Maybe you’ve seen the minMAX logo and asked the big question:

Why the octopus?

For the minMAX team, it was an easy choice. Since our goal is to help MSPs eliminate “ticket juggling” and foster a more efficient, productive shop all around, the idea of a creature with eight arms fit right in. 

But octopi are all around us. Pop culture has a thing for this mystical cephalopod, and it makes sense — they’re fascinating! With their otherworldly appearance, intelligence, and ability to adapt, these creatures have inspired a wide range of characters across movies, television, literature, and even music. 

From the extraterrestrial octopus in Resident Alien to iconic villains like Doctor Octopus in Spider-Man, octopuses have become symbols of mystery, power, and humor. Today, we’re going to take a look at some of the most famous octopuses in pop culture, showcasing how these eight-armed wonders continue to capture the imagination.

The Nathan Fillion Octopus in Resident Alien

In the TV series Resident Alien, a talking octopus makes a memorable appearance in an Asian restaurant, revealing that he’s actually an alien named “42” in hiding. This octopus — voiced by Firefly’s Nathan Fillion — doles out sage advice to the show’s protagonist, Harry, who himself is an extraterrestrial with evolutionary ties to Earth’s octopi.

Alan Tudyk (who plays Harry) was also in Firefly. So, this was kind of a reunion. In a way.

 

The Kraken

Yeah, you’re probably thinking that the Kraken is a squid rather than an octopus. Most folks do, since modern depictions of the mythological creature tend to lean more toward the squiddy side. That’s probably because evidence of the real-life giant squid (Architeuthis dux) caught the public eye in the 1800s. Now, it’s not unusual for folks to simply say “sure…it was a giant squid that gave birth to the legend of the Kraken” with a casual handwave.

But when you look at many of the original Norse legends surrounding the Kraken, it was described as octopus-like just as often as it was described as a squid. (It was also described as a “crab-fish” in one tale, so do what you want with that.) 

Most importantly, the Kraken was often said to be “as large as an island” and capable of swallowing entire ships. As big as the giant squid may be — the largest recorded so far was 43 feet long — there’s no mistaking one for an island. 

In short, it really seems like the Kraken is more imagination than a misidentified squid. With that in mind, we like to think of it as an octopus. 

 

Octodad

Octodad is a freeware independent video game developed by a group of students at DePaul University for the 2011 Independent Games Festival. The game went on to be one of 8 winners in the Student Showcase award of that year, and eight of the students who went on to form their own game studio. Their indie venture, Young Horses Inc., released the sequel, Octodad: Dadliest Catch after it became one of the first games successfully greenlit by Steam.

The game’s intentional humor was supported by a (somewhat) unintentionally-difficult control scheme. The need to manipulate Octodad’s arms independently — combined with ragdoll physics — led to off-the-wall gameplay that became a hallmark of the IP.

 

Doctor Octopus, Archnemesis of Spider-Man 

Doctor Octopus, aka “Doc Ock”, is one of Spider-Man’s most famous and entertaining villains. When a brilliant scientist named Dr. Otto Octavius takes his obsession with robotics a bit too far, he ends up with four mechanical tentacles fused to his body. These appendages are super strong, super flexible, and sometimes take on a mind of their own — much like the independently-driven arms of RL octopi.

Doc Ock first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man #3 in July 1963. He was created by writer Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, quickly becoming one of Spider-Man’s most iconic and persistent foes.

 

Cthulhu, Lovecraftian Elder God

Cthulhu might not be an octopus, but it’s hard for some people to think of tentacles without picturing this iconic elder god. 

Cthulhu is a cosmic horror figure created by author H.P. Lovecraft in his 1928 short story, “The Call of Cthulhu.” Picture an ancient, powerful entity with the body of a giant humanoid, the head of an octopus (complete with a mass of tentacles), and dragon-like wings. Cthulhu is one of the Great Old Ones, a group of primordial, god-like beings that exist beyond human understanding.

According to the lore, Cthulhu lies dormant beneath the ocean in the sunken city of R’lyeh, waiting for the stars to align so it can rise again and bring chaos to the world. It embodies existential dread, representing the insignificance of humanity in the grand scheme of the universe. People who encounter Cthulhu or even dream about it tend to go insane, as its very presence defies logic and reason. But he’s fun at parties.

 

Octopuses in Pop Culture

That’s it for our first roundup of octopi in the spotlight! Obviously, these amazing creatures have taken hold of our imaginations time and again, taking on forms from silly to sinister. It’s no wonder why, and even more clear why minMAX decided to adopt Max the Octopus as our mascot. 

While he’s not as powerful as Cthulhu and hasn’t swallowed any ships (that we know of), Max is the ultimate multi-tasker and the ideal illustration for the ticket juggling that minMAX handles for MSPs.