The title of the painting draws from a quote by the Swiss psychoanalyst Carl Jung, who Thorpe cites as one of his key influences. For Thorpe, part of the painting process and producing works is about tapping into the unconscious mind and bringing it to the fore.

First available in 1981, the same year as the artist’s birth, the Ms. Pac-Man game itself is significant in that it was one of the first arcades Thorpe remembers playing as a child. Ms. Pac-Man is also significant in the gaming world not only as a much-anticipated sequel to Pac-Man, one of the most popular video games ever created, but also in that it introduced the first female protagonist. In that way, it captured many important issues of its day, from gender politics to consumerism, that remain as relevant today as then.