“Welcome to the Unknown, boys ...
... You're more lost than you realize.”
Synopsis
Over the Garden Wall is a 10-episode animated miniseries created by Patrick McHale for the Cartoon Network. It first aired from November 3 to 7, 204. In the years since, the show has accumulated a devoted fan-following thanks to its rich art and music, loveable characters, and layered storytelling.
"Like many people upon encountering Over the Garden Wall, Rob Sorcher was confused. "I don’t understand this," the executive vice president of Cartoon Network told Patrick McHale, glancing over the project’s storyboards."
The story follows two half-brothers, Greg and Wirt, as they wander through a strange forest with no apparent memory of how they got there—the land of the Unknown. While searching for a way home, the pair encounter several of the realm's inhabitants, chief among them the mysterious Woodsman and the irritable bluebird Beatrice.
Initial Pitch
While it was aired in 2014, Over the Garden Wall's first pitch was put forward in 2006, under the name Tome of the Unknown. The pitch carried the same loose premise as its eventual successor, but there were a few crucial differences which clearly set it apart.
Tome of the Unknown was to follow brothers Gregory and Walter after accidentally boarding a train destined for the afterlife. Realizing their mistake, the pair jumps off mid-journey, right into a forest inhabited by a devil named Old Scratch who tricks Gregory into a Faustian bargain: He promises to return the pair home if they first read from the titular Tome of the Unknown. Should they fail, they will be whisked away to "live in the dark kingdom forever".
In the manner of all Faustian bargainers, Old Scratch meant from the start to trick them. Once they sign, he tears out the book's pages and lets them fly into every corner of the Land of the In-Between. The remainder of the series follows Gregory and Walter as they hunt down the pages—the stories chronicled on them eerily mirroring the duo's own.
The Over the Garden Wall artbook lists several proposed episodes for Tome of the Unknown. These include "Goose Step" and "Frogland", which feature a skinless witch and J. Bliss' father (J. Bliss being the name for Gregory's frog) respectively. While these episodes bear little resemblance to the plot of the final episodes, others like "Lovesick Millionaire" feature plotlines that would later be edited and re-used.
Tome of the Unknown is such an eerie concept that puts a unique twist on an old story. It's really interesting to compare and contrast the similarities and differences between the pitch and the final show!
Dramatis Personae
Wirt
Wirt, alongside his brother, Greg, is the main protagonist of Over the Garden Wall. He wears a bright red conical hat and a navy-blue cape.
"Sometimes I feel I'm just like a boat upon a winding river, twisting towards an endless black sea, further and further, drifting away from where I want to be, WHO! I want to be."
Wirt is an anxious overthinker and, much to Beatrice's chagrin, often contradicts and recontradicts himself as he puzzles things out aloud. He has an affinity for poetry and can play the clarinet, but lacks the confidence to let others see his talents. He often says rude things and then wildly backpedals, which is why he tries to stay quiet and therefore comes off as shy.
While he's initially annoyed by Greg, their adventures in the Unknown make him realize just how much he appreciates his brother.
Greg
Greg, alongside his brother, Wirt, is the main protagonist of Over the Garden Wall. He wears a pair of green overalls, and an upended teapot on his head (an elephant costume).
"I wish Wirt Jr. had finger nails so he could play the guitar better."
Greg is energetic, carefree, and loves to play! He has a strong sense of justice but is often misguided because he doesn't quite understand the nuances of what's going on around him. These traits often put him in serious danger without him even realizing it. He rarely ever worries or fears, and has a gung-ho attitude that opposes his brother's indecision.
Greg loves and cares for his brother a lot, and is oblivious towards how annoyed Wirt sometimes gets with him.
Beatrice
Beatrice is a talking bluebird who offers to take Wirt and Greg to Adelaide, 'the good woman of the woods', who she says knows how to get them back home. She eats... maggots.
"Curse you, lady! Curse you! You'll die someday, and I'll laugh - laugh! HAHAHAHA!"
Beatrice is at first very sarcastic and prickly, though as she comes to form a friendship with the pair, this façade starts to crumble to reveal a heart that's kinder than she lets on—though she still loves teasing Wirt!
The Woodsman
The Woodsman remains a mystery for much of the series, and serves to warn Wirt and Greg of the dangers of the Unknown. He is dressed in pilgrim's garb and carries a lantern and an axe with him at all times.
"Everyone has a torch to burn, and this here is mine. I grind the horrid Edelwood trees into oil to keep this lantern lit. This is my lot in life, this is my burden."
Despite what his cryptic warnings and menacing appearance have Wirt believe, the Woodsman means well and his advice to the brothers is genuine. He tries to look over them as much as he is able to.
The Beast
The Beast is the show's primary antagonist. He is always cloaked in darkness and has a human silhouette and branch-like. His only discernible features beyond that are his glowing white eyes.
