Count Olaf/ Al Funcoot

[vksbaudelaire]

Why did Count Olaf want to disguise the play under a different name( Al Funcoot)? Maybe Al Funcoot is his real name and he used an anagram to mix it around. But if he did that, why did he disguise his real name? Is he wanted in other countries? There may already be a thread like this, but I did a search and found nothing.

[Dante]

This is really a matter for Sardonic Series.

Count Olaf has apparently written several plays under the name "Al Funcoot" - at least two (see the U.A.). He likes anagrams, it seems. Possibly he uses the anagrams to seem less arrogant, or in case he wants to hide secret messages in his plays without it seeming like his doing, or maybe it's so that he can blame "Al Funcoot" if the play goes wrong, or maybe he just likes the fun of it (he's hardly the first author to write under an alias...), or maybe there's some other, better reason which I haven't yet thought of.

[Sugary Snicket]

uhhhh...... *is confused*

[Antenora]

I've wondered why Olaf's henchmen use anagrams of Count Olaf as their false names. Does Olaf make them use such names out of arrogance? I think Al Funcoot is just Olaf trying to hide his arrogance, or blame someone else if dreadful things happen during the play.

[Salex_]

He doesn't want us to know the henchmen's real names and wants the anagrams to be obvious. An anagram for "Hook handed man" would be much less obvious than an anagram for "Count Olaf". I don't know.

[MsMourning]

Maybe he uses the anagrams so that it's harder for him to get caught. That probably didn't make sense...O__o

[lauren]

I agree mourning. The anagram is used because using his real name at such a public event would be risky, especially when there are so many VFD members and general members of society who wish to bring him to justice.

EDIT: However, this does raise the question wether Count Olaf is his real name, as we know he has commited many crimes and escaped from jail before hand. Does anyone have any evidence which confirms that Count Olaf is his real name?

[Dante]

Well, all the volunteers call him Count Olaf, and since some of them clearly know his full history, then I guess if he was born under a different name, they'd know about it. Unless Count Olaf is the name he now prefers and uses most commonly, and they go along with that - although they haven't been so accepting of his demands before. (But then again, the Baudelaires often used Olaf's fake names to talk about him even though they knew it was really Count Olaf.)

[Antenora]

ffwf said:

(But then again, the Baudelaires often used Olaf's fake names to talk about him even though they knew it was really Count Olaf.)

I've often wondered about that...if they know full well that it's Olaf, why don't they just say Olaf, when they're talking among themselves where he can't hear?

[lauren]

well they were understandably paranoid enough to believe if they didn't use Olaf's prefered name at the time then he would creep up from behind and light them all on fire

[Brntn]

I must agree. There is one reason and one reason only(okay maybe more than one reason)why Olaf used Al Funcoot as his name, to evade being recognised as Count Olaf by all those VFD members at the public event and the like.

[Capac]

perhaps...do u think...is olaf's REAL name Al Funcoot?

[Brntn]

U is not a word. Probably not, its probably an acting name, just like some authors vary their name in books.

[Antenora]

I'm wondering, however, if the other side of VFD can figure out anagrams. It's been said that both sides of the schism use the same codes. So, a volunteer experienced in anagrams could immediately figure out who Al Funcoot was.

[RockSunner]

It's interesting that Olaf can't spell, but he can anagram correctly.