Canteen Hughes is a character in the game Cuphead. He is a mechanic who offers Cuphead and Mugman the plane on Inkwell Isle One.
He appears in Inkwell Isle One very north of the map, east of the stump with the axe in it and west of the Blueprints, which are required in order to fight Hilda Berg. However, it should be noted that talking to him itself is not required.
Canteen Hughes makes his next appearance on Inkwell Isle Two, just northeast of the level Sugarland Shimmy, where talking to him will give the player access to mini bombs, a secondary shot for Cuphead's plane to help fight plane-required battles, such as battles against Hilda Berg in Threatenin' Zeppelin and fight Djimmi The Great in Pyramid Peril.
His current and final appearance is on Inkwell Isle 4 within the DLC Cuphead: The Delicious Last Course, where the player fights on his plane against The Howling Aces.
Biography[]
Canteen Hughes is said to be the Inkwell Isles’ mentor in all things aviation. He is able to expertly fly and engineer planes. He helps the brothers “for the kicks” and has an unknown motivation for fighting the Howling Aces. He is mentioned to have a grandfather in the books. He is practically blind without his goggles, and likely farsighted.
Appearance[]
Canteen Hughes is a living canteen wearing thick pilot's goggles with a yellow cap, yellow arms and white gloves and light brown shoes. Sometimes, he has blue goggles/glasses, or black limbs, like in the comics. In the winter, he wears blue earmuffs.
Personality[]
Canteen seems to have a fascination with planes and other flying machines. He appears to hold a grudge against The Howling Aces, he can be seen shaking his fist at their leader in the beginning of the battle and cheering whenever a member is dispatched.
In the Cuphead novels, he is portrayed as one of Cuphead, Mugman and Ms. Chalice's classmates. He is described as being very good in geology, being able to discern the difference between a hole and a geyser. He feels the need to correct others when they are wrong. For example, he tells Cuphead the difference between a hole and a geyser, and rebukes Cuphead's denial of a mountain curse when he has evidence to prove otherwise. He also does not seem to be entirely the kindest, as when he calls anyone who misses out on the Dizzy Borden, a scary rollercoaster, a "lamebrain".
He also seems to like movies, appearing at Sally Stageplay's movie theatre twice in the comics. This may be a reference to how he was named after Howard Hughes, who directed movies.
Quotes[]
- “What’s that? You two want to fly in a plane like I do? Ha!! You’re not sitting in any cockpit ’til you study those blueprints!" (Talk to Canteen in Isle One before interacting with blueprints)
- “I guess you two mugs are ready for the wild blue yonder. Just remember, those birds you’re flying have their own tricks. Your fancy fighting moves on the ground don’t apply up there! Although, you can still parry like the dickens! Be sure the shrink yourself when the need arises! But remember, when you’re short, so’s your range, see? Well, good luck, I suppose." (Talk to Canteen in Isle One after interacting with blueprints)
- “Good timing, fellas! I just added an upgrade on your aeroplanes! Now you can wallop your foes with bombs! Just switch your weapon whenever it strikes your fancy! Try it out!!" (Talking to Canteen in Isle Two for the first time)
- “Your aeroplanes are now equipped with mini-bombs, switch your weapon any time during battle!" (Canteen's pop-up)
- “Well? Whaddaya think? Are those new bombs the cat’s pajamas or what? Aah, you can thank me later. I’m just in it for the kicks!" (Talking to Canteen in Isle Two after you receive mini bombs)
- “Here." (Canteen in Carnival Chaos, Chapter 5, When Lucien calls his name for attendance)
- “Of course he’s going. Everyone’s going. What kind of lamebrain would miss the carnival? Did you see that roller coaster? It’s a real doozy." (Canteen in Carnival Chaos, Chapter 5, when Ginger and Cuphead are discussing the Dizzy Borden)
- “Tell another, Cuphead!" (Canteen in Holiday Haymaker, when Cuphead is trying to get Grim Matchstick to laugh)
- “It’s not a hole. It’s a geyser." (Canteen in A Mountain of Trouble, Chapter 3, when Cuphead mistakenly says their bus got stuck in a hole)
- “Is that it?" (Canteen in A Mountain of Trouble, Chapter 8, after Tully tells a not-so-scary ghost story)
- “Oh, they definitely wanted to scare us—and they did it. But I’m not sure you’re right about the curse. My grandfather was at Camp Hootenholler years ago, and he said giant boulders really did fall from the sky!" (Canteen in A Mountain of Trouble, Chapter 8, after Cuphead disputes any notion of the curse of the mountain existing)
- "Make that three!" (Canteen in Harvest Horror, when Mugman bakes squash pies for the people)
- “Nice cap, chap! How much ya want for it?" (Canteen in Bluegrass Blues, when he sees Porkrind's hat)
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- When talked to after being awarded the Mini-Bombs, Canteen will say that he's only "in it for the kicks". Therefore, he decides to help out in the battle against The Howling Aces.
- He appears the second most out of all the Cuphead NPCs, appearing a grand three times, not counting external material like the books.
- Inkwell Isle III is the only island he does not appear in.
- He is the only overworld NPC to appear in a boss fight.
- According to the Cuphead artbook, he has the rare distinction of being the only character outside of the main cast to be based on a drinking vessel.
- He is named after inventor Howard Hughes.
- He is animated by Danielle Johnson in the overworld, and by Tina Nawrocki in Doggone Dogfight.
- His description in Cuphead: Out of the Cards translates to: "If our ceramic heroes can engage in spectacular aerial battles, it is thanks to the mechanic/gunsmith who not only built their planes, but also taught the cups to be pilots. He hates the canine aviators of the Howling Aces."
- Besides Hamuel Porkrind, he is the only non-boss NPC to have both his first and last name revealed
- He is also the first non-boss NPC to have both his first and last name revealed