The first Fallout game was released on October 10, 1997, and it introduced an iconic figure in the treacherous post-apocalyptic world. Vault Boy is the mascot of Vault-Tec and has always appeared as a smiling blonde man winking at an imaginary audience while holding up his thumb. He wears a Vault-Tec suit and generally appears to be little more than a fictional mascot representing the many Vault dwellers who call the Vaults their homes.

The Fallout TV show, however, introduced a new level of insight into the seemingly-invented mascot. Instead of simply depicting it as a traditional figure for the company's marketing efforts, the show considers where Vault Boy first came from. In doing so, it added essential lore to the universe.

Fallout Has Always Been Defined by the Vault Boy Mascot

• Vault Boy has appeared in every single Fallout game.

Vault-Tec is meant to be a parody of American businesses, corporate greed, and the general aesthetic of the 1950s and 1960s. It is an explicitly malevolent organization that used government funding to create a truly horrifying series of Vaults, which experimented on residents and had downright absurd premises. Those inside of the Vaults generally understand how evil the company is. Its exterior face, however, is much more welcoming and wholesome. Vault Boy exemplifies what Vault-Tec wants the world to see.

Vault Boy is an ever-smiling figure who always seems to encourage the viewer to keep pushing on. His iconic gesture involves him standing tall while sticking out his thumb as if to say "good job" to anyone looking. He is nearly always winking, too, which adds a comedic and warm element to the character. His clothes are clean, his face is expressive, and he has confidence that few people in the Fallout world can actually boast. In essence, he is an encouraging character with an upbeat attitude, good hygiene, and a safe and comforting appearance. He is everything that Vault-Tec pretends to be, and that is part of what makes the character so menacing.

The Vault Boy Finally Has an Origin

• Vault Boy is secretly Cooper Howard, the renowned pre-Great War actor.

The Fallout TV show finally revealed how the character was initially designed. Vault Boy was based on Cooper Howard, a renowned actor who was typically known as a Western star. Howard would eventually go on to become the horrifying mercenary, the Ghoul, but he was originally just a veteran and an actor. He had no great interest in returning to the fight, and he even had a daughter to take care of. At his wife's urging, however, he agreed to take a position as a mascot for Vault-Tec, the company that she worked for.

Vault Boy was intended to be an advertisement, so Cooper Howard was the perfect contender for the role.

When Cooper stuck up his hand into a thumbs-up, the photographer snapped a photo. From there, it was nothing more than time and artistry before the iconic Vault Boy came to life. The entire design was based on Howard, though Vault Boy has lighter features to match the post-World War II 1950s traditionalist aesthetic. Even Vault Boy's suit was based on Howard's, as he was wearing a prototype version at the time that the picture was taken. Vault Boy's true origin is simply that he was just Cooper Howard with a thin veneer of a differing appearance. The Fallout TV show is canon, which means that Vault Boy was Howard all along.

It would be easy to accuse the show of manufacturing a connection to its main cast, but Vault Boy's origin was never before revealed in the franchise. The first true insight into Vault Boy's design came through the Ghoul's flashbacks. It is not an artificial connection, nor is it entirely surprising, given that marketing loves tying in renowned actors to products. Vault Boy was intended to be an advertisement, so Cooper Howard was the perfect contender for the role. The reveal just makes the universe more realistic, as it provides a believable origin to the ever-present figure. His pose, however, has become more ominous since the reveal.

Even the Vault Boy's Thumb Has an Important Origin

• Howard learned to use the thumb while serving as a Marine in the Sino-American War.

As a Marine who fought in the Sino-American War, Cooper Howard knew the horrors of battle. Even more, he knew how terrifying nuclear bombs can be. Cooper revealed that he was taught to use his thumb to identify the dangers of a nuclear blast. If a dweller holds up their thumb during a nuclear blast and can still see parts of the mushroom-shaped cloud around their finger, they are far too close and need to run for their lives.

Cooper used the thumbs-up sign as a hint at Vault-Tec's importance to a post-apocalyptic wasteland. The entire Fallout timeline truly begins with the Great War, which was a short but intense battle using nuclear weapons. Howard was there to see the destruction, and his daughter even used the thumbs-up to test if they would survive the bombs.

The devastating truth about the thumbs-up hints at the true malevolence of Vault-Tec. They may hide behind a thin veneer of goodhearted kindness, but the company hid a series of dark secrets. They ran cruel experiments, butchered innocents, and hoped for a nuclear war that would devastate the entire world. It was all out of a mere desire for profit, as their mission necessitated that the world go to war. Vault Boy might have a kind face, but he was instrumental in causing the very explosions he was looking to avoid.

The Fallout Show is Adding Essential New Vault-Tec Lore

• The Fallout show introduced new vaults and offered insight into Vault-Tec.
• Vault-Tec ensured that the nuclear apocalypse would happen.

Vault Boy's true origin is not the only piece of insight that the show offers. It introduced an array of new elements that contextualized many of Vault-Tec's actions. The show introduced Vaults 31, 32, and 33, which involve a series of three interconnected Vaults that simply exist to train and develop middle managers. Every overseer was a pre-Wasteland candidate, trained to serve as a suitable overseers and to develop a new society. They would then go on to develop a better world as Vault-Tec's chief operators. The show also introduced Vault 4, which involved hybrid experimentation and torture.

The most pertinent development, however, is that the Fallout show revealed Vault-Tec's true goal. It was never truly revealed who pushed the world to nuclear war, but the show proved that it was Vault-Tec all along. Because they could not profit from their investments without war, Vault-Tec decided to push the world to nuclear war. Billions died in the aftermath, and the Wasteland is filled with horror and bloodshed. Every death lies at Vault-Tec's feet, as they sabotaged any hope of peace processes. Vault Boy might be an adorable character, but Fallout proved that Vault Boy and Vault-Tec hide many horrifying secrets under a false veneer of benevolence.