Craig
From Halopedia, the Halo wiki
Craig is an internet meme originated from an infamous screenshot of a Jiralhanae Berserker from the Halo Infinite Campaign Gameplay Premiere. A series of Easter eggs that reference Craig can be found in Halo Infinite.
Overview
Origins
Following the release of the Halo Infinite Campaign Gameplay Premiere on July 23, 2020, a screenshot from the trailer, depicting a Jiralhanae with a deadpan expression moments before being meleed by John-117, began circulating on Twitter.[1] Users started calling the Jiralhanae in the screenshot "Craig",[2] with 343 Industries Community Director Brian Jarrard endorsing the meme on the next day.[3] Phil Spencer, the head of Xbox, jokingly called Craig the "new official Xbox mascot" on Twitter.[4]
Recognition
After 343 Industries announced that the release of Halo Infinite would be delayed from 2020 to 2021, Craig was again brought up in the October 2021 issue of Inside Infinite on Halo Waypoint. Character & Combat Director Steve Dyck cited "Craig" as representative of "some content and systems that were not ready" for the showcase, and noted that the delayed release allowed the Character Team at 343 Industries to make improvements to the facial design. In the same post, Character Art Lead Bryan Repka mentioned that Craig has "picked up a new hobby and has done well for himself",[5] alluding to the Easter egg at the top of Tower, which shows a poster of Craig as a musician touring the Banished outposts and bases. The comparison between the original screenshot and an updated face of a Jiralhanae from the Inside Infinite issue was later posted on the official Xbox Twitter account as a "How It Started vs. How It's Going" meme.[6]
Following the release of Halo Infinite, Craig was among the characters featured on the official Halo-themed Valentine Day cards released on February 14, 2022.[7][8] He was also mentioned in the description of the Flash Fjord armor and vehicle coatings.[9] On November 25, 2022, the Halo Twitter account revealed a T-shirt featuring the logo of Craig's band and his touring schedule.[10] On December 2, 2022, the Halo Twitter account posted an image in a parody of Spotify Wrapped, Spotify's feature that gives users a summary of their listening habits throughout the previous year. This logo, supposedly from a company called "Craigify," features the logo of Craig's band, lists several of Craig's songs, and also lists Craig as the user's top four artists through the year, with the fifth being Glibnub. It also states that the user had listed for 343,117 minutes and that their top genre was "Craig Rock."[11]
In-game references
Marine dialogue
One of the marine's idle dialogue references Craig: "I saw this one Brute — weeeird look in his eyes, (Chuckling) like, really deadpan. You could tell, he'd seen some stuff in his day, man. Umm, I wonder if he had a name. I almost want to call him, like, y'know, like Greg or something. Yeah, Greg. Yeah."[12]
Propaganda tower Unggoy
One of the Glibnub's dialogue from the propaganda towers references Craig: "Hey, we got a Craig out there? I keep hearing about some loser named Craig. Why the heck do you get all the attention? We're just as cool, if not way cooler!"[13]
Banished Troops
Hey who’s this Craig guy they keep talking about? He sounds like a cool guy, is it me? Am I a Craig?
Who’s Craig now (If one of the Unggoy kills the player)
Tower Easter egg
Overview
The easter egg can be found on top of Chak 'Lok's Tower. It shows a stage with speakers along with a music album and a poster. The music album has a picture of "Craig" on it along with the text "Greatest Hits". It also lists the names of the songs in the album, some of which are references to jokes made about Halo Infinite and Craig's deadpan expression. The songs are titled:
- I SMILE INSIDE
- FOR THE CRAIG
- I WAS ALONE
- I GOT TEARS LAST SUMMER
- I'M THE CRAIG IN YOUR HEART
- MY MOM USED TO LOVE ME
- POPPED IN THE CHIN BY MY FRIEND
- SPACE GOPHERS, WHERE'D THE RHINOS GO?
- THE SMELL OF FLOWERS MAKES ME HAPPY
- YOUR WORDS HURT BUT I LOVE IT
- THE DAY YOU BECOME A MEME
- GRUNT! GRUNT! GRUNT!
- I CAN'T GROW BEARD
- I AM SO FAMOUS
A poster listing tour dates can also be found Banished base locations. The poster reads: CRAIG ZETA HALO TOUR 2560
- 24th OCT-------OUTPOST TREMONIUS
- 25th OCT-------ARMORY OF RECKONING
- 28th OCT-------HORN OF ABOLITION
- 30th OCT-------FORGE OF TEASH
- 3th NOV-------RANSOM KEEP
- 6th NOV-------REDOUBT OF SUNDERING
- 8th NOV-------ANNEX RIDGE
- 11th NOV-------RIVEN GATE
- 15th NOV-------HOUSE OF RECKONING
Walkthrough
At the Tower, you need to use Grappleshot or a Wasp to get to the top of the structure. You will most likely need the 40% cooldown reduction upgrade for this. Climb up one of the four tower supports and then grapple up over the top of the Tower. At the top you will find the Easter egg. There will also be a metal bar next to the microphone with some red paint on it. Activate it, then melee it and it will play guitar notes.
Trivia
- On the poster, "3th November" is spelled incorrectly. The correct spelling is "3rd November"
- If the player interacts with the album, it flips over.
Gallery
Two people wearing official Craig-themed T-shirts.
The logo of Craig's band, consisting of stylized versions of the word "Craig" surrounding a Jiralhanae hand making the "rock on" hand sign.
Sources
- ^ Twitter, KEEM (@KEEMSTAR)
- ^ Know Your Meme, Craig the Halo Infinite Brute - True origin of Craig, Halo Plasmaposting (Retrieved on Jan 17, 2021) [archive]
- ^ Twitter, Brian Jarrard (@ske7ch): "So are we in agreement the poor deadpan Brute is named Craig? I now really want to know more about Craig. What’s he up to? How has his time on the ring been? When he’s not getting smacked in the face what does he do for fun?"
- ^ Twitter, Phil Spencer (@xboxp3): "Our new official Xbox mascot :-) love the community and their ability to just take something fun and run with it."
- ^ Halo Waypoint, Inside Infinite - October 2021 (Retrieved on Jan 17, 2021) [archive]
- ^ Twitter, Xbox (@xbox): "How it started: How it's going:"
- ^ Twitter, Halo (@Halo): "A hundred rockets would be too few, to carry all of our love for you. 💖 Happy #ValentinesDay, Spartans! To help you celebrate the occasion, here's some cards for you to share among you and yours: http://aka.ms/HaloValentines2022"
- ^ Halo Waypoint Forums, Community / General Discussion - Happy Valentine's Day! (Retrieved on Feb 14, 2022) [archive]
- ^ Halo Infinite, Flash Fjord armor coating description: "This one is Craig's favorite."
- ^ Twitter, Halo (@Halo): "Immortalize Craig’s newest release with official concert merch from his Zeta Halo Tour..."
- ^ Twitter, Halo (@Halo): "It’s all for Craig! 🤘 What’s your top song from Halo? #SpotifyWrapped"
- ^ YouTube - Halo Hunter, All Halo Infinite Marine Dialog (Retrieved on Jan 17, 2021)
- ^ YouTube - A Villainous Toaster, Halo Infinite - Propaganda Tower Dialogue (Retrieved on Jul 28, 2023)