"No. There is only me. There is only my way. There is only the forest, and there is only surrender."
Little is known about the Beast other than that he lures children deep into the woods to turn them into Edelwood trees. He enjoys taunting the Woodsman with his daughter's fate and stalks Wirt and Greg through the Unknown. Most residents of the land know of and fear him; he spends his time wandering the wilds, singing eerie opera songs.
Others
Wirt and Greg meet many more inhabitants of the Unknown, such as heartbroken school teacher Ms. Langtree, eccentric quadrillionaire Quincy Endicott, and the animated skeletons that inhabit Pottsfield. Most of these characters are confined to their own episodes, Wirt and Greg's wanderings delivering a snapshot of what life is like in the Unknown.
We are also introduced to several characters from back home during a flashback episode, such as Sara, a cool, nerdy girl who Wirt has a crush on, and Jason Funderburker, Wirt's self-proclaimed rival. These characters are wonderfully weird in their own way, but highlight how bizarre the varied personalities of the Unknown are in comparison.
Each character we meet has a unique style that distinguishes them from all the rest. From Margueritte Grey's ghostly glow to the Tavern Keeper's rosy cheeks, everyone's personhood and manner is reflected in their dress and design!
Media Guide
There's a lot of content available for both anyone who wants to take their first journey into the Unknown and everyone who's revisiting it. From music to books, I tried to compile everything you'll need to rival even the Beast's knowledge of the Land of the In-Between! This includes video, books and comics, and audio.
Over the Garden Wall: Obviously, the first thing you'll need to get your hands on is the miniseries itself. Nothing compares to the experience of curling up in bed with blankets, pillows, tea, and the opening chimes of Into the Unknown playing over laptop speakers!
Tome of the Unknown: Harvest Melody: This is the show's pilot episode. It aired in 2013 and now exists as a sort of bonus episode that isn't officially part of the ten mainline episodes. The whole thing has been posted to Youtube by Cartoon Network, and features a lot of vegetable people. You can watch it here!
10th Anniversary Short: As the title suggests, this is a short video created for the show's 10th anniversary—and it's entirely in stop-motion! The whole thing is up on YouTube; you can watch it here, alongside a short behind-the-scenes video, here!
Art of Over the Garden Wall: This is a truly beautiful book that chronicles the creation of the show, and is a must-read for any fan. It features hundreds of pieces of concept art, backgrounds, and character designs, as well as notes from all sorts of crew members. The book itself had a limited release and sells for well over 800 dollars on eBay, but a high-resolution scan of it is available for free on the Internet Archive. You can access it here!
The Over the Garden Wall comics series: The show spawned an entire series of comics published by Boom! Studios. The first one was released in October of 2014, and since then, a whole slew has followed. They feature different art styles and authors, but all of them expound on the adventures Wirt and Greg had in the Unknown. The run has been listed on the show's Fandom page, and you can see the list here. They're often available on digital library apps, such as Hoopla.
The story of Over the Garden Wall with songs: This fully-narrated account of the adventures the show chronicles is a charmer. It features original illustrations, and is a fun flip-through for anyone interested! It was uploaded to Youtube in 2017 by user "Henrique Paredes Ferreira"; this is the only available record, as far as I can tell. You can access it here! The book came with a vinyl, but unfortunately, as with the artbook, copies of this work only sell for crazy amounts of money.
Over the Garden Wall (Original Television Soundtrack): The series' soundtrack, which plays a tremendous role in establishing the Unknown's atmosphere, was created by American folk band The Blasting Company. It features, amongst others, the voices of country blues musician Blind Boy Paxton, and opera singer Samuel Ramey (who also provides the Beast's voice)! The soundtrack had its own vinyl release, featuring original spread artwork and designs; you can see them on page 175 of the artbook. You can listen to the album on the band's Spotify page here!
Sketches of the Unknown: This is an EP put out by The Blasting Company in 2020 that contains six previously unreleased songs created for the show. Their content leads to believe that these were songs used to get the right feel of the music before creating the official soundtrack, as shown above; my very favourite of these is The Tithing Man, which hearkens back to folktales and myths of yore. You can listen to it on the band's Spotify page here!
For Sara: This Mondo cassette is meant to be a reproduction of the cassette Wirt created for Sara in the penultimate episode of the show. It features original poetry and music (created, again, by The Blasting Company), all meant to have been created by Wirt. The cassette is an absolutely charming companion to the series, and was posted to Youtube in 2017 by user "Demighoul". I highly recommend sitting down to listen to the 20-something minutes it runs for! You can listen to it here! The cassette itself is available for purchase on Mondo's shop, here.
