Monsters Inc fans have sussed the secret meaning of emergency code '23-19'

Publish date: 2024-05-03

"We've got a 23-19!"

Monsters Inc fans believe they've unearthed the secret meaning behind the emergency code '23-19'.

In the movie, poor George Anderson gets the shock of his life as the CDA (child detection agency) swoop in on a child's sock that's attached itself to his furry exterior.

His scare floor partner Charlie screeches "We've got a 23-19!" - the call to alert when a 'contamination' happens, and George is promptly shaved and showered by the CDA.

READ MORE: Stacey Solomon wants Disney to introduce a 'single mum' princess

But fans think they've sussed a deeper meaning behind the code; the number 23 could signify the 23rd letter in the alphabet, which is 'W'. 

And if the '19' represents the 19th letter, well, that's 'S' - and 'WS' could stand for 'White Sock.' 

I just realized that in Monsters Inc when they yell “We have a 23-19” the 23rd letter in the alphabet is W and the 19th is S and it stands for white sock and honestly my life is in shambles

— Austin (@Spring_Bing) July 21, 2018

This discovery was met with a whole heap of appreciation on social media, with Disney Pixar fans commending the analogy.

Other fans also cottoned on to another idea - that WS could stand for Wazowski and Sullivan - the two surnames of main monsters.


Credit: Disney Pixar 

But really, '23-19' could simply refer to the code for title 18, section 2319 in US law - which is criminal infringement.

(We definitely prefer the other two theories!)

ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7qbHAq6tnm59jwqx70qGmsJqZr3y1woympq%2Bhlah8rrvVopysZ52ku7TAxKuqZqGemHqnrc2sZKydk6eytXnMnpinoZ6ceqS7w55ka2tdZoZw