The Luggage is one of the iconic Discworld characters, but did Terry Pratchett ever explain where the inspiration came from for the sociopathic walking trunk with internals that seem to act like the TARDIS (a box that is much much bigger on the inside, from Doctor Who)?
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7Probably his own crazy, brilliant mind. – Stormblessed Oct 08 '19 at 13:47
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42You do know most wheely suitcases are sociopathic right? – Jontia Oct 08 '19 at 13:47
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3I always assumed it was a pun based on the fact that Twoflower was a tourist and the Luggage was his travelling luggage (as opposed to an overnight bag). – Buns of Aluminum Oct 10 '19 at 02:43
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In the Dedication of Sourcery, Terry Pratchett writes:
DEDICATION
Many years ago I saw, in Bath, a very large American lady towing a huge tartan suitcase very fast on little rattly wheels which caught in the pavement cracks and generally gave it a life of its own. At that moment the Luggage was born. Many thanks to that lady and everyone else in places like Power Cable, Neb., who don't get nearly enough encouragement.
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14For those not familiar with the reference to Power Cable, Nebraska, please see the section on Mort in https://wiki.lspace.org/mediawiki/TV_and_film_adaptations ; also see https://wiki.lspace.org/mediawiki/Power_Cable – PM 2Ring Oct 08 '19 at 15:35
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2I wouldn't be surprised if the traits of the luggage (that is, its interior space, sapience, etc) were all tropes from other places, even if not specifically mentioned. For example, it is made of wood is from the sapient pear tree (there's a pun there, in case you missed it; sap-ient). The bigger-on-the-inside as a trope has been around for a long, long time showing up in Heinlein, Narnia, Doctor Who, Myth Adventures (which predates Discworld, if only just), to name a few. There is nothing new under the sun, but fresh combinations abound. – Draco18s no longer trusts SE Oct 10 '19 at 01:14
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2He also mentioned in the art of the discworld that it was based on something he used use in his DND games, a chest with thousands of little legs for carrying loot that blindly followed orders, often getting lost when given careless orders. so there was TWO inspirations. https://discworld.fandom.com/wiki/The_Luggage – John Oct 11 '19 at 12:37