A Day In The Life Of Moon Man

tim-cain the-outer-worlds obsidian fun-friday behind-the-scenes moonman

Abstract

Problem: What does a typical day look like for The Outer Worlds' iconic Moon Man — as performed by the game's director in his own home?

Approach: Tim Cain shares a photo series he created in 2019, wearing The Outer Worlds' Moon Man mascot head while performing mundane daily activities at home.

Findings: A delightful behind-the-scenes look at Obsidian's studio culture, Tim's sense of humor, and the physical realities of wearing an oversized mascot helmet.

Key insight: The best studio cultures are built on people who don't take themselves too seriously — Tim spent an entire Saturday photographing himself in a giant Moon Man head doing chores, and it's exactly the kind of energy that made The Outer Worlds special.

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AZ9bziBYj5o

1. Context

This is a Fun Friday video from Tim Cain's YouTube channel. He dug through old industry photos and found a series he made in 2019 called "A Day in the Life of Moon Man," originally shared with the Obsidian team just for laughs.

The Moon Man is the mascot/helmet character from The Outer Worlds — the iconic spacesuit figure seen throughout the game's marketing and in-game branding.

2. The Moon Man Head Arrives

When the physical Moon Man head prop arrived at Obsidian, Tim immediately wanted to try it on. His colleague Leonard helped him get it over his head (it was difficult due to its size). It had that classic new-plastic smell inside. Leonard tried it on too — they were having fun with it at the office.

Then Tim had an idea: take the head home for the weekend and photograph an entire "day in the life."

3. The Photo Series

Tim spent a Saturday staging photos of himself doing everyday activities while wearing the Moon Man head:

3.1. Morning Routine

  • Shower: The Moon Man head peeking over the top of a shower curtain (which featured a black lab diving into water — his guest bathroom curtain)

3.2. Cooking Breakfast

  • He tried to put a chef hat on top of the Moon Man head, but it was too wide. He also considered the Moon Man's top hat but didn't want to damage it with the elastic
  • Pulled out his cast iron skillet and decided to cook with Spacer's Choice Saluna — referencing one of the fun in-game products they'd made as a key chain
  • Washed it down with a Zero-G Brew, another Outer Worlds product

3.3. Toss Ball Cards

  • While going through a Toss Ball card pack, he found his favorite character: Tim Kane (his in-game self), who was apparently a goalie

3.4. Doing Dishes

  • After cooking, he cleaned up. When he turned around, his dog Abby (Madame Abigail) was just sitting there, completely unfazed by the giant Moon Man head

4. Gaming Break

Tim sat down and played The Outer Worlds until he found his favorite NPC: Martin (the Moon Man helmet-wearing character in-game). He had a conversation with Martin about what it's like wearing that helmet all the time — noting it "might have driven him insane."

5. Household Chores

5.1. Laundry Run

  • Heading upstairs, Tim passed a Fallout Shelter sign and dismissed it: "Moon Man don't have any time for no Fallout Shelter"
  • He noticed what he called the "hallway of games of the past"
  • Going downstairs was treacherous — you can only see out of the Moon Man head through the mouth, not the eyes. He carefully navigated past a framed letter from Atari — a response to game design ideas he'd sent them when he was about 13 years old
  • He fell down the stairs. His advice: "Caution kids, don't go running up and downstairs in a Moon Man helmet"
  • Abby watched him fall, didn't care, just wanted to know if the laundry basket had anything for her

5.2. Vacuuming

  • Madame Abigail apparently sheds a lot of fur, so vacuuming was a necessity

6. Going Out

Tim experimented with ways to "bling up" the Moon Man helmet for a night out. The winning look: a glowing LED strip on the top hat.

7. Notable Details

  • The Atari letter: Tim has a framed letter from Atari responding to game design ideas he sent them as a 13-year-old — a charming origin story detail for one of the industry's most important RPG designers
  • Madame Abigail: Tim's dog who is completely indifferent to all Moon Man shenanigans
  • The cast iron skillet: Tim is a cast iron cook — a man of culture
  • Visibility: The Moon Man head only allows you to see through the mouth opening, not the eyes — making stairs genuinely dangerous

8. References