attracted to both men and women and is shown to be married to Max multiple times, implying he is either Bisexual or Pansexual.

Versions

Young Sam

Young Sam has been in all three mediums Sam and Max has been in. Always shown round and stocky, he has a reserved and shy personality with a few mentions of breaking into tears because of bullies. Max always sticks up for him by beating up whoever Sam says picked on him. Young Sam is usually shown to wear a black T-Shirt with Max's face on it. No explanation on why such a shirt would even exist has ever been given.

But when he is in his element and/or comfortable, Young Sam is positive and outgoing. He was quite rude to his older self in Chariots of the Dogs.

In the Telltale game series, it is revealed that he is a computer wiz and loves building things from scratch, including Bluster Blaster. He is also shy around girls and doesn't bother with them, because they're only interested in Max. However, Max mentions in Bright Side of the Moon that Sam missed his chance to go to the prom with Melanie Prendergast, so he mustn't have been too shy about asking girls out. In addition, because of his passive nature, Max steps all over him.

Teen Sam

Not much is known about Sam's teenage years other than he may have played sports, was into science, and found high school "awkward". He was also fairly tall and skinny.

Old Sam/Future Sam

Old Sam was first seen in the animated series' episode The Dysfunction of the Gods where Sam and Max undergo rapid aging. He sometimes walks around with a cane, wears old bifocals, and suffers from lapses of judgment.

In the Telltale episode Chariots of the Dogs, "all those years of adventuring have taken their toll" on Future Sam. He suffers from dementia and maneuvers around in a wheelchair (with a design based on Davros from Doctor Who).


Trivia

  • In Poker Night 2, Claptrap asks Sam if he dates humans or other talking dogs and Sam replies, "Don't tell anyone but I'm kind of off the market right now." As he says this, he gestures vaguely behind him towards Max, implying they are together at this time.
  • In Chariots of the Dogs, Sam asks his younger self if he would want to be a boss cop like him and when young Sam asks, "Do I have to be fat as you too?" in response, Sam pulls out a gun but is stopped by the time machine elevator before he could use it. This implies that Sam would shoot a kid for calling him fat, even if that kid is himself.

See Also

Max

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