- “Wind in your sails!”
- ―Cotton's Parrot first words to Jack Sparrow[src]
Cotton's Parrot is a character in the Pirates of the Caribbean film series. He serves as the sidekick of his owner Cotton who helps him talk ever since he was unable to talk, once part of a motley crew, but later joined the crew of the Black Pearl under command of Jack Sparrow.
Background[]
Cotton's parrot shows loyalty to his master, Cotton. Like parrots in real life, he is seen on his shoulder. He is also known to use various nautical catchphrases such as "Shiver me timbers" or "Dead men tell no tales". Whenever he says, "Wind in your sails," it indicates he agrees. The parrot appeared to be more intelligent than many other crew members of the Black Pearl.
Appearances[]
The Curse of the Black Pearl[]
Cotton and his parrot first appear in a motley crew where Jack Sparrow tries to talk to him, but gets no response from the crewman. Joshamee Gibbs explains that the reason why Cotton is unable to talk, is because his tongue was cut, so Cotton had a parrot to talk to him. Jack and the motley crew board the HMS Interceptor and while onboard, Cotton, his parrot, and the rest of the motley crew set sail during a storm until the crew arrives at Isla de Muerta where Jack Sparrow and Will Turner explore alone. During a battle between the Interceptor and the Black Pearl, Cotton and his parrot participated in battle to fight against Hector Barbossa and his crew. Cotton, however, was imprisoned alongside the other crew members. Cotton and the rest of the motley crew at first refused to help rescue Will and Jack, though the motley crew rescued Jack from execution as Jack becomes captain once more.
Dead Man's Chest[]
Years later, Jack's crew begins facing a new danger threatening Jack and his crew when Davy Jones arrives, unleashing the Kraken. Jack began commanding Cotton and his crew to escape from the monster,
Arriving at Pelegostos, Cotton, his parrot, and the rest of Jack's crew, are victims of the Pelegostos tribe just as his parrot flies away and encounters Will Turner. As Cotton and his crew escape from Pelegostos in bone cages, Cotton's parrot returned to his master as the motley crew sets sail with help from Pintel and Ragetti.
Onboard the Flying Dutchman, Cotton and his parrot join Jack's quest to find the Dead Man's Chest, seeking advice from Tia Dalma in her shack just as Jack later arrives at Tortuga to settle the debt with Davy Jones. After surviving Isla Cruces, Cotton and his parrot fought against the Kraken to which during battle, Jack sacrifices himself to save the crew as the Pearl was dragged into Davy Jones' Locker.
Back with Tia Dalma, Cotton's parrot tells his master to go to World's End by finding Jack Sparrow and returning him from Davy Jones' Locker.
At World's End[]
In a plan to steal the Mao Kun Map, Cotton, his parrot, and the rest of Jack's crew acquire a ship and a crew. As Cotton's parrot remained with Tia Dalma on the streets of Singapore, Cotton and the crew arrive at Sao Feng's bath house. However, the crew ends up getting ambushed by several EITC soldiers just as Jack's crew escapes from them while Cotton's parrot still remained with Tia Dalma. Cotton, his parrot, and the rest of the crew, board a new ship, the Hai Peng to search for World's End.
As the crew reaches World's End, Cotton, his parrot, and the crew fell into Davy Jones' Locker and encountered Jack, regaining him and the Black Pearl. After reuniting with Jack and escaping from Davy Jones' Locker, Jack resumes his position as captain as he and the crew arrive on an island, only to find out the Kraken is dead. Cotton was later held mutiny to which Sao Feng saw the Empress from a distance to which he and Tai Huang arrive on the ship. Cotton and his parrot later attended the Brethren Court.
When the EITC's ships arrive, Cotton's parrot flies away after discovering the size of the fleet. He later participated during battle at the maelstrom where Cotton remained on the Pearl, but crashed onto the other ship during battle. Cotton, however, survived, along with his parrot who reunited back to his master after Davy Jones was defeated. As the HMS Endeavour is destroyed with Lord Cutler Beckett defeated for good, Cotton, his parrot, and the rest of the pirates celebrate their freedom from the EITC's forces. Cotton later remained as a crewman, this time under Barbossa's command, still with his parrot.
On Stranger Tides[]
Though Cotton himself did not appear, his parrot is only seen when the Black Pearl was placed into a ship in a bottle under Blackbeard's command. Cotton's parrot survived while trapped inside the bottle, alongside Jack the Monkey. Jack later devised a plan to free the Pearl out of the bottle. However, the bird did not appear during the events of Dead Men Tell No Tales after the Pearl was restored back to its original size.
Disney Parks[]
Pirates of the Caribbean[]
Mr. Cotton's parrot appears in this attraction after having been integrated during the refurbishments of 2006. In Disneyland and Walt Disney World, the parrot appears in the treasury of Puerto Dorado with Jack enjoying the island's treasure. The bird sings "Yo Ho (A Pirate's Life for Me)" with Jack and even reworks some of the lyrics with lines such as, "Maraud and embezzle and even hijack. Hi Jack, Hi Jack". In the Disneyland Paris version, the same scene occurs but in the pirates' lair of Dead Man's Cove.
Trivia[]
- Cotton's parrot was played by at least two blue and gold macaws named "Chip and Salsa" in the first film, and the second and third films. The parrot also appeared in Wedlocked, but which one that played Cotton's pet in the short is currently unknown.
- Because Cotton's parrot did not appear during Dead Men Tell No Tales, it is likely that he died of starvation for possible lack of food, with Jack the Monkey being immortal at that time. Alternatively, Jack Sparrow may have simply taken the cork out of the bottle, causing the parrot to fly away, may have remained below deck, or the parrot flew away offscreen while the Pearl is being restored to its original size.
External links[]
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