Episode Guide
The following is a list of all ten episodes of Over the Garden Wall, as well as a brief synopsis of each
Chapter 1: The Old Grist Mill
Wirt and Greg, lost in the Unknown, encounter the mysterious Woodsman. He offers them shelter in his mill and warns them against the dangers of the Beast, who stalks the land and steals children such as themselves.
Wirt: Greg! I, I think we're lost! We, w-we should've left a trail or something.
Greg: I can leave a trail of candy from my pants!
Trivia: The design of the dog that terrorizes the brothers in this episode was inspired by an old illustration from Hans Christian Anderson's story The Tinderbox.
Chapter 2: Hard Times at the Huskin' Bee
Wirt and Greg, now accompanied by the bluebird Beatrice, come across the town of Pottsfield, which is populated entirely by what they think are people dressed in pumpkin costumes. They run into trouble and are judged by its leader, Enoch.
Enoch: So, by the order of the Pottsfield Chamber of Commerce, I find you guilty of trespassing, destruction of property, disturbing the peace... and murder.
Trivia: In a proposed version of the intro, Enoch could be seen in human form coming to Pottsfield. The idea was that he was a drifter who came to Pottsfield in order to take over the town and create a death cult.
Chapter 3: Schooltown Follies
Wirt, tired of being called a pushover by Beatrice, decides to act as one fully. This leads him to become a pupil at Ms. Langtree's school for animals while Greg plays hooky.
Ms. Langtree: 'A' is for the apple that he gave to me, but I found a worm inside...
Trivia: Character designer Nick Cutter was the one to insist on including a scene towards the end of the episode where Mr. Langtree wipes a tear and it clings to his finger. It was meant to refer to a trend in old kids' cartoons that had scared him as a child!
Chapter 4: Songs of the Dark Lantern
Wirt, Greg, and Beatrice enter a tavern at night looking to ask for directions, but in order to get them, they first have to deal with the patronage's eccentricities.
Wirt: My name is Wirt and his name is Greg / We're related 'cuz my mom remarried and then gave birth to him with my stepdad... / We're not from around here / Can you all give me some directions today? / So we can be on our / Wa-a-a-a-y?
Trivia: The Edelwood tree seen in this episode is supposed to represent the final resting place of the people inside the Dark Tavern. Originally, it was supposed to mark the grave of Civil War soldiers who had fallen asleep under it.
Chapter 5: Mad Love
Wirt, Greg, and Beatrice, in the pursuit of change to ride a ferry, must help the wealthy but slightly loony Quincy Endicott solve the mystery of a beautiful yet terrifying ghost that has been haunting his massive estate.
Endicott: Yes, tea! That's my trade! 'Quincy Endicott's Health Tea'.
Greg: Your tea sounds good.
Endicott: Ugh! Never touch the stuff myself.
Trivia: Because the Unknown is informed by Wirt's interests, Endicott, too, is a character from Wirt's real life. In Ep. 9, you can see a tombstone bearing Endicott's name!
Chapter 6: Lullaby in Frogland
Now aboard the ferry, Wirt, Greg, and Beatrice have a chance to relax. However, once they disembark and secretly trail Beatrice to Adelaide's house, Wirt and Greg discover that Beatrice hasn't been entirely truthful with them.
Wirt: What's wrong with George Washington being naked?
Trivia:Writer Amalis Levari was the one who provided the idea for the scissors Adelaide holds over Beatrice's head. They're inspired by a real pair of scissors Levari's mother showed her, and they pay homage to how her mother was the one to teach her textile arts.
Chapter 7: The Ringing of the Bell
Stung by Beatrice's betrayal, Wirt and Greg seek shelter in what they assume to be an abandoned cottage. Things get complicated when they meet its residents: Lorna, and her Auntie Whispers.
Woodsman: Stop! Listen! The Beast knows your presence, ready to claim you as part of his dark forest, but only if you give up! Keep hearty in both body and spirit and you shall be safe from him. Fall ill or lose hope and your life shall pass into his crooked hands. Children, please heed my warning! Boys, beware the Beast!
Trivia: The mystery of the black turtles was one the show writers never intended to solve, but it was clearly hinted that they represented some form of evil to the Unknown. Auntie Whispers serves as a sort of sin eater to counter Adelaide, but the devouring of the turtles has clearly had an effect on her.
Chapter 8: Babes in the Wood
Exhausted, Wirt has a one-sided argument with Greg before the pair fall asleep beneath a tree. While sleeping, Greg has a strange dream at the end of which he finds out Wirt cannot leave the Unknown since the Beast has laid claim to him.
Wirt: I don't know much of anything anymore.
Greg: Oh. Did you know that dinosaurs had big ears but everyone forgot 'cuz dinosaur ears don't have bones?
Trivia: In the background of Greg's dream, you can see a little gnome of an old man, dressed like Wirt and holding a lantern.
Chapter 9: Into the Unknown
It's Halloween, and Wirt has finished recording a cassette for Sara, his crush. Greg decides to help Wirt deliver it to her when Wirt backs out, but this has unintended consequences for the pair.
Greg: Thank you, Old Lady Daniels!
Mrs. Daniels: Goodbye, Gregory. And please don't call me 'old lady'.
Greg: Yes, sir, young man!
Trivia: Patrick McHale wanted all of the kids in the background to look like they were wearing homemade costumes because he likes the authenticity this lends. He dislikes storebought costumes because they look artificial and nothing like the character being represented.
Chapter 10: The Unknown
Wirt and Beatrice hunt down Greg in the middle of a snowstorm, and are horrified to find the Beast seems to have taken him. The pair must make one last stand against their otherworldly pursuer, lest they lose Greg forever.
Beatrice's Mother: Now, eat your dirt!
[The whole family laughs genially.]
Trivia: Patrick McHale wanted this episode to feel like an opera because of how prominent the Beast is in it. The backgrounds and lighting are all meant to emulate the feeling of a stage, and the team toyed with the idea of having the sounds of an orchestra warming up playing in the background.
Art Gallery
It's impossible to stress enough how lovely Over the Garden Wall's art is. I love zooming in on concept illustrations and backgrounds featured in the artbook because there's so many little details that pop out and really show how much love and care went into the making of this show. I've put together some of my favourite pieces in this mini-gallery. The list is mostly chronological.
The colours in this picture are so lovely... I want to live in it forever!
This is the blackberry bush Beatrice gets 'caught' in in Ep. 2.
The original design of the Woodsman—a nightmarish face in the dark.
I love the colours and the trees in this illustration. Hi, Mr. Woodsman!
I so adore the Beast we see in the show, but the concept sketches are amazing, too.
These sketches makes me feel all of Wirt's loneliness. It's like we're getting a glimpse into something we weren't meant to see.
There's several landscapes like this one in the artbook, and they all take my breath away.
Something about the red silhouettes makes a shiver go up my spine.
This house raises so many questions: Who lives here? Are they still there? Why is the side door open?
This version of the Edelwood is so disgusting—I love it!
This art elicits such a feeling of voyeurism.
The Edelwoods as a whole are such an eerie concept.
This group of Pottsfielders is so goofy. I love their little haunted faces.
All of the art done for Mad Love is so rich and detailed, but I like this one the best. There's so much to see!
Despite the horror of who Adelaide is and what she does, I love her room—it feels so cozy.
Again, the art that shows the character's silhouettes in red is all so horrifying to me.
The stark figure of this tree is so evocative. The scene feels terribly empty and cold.
The clutter of Wirt's desk is rendered so wonderfully here.
As with Adelaide's room, this room from the party house is so comfortable-looking.
This one makes me emotional; in saving Greg, Wirt finally gets to be the romantic hero he's always wanted to be.
This painting is so still, and perfectly captures the feel a snowy evening.
This screenshot does these thumbnails no justice; see all of them on pg. 166 of the artbook.
This shot of the Beast revealed at last is so amazing, in everything from his form to his expression.
I love the frog here.
GORILLA!!
They are so small here...
Over the Garden Wall and Me!
Obviously, I made this page because (surprise, surprise!) Over the Garden Wall means a whole lot to me. I first watched the show when I was in Sec. 8, and it was basically love at first sight.
I can't really explain the weird degree of comfort I get from getting lost in the quiet pastoral towns, deceptively wonderful winter wonderlands, and dense forestation of the Unknown, but know it's a lot! Every time I rewatch this show, I notice something new, and it always surprises me just how much such a short show was able to pack in.
My favourite episode is probably 'Songs of the Dark Lantern' by a hair. I love the varied personalities we're introduced to, the silly songs, and the confrontation with the Woodsman. My favourite character is eiter Wirt, the Woodsman, Beatrice, or Greg, but that's basically the entire main cast so it's a moot point. My favourite songs off the soundtrack are 'Patient is the Night', 'Send Me a Peach', 'A Courting Song', 'Tome of the Unknown', and 'Black Train/End Credits'!
I love watching it with my friends or with my siblings, or just by myself. I love listening to Ms. Langtree bemoaning the loss of her beloved Jimmy, and I love the weird rotoscope-y animation of the Highwayman's song. I love the Woodsman and his tragedy, and I always sniffle a little when Anna, his daughter, returns home in the epilogue. I love Enoch and his contemplative voice, and I love the sprawling expanse of the joint Endicott-Grey mansion. I always look forwards to getting to rewatch it when Fall rolls around.
All that to say, I hope you liked reading through this page almost as much as I liked spending hours making it, and I hope it's inspired you to watch the show if you haven't, and made you think about it if you have!
That's goodbye for now...
With much love,
Tehsin!
