Little Sister's Orphanage

"There is something more powerful than each of us, a combination of our efforts, a Great Chain of industry that unites us. But it is only when we struggle in our own interest that the chain pulls society in the right direction..." - Andrew Ryan This article falls within the scope of the BioShock Wiki:Businesses Project. This project is dedicated to improving the articles about Rapture and Columbia's many businesses. Would you kindly help the BioShock Wiki by volunteering on the project page?

"Come on in and show us those snappy snappies." - Peach Wilkins This article could use some more pictures. Would you kindly help BioShock Wiki by adding some? Pictures needed: Screenshots: Pictures of the Plaza Hedone location interior.

Advertisement for the Little Sister's Orphanage.

“The Little Sister's Orphanage: In troubled times, give your little girl the life that she deserves. Boarding and education free of charge! After all, children ARE the future of Rapture.”

― Public address advertisement

The Little Sister's Orphanage is a home for young girls who would become the Little Sisters in Rapture. The orphanages were founded by Frank Fontaine and located in several areas of the city, including Hestia and Plaza Hedone.

History

Advertisement for Fontaine's charities.

During Dr. Brigid Tenenbaum's research work on ADAM, it was discovered that implanting the Sea Slug in the stomach lining of a host subject would enable the mass production of the genetic substance. The only problem was that, for various reasons, the host needed to be a child, specifically a young girl. Ethical dilemmas aside, the main complication became where to find the needed hosts.

Ever the problem-solver, Fontaine saw money-making potential in the orphaned children of Rapture, and so he set up the Little Sister's Orphanage. A self-supporting city like Rapture had no government-sponsored charities or welfare networks set in place, so a child who lost his or her guardian was in a dire situation. No one was permitted to leave Rapture, and this prevented the orphaned children from reaching out to other relatives they may of had on the surface. In other cases, if a parent simply could not afford (or had no desire) to provide for their child, were given the option to leave them at these orphanages with the promise of their safety, education, and a brighter future. In reality, these facilities served as a front to gather Rapture's orphaned or unwanted children for the research and production of ADAM.

Eventually, Fontaine's criminal dealings were exposed, and he was killed during a fiery shootout with Ryan Security. Andrew Ryan took control of Fontaine Futuristics and ordered the shut down of the orphanages, while retaining the previously implanted children as the primary ADAM source for the city.

BioShock

The orphanage in Hestia.

Main article: BioShock

During the events of BioShock, Jack often hears old advertisements for these facilities playing over the PA system. Visiting the Hestia Chambers subsection of Apollo Square is completely optional, but it contains a Little Sister's Orphanage, along with Fontaine's Home for the Poor. There, Jack witnesses the cramped squalor the girls lived in before being taken away to Little Wonders Educational Facility.

Hestia

Fontaine's Home for the Poor offered only the barest means of survival to its denizens. The Little Sister's Orphanage housed therein provided shelter for the forsaken girls but little else. The living conditions were abhorrent with the kitchen and toilet facilities located alongside each other exposing the kids to cross-contamination and sickness. The building was laid out tenement-style with multiple people sharing sleeping quarters; this left the children vulnerable to the desperate adults living in Hestia. Their only source of entertainment was the reading nook on the second floor or the small recreation areas on the second and third floors which the children might be able to enjoy if the other residents were not already using them.

BioShock 2

A trailer image of Plaza Hedone's orphanage.

Main article: BioShock 2

The orphanage in Siren Alley's Plaza Hedone was more substantive, but no less depressing than its counterpart in Apollo Square. Like in BioShock, exploring the orphanage is completely optional. Still, it's highly recommended that Subject Delta visit the building so as to see the place where Eleanor Lamb spent her days before becoming a Little Sister, and to gather her audio diary and other supplies. Beware of the Spider