Highlights
- Glitches in Red Dead Redemption, like the Donkey Lady, became fan favorites and led to official in-game references in the sequel.
- The Donkey Lady, originally a glitch in Red Dead 1, now appears in Red Dead 2 as a neat Easter egg for players to discover.
- The mysterious character of the Donkey Lady, with a donkey face and human body, adds to the creepy encounters hidden in the Red Dead world.
The world of Red Dead Redemption sometimes strays from what is seemingly a historically aligned real-world Wild West setting. Along with the typical fair expected of the American West during the late 1800s and early 1900s, there exist some mysteries and oddities that defy rational explanations. Phenomenons like the time traveler, the ghost train, apparitions, and UFOs all fill up the dark corners of the Red Dead Redemption world. Among the many creepy encounters and mysterious situations, one that stands out is the Donkey Lady.
The Donkey Lady is one of the more well-known secrets to players of both Red Dead 1 and 2. Although the name may suggest it is a character featured in Red Dead Redemption 1's Undead Nightmare, it is actually present in the base game. Much like the vampire in Saint-Denis and the ghost woman in Emerald Ranch, players must go to a specific location to discover this unique character. Befitting a character with such a strange name as the Donkey Lady is the story of how the myth came to be in the first place.
Rockstar Has an Obvious Stopgap to Make Before Red Dead Redemption 3
If Rockstar plans on developing Red Dead Redemption 3 at some point, there are a few potential projects that could be released in the interim.
What Is the Donkey Lady In Red Dead Redemption?
The Origins Of The Donkey Lady
The Donkey Lady was not originally intended to be a part of the Red Dead Redemption world. The character came about initially in Red Dead Redemption 1, though like any good paranormal encounter, it was not actually made by the developers intentionally. The Donkey Lady was a glitch in Red Dead 1 and one that became famous at the time due to the fact that many people found they were accidentally stumbling upon the character. Like many of the glitches in Red Dead, the fans ate it up, and it quickly became a legend in the community.
The Donkey Lady was found in Mexico, usually on the side of a dirt road in Perdido. The character had the body of a typical female NPC but the face of a donkey. Players were even able to hop onto the shoulders of the NPC and ride it as if it were a normal donkey. This strange Red Dead character even made the sounds of a donkey and had some of the body animations of the animals found in the game. The original video below shows it in action:
The Legacy Of The Donkey Lady
Fan-discovered glitches in Red Dead include:
- The Cougar Man
- The Bird Men
- The Donkey Lady
Though the flying "bird" men may not have been directly referenced in Red Dead Redemption 2, the Donkey Lady and the Cougar Man were both revived in an official capacity for the sequel. The Donkey Lady can be found in Cholla Springs in New Austin, standing beside a mill. No longer living, this version of the character appears only as remains, the horse-like head standing out atop the human body.
Now a part of the overall Red Dead continuity in an official capacity, it begs the question of what else could be out there. Both Arthur Morgan and John Marston react to the discovery of the Donkey Lady's remains in Red Dead 2 with confused horror as if they believe the creature could have been real. The fact that a simple glitch could go on to inspire an actual in-game Easter egg is pretty exciting and should make discovering glitches all the more fun for fans. There may even be undiscovered glitches remaining that could potentially inspire characters or mechanics in future Rockstar games.
