How the Oliver Twins created Dizzy
From an expressive face and a spinning jump to a world of puzzles and friends: the beginnings of Dizzy.
The original ZX Spectrum adventure: a woodland cottage, a cauldron and a puzzle waiting to be solved.
It started with a face
While developing Ghost Hunters, Philip Oliver wanted a character with more expression than its tiny faces could show. Using the Panda Sprites tool, he drew a much larger face. Hands and feet filled the remaining space, becoming the familiar red gloves and boots.
A personality in motion
Expressions and a spinning jump brought the character to life. The brothers tried him inside Ghost Hunters, but its haunted mansion did not feel like the right home. Their new hero needed an adventure of his own.
Objects with a purpose
Philip and Andrew drew on animated fairytales and text adventures to build a magical setting. Objects became tools for solving puzzles, rather than simply things to gather. Published by Codemasters in 1987, Dizzy – The Ultimate Cartoon Adventure sent players searching for potion ingredients to defeat the wizard Zaks.
The world grows
Fantasy World Dizzy followed in 1989. The brothers expanded the cast with more Yolkfolk, introduced conversations and built a fairytale adventure around helping them. Dragons, castles and ideas from Jack and the Beanstalk made the world bigger, while the characters gave its puzzles a personal reason to matter. Many of those ideas later found a home in Fantastic Dizzy.