Are Lock Shock and Barrel all boys?

Alright, I’ve played the Favorite game long enough. I’ll start moving onto other characters. And it’s about time I tackled Lock, Shock, and Barrel - I haven’t mentioned them enough. But there is something I want to discuss about them. And I’m interested to see if anyone thinks the same..

It’s a sensitive topic…(especially for me hhh), but were Lock, Shock, and Barrel abused by Oogie Boogie?

We all know Oogie is a bad person. He’s the villain, and the only one we see Jack Skellington actually hate. There’s evidence that he kills people for the sake of gambling on lives(I will make a post about it sometime), so his nature is possibly murderous. And it’s shown that he has a short temper when things don’t go in his luck/favor. But would he actually take this out on his henchmen?

What I should first address is that Lock, Shock, and Barrel worship Oogie Boogie. They have a shrine dedicated to him. Barrel and Lock are seen, in the movie, bowing down to the entrance of his Lair. They talk highly of him and say that they want to please Oogie, and to not let him down, as it is their job to keep him happy. They feed him bugs and even offer him Santa Claus later on in the movie.

Now, we all know that the Boogeyman is a figure who scares children to correct their behavior. Children, as a whole, fear him. And Oogie even outright calls himself the “Boogeyman”. It makes sense that he has children working for him, as it is his job to make sure they behave well. This certainly doesn’t work on Lock, Shock, and Barrel - they’re pranksters who play tricks and don’t behave like the other children in Town. It’s clear this his intentions with them aren’t to correct them, but to carry out his demands and do whatever he can’t do.

If you follow me, it’s likely that you know that Boogie has been banished to his Lair as shown in The Pumpkin King game. He cannot leave it under any circumstances, under Jack Skellington’s orders. So it’s only reasonable that Lock, Shock, and Barrel are there to give him anything he wants. Food, candy, bugs…even victims. They view it as harmless fun, but are they actually doing this out of fear?

Take a look at the image above closely. We see different masks hanging around Oogie’s lair entrance. They’re small, so they’d fit children’s faces. And what do Lock, Shock, and Barrel have? Trick-or-Treating Masks. Is it possible that Oogie Boogie has killed the previous owners to them? That, maybe, they didn’t follow through with an order of his, or they upset him greatly to the point where he ate/killed them? Is that why they are morbidly hanging there? As a reminder to Boogie’s Boys that, if they failed, they’d end up the same way?

Taking this into consideration, is it possible that Lock, Shock, and Barrel are only obeying to his demands so he won’t kill them? That they are secretly afraid of Oogie, but can’t do anything about it? We don’t get much insight to their relationship with Oogie in the movie. We only know that they worship him and not Jack. And they imply that Oogie has a “good side”, which damn well hints to him having a “bad side”. Just listen to how they mention him in their song:

Because Mr. Oogie Boogie
Is the meanest guy around 

We’re his little henchmen and
We take our job with pride
We do our best to please him
And stay on his good side

It’s possible that Lock, Shock, and Barrel’s mischievous behavior only comes from being neglected by Oogie Boogie. They don’t appear to be living healthily either, as they indulge in junk food/candy and live with torn furniture/walls and weapons. They think in destructive ways and don’t even acknowledge their chance of redemption(working for Jack) - as they know that Oogie would be furious if they disobeyed him in any way.

Not to mention their interaction with Oogie in the games. He yells at them and they cower in fear. And Barrel is the only one who shows signs of disloyalty to him when carrying out his orders, as he accidentally blurts out his plans to Jack. Boogie refers to Barrel as his “star pupil” as well, which may just mean that Oogie is trying to win his loyalty over because Lock and Shock don’t question his authority. They keep resurrecting him despite his abusive nature to them, which may imply that they have been manipulated to the point where, without him, they have no one to rely on.

Let’s take another look at the ending of the movie. They’re grinning quite a lot when they come and fetch the Mayor to get Jack. They don’t appear to be angry at all that he killed Boogie.They’re visibly relieved that he’s dead, and Lock, Shock, and Barrel actually have innocent fun out in the Town with the snow. Judging by their behavior, they seem really happy that Oogie is gone. This helps back up the theory of him treating them horribly while he was still around.

What do you guys think?