Abraham Lincoln is the ghost of the 16th President of the United States of America (1861 to 1865), who appears in the episode Not So Honest Abe in which Molly is supposed to do a presentation of for her Living History assignment. While Molly was working on "helping" everyone else with their history projects... and thus put off her own homework until the last minute... Scratch, in yet another attempt to sneak into the Haughty Haunts Club, ended up literally running into Lincoln while he, the ghosts of other American Presidents (including and not limited to F.D.Roosevelt), and the ghosts of historical figures from around the world (including Cleopatra) were visiting the place. Scratch, scrambling to make a good impression around the president, tried to invite Lincoln to join him for lunch or something, but the president only ended up "ghosting" him shortly afterwards, right before the club's bouncer threw Scratch out on account of a fake V.I.P. members card.
Returning home, Scratch got Molly to admit that she didn't do anything for her report, and she ends up pulling an all nighter trying to study up on Abraham Lincoln only to find there's too much information for her to sort out on "the most popular American president" and she moans her concern that she's letting Lincoln down. Hearing this, Scratch ends up mentioning that he met that very president and "doubts he'd even care", prompting Molly to insist to Scratch that he brings that president's ghost to her to both help with her assignment AND prove that he's telling the truth. Offended that his human friend would doubt him, Scratch ends up lying with a claim that he and Abraham Lincoln had "known each other for years" and that the president calls him "Honest Scratch", before he headed straight to the Ghost World... to drown his shame of lying to Molly in a Misery Mocha at a coffee shop while talking to Geoff about the situation his lie put him in. Seeing no other way out (aside from telling the truth to Molly and face the shame of her realizing he lied in his claim of being popular among other ghosts), Scratch disguises Geoff as Abraham Lincoln, thinking Molly will only need to see it for a few minutes... unfortunately, Molly's pleading forces Geoff to keep up the act for an entire day, leading to a chain of misinformation that got the poor girl "spouting nonsense" that almost cost her grade.
Desperate and thinking fast, Scratch breaks into the Presidential Wing of the Haughty Haunts Club to seek out the real Abraham Lincoln for his help. While Scratch tried to explain the situation, Lincoln senses the visiting ghost's falsehood in his words and puts his "truth stare" to work, forcing Scratch to admit the full extent and cause of his deceit... along with admitting he didn't pay for his mocha. Once the truth was out, Lincoln points out that Scratch is a good friend for the lengths he's going for Molly, and gladly offered to help right the wrong he did her, but not before tipping the waiter at the coffee shop ("we may be dead, but we still gotta make a living").
Once Geoff was exposed to Molly as an impostor and the real Abraham Lincoln makes himself known, the president glares the truth out of Scratch once again, forcing the ghost to admit that he wasn't important, but he WANTED Molly to think he is because she's important to him (a statement that Molly found touching). With that all straightened out, Lincoln guided Molly's presentation with more accurate information, starting with the claim all those funny statements befitted the president's part in history as he was known to have a sense of humor and could "tell a good yarn (story)", and then finishing it off with a musical number telling of his real accomplishments, earning Molly an A+.
Once the Living History assignment is over, and Molly thanked Abraham Lincoln for his help, the president stated his hope that she and Scratch both learned their lesson, which they were sure they had... until Molly found out she was running out of time to prepare for the science fair, thus she asked Scratch if he knew Albert Einstein. Scratch said he does because he "never learns nothing", much to Lincoln's obvious annoyance.
In Friend-Off, Scratch brags to Libby about how he knows, befriended, and introduced Molly to Abraham Lincoln, all while the two of them took a selfie in front of that very president's portrait as part of a scavenger hunt Molly forced them to partake in so they'd bond.
In A Very Hungry Ghost, when Geoff mistranslated Scratch's double negative "don't tell nobody" as "tell everybody", a whole bunch of ghosts become unexpected guests for Sart Duan Sib (The Hungry Ghost Festival of Thailand), and Abraham Lincoln ended up being among those guests, sampling Grandma Nin's cooking until the arrival of the Ghost Council becomes everyone's cue to leave.
Abraham Lincoln may or may not appear again in another episode next season.
Sightings[]
Trivia[]
- Unlike most other ghosts that play a major role in the show, Abraham Lincoln is a real life character (February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) who's actual ghost has been seen in various places, most notably the White House itself, Ford's Theater (where he was assassinated), and the Petersen House (where he had died the day after said assassination), all of which in Washington D.C., earning him the nickname "The White House Ghost". His ghost was also seen haunting several places of his old home of Springfield, Illinois, especially in his former law office.
- When he was alive, he never played any instrument, but he was known to be a major music enthusiast, so it almost makes sense that his ghost (at least in this show) had learned to play the piano in the afterlife and got really good at it.
- He mentioned that he wore his hat because of a bad hair day, and it became his signature look.
- He got the nickname "Honest Abe", not just because of his own honesty, but also because he has a talent for getting the truth out of others.
- Clearly Geoff never studied his history on Abraham Lincoln, as he got several "facts" wrong while helping Molly with her assignment on him, including (but not limited to):
- He taught bears how to polka
- He spent his spare time sailing the seas as Calico Jack
- He carved his own likeness into Mount Rushmore using nothing but his bare hands and a spork.
- He had a middle name.
- Despite the fact Geoff told a bunch of false stories about the president, the real Abraham Lincoln was able to work with it with the confession (passed onto the class through Molly) that he has a sense of humor and liked telling stories himself.
- Scratch tried to get into the club by claiming Lincoln likes Chicago Deep Dish Pizza, but this was most likely another fib specifically designed to get passed the bouncer. Lincoln's real favorite food has yet to be revealed.
- He's on the five dollar bill, both in the Real World and the Ghost World.
| v • e — Characters — | |
| Main Characters | Molly McGee • Scratch • Darryl McGee • Pete McGee • Sharon McGee • Libby Stein-Torres |
|---|---|
| Supporting and Recurring characters | Grandma Nin • Andrea Davenport • Geoff • Heidi Hairylegs • Ollie Chen • June Chen • Ruben Chen • Esther Chen • Jeff • Mayor Brunson • Jinx • The Ghost Council • Patty • Bobby M. Daniels |
| Human Characters | Miss Lightfoot • Mrs. Roop • Mr. Bates • Eva Hernandez • Irving the Illusionist • Tammy Myers • Maxwell Davenport • Weird Larry • Candace Green • Adia Williams • Billy McGee • Jilly McGee • Leah Stein-Torres • Matias Torres • Meatball • David Suksai • Emmie Suksai • Principal O'Connor • Robyn • Joanie Pataky • Abigail • Deb • Nashua • Georgie • Kenny Star |
| Ghost Characters | Ezekiel Tugbottom • Sally Tugbuttom • The Chairman • Abraham Lincoln • Howlin' Harriet • Pango • Reggie • Franklin D. Roosevelt • Bouncer Ghost • Bear • Sobgoblins • Scary Sven • Sonia Davis • Frightmares • Lord Doom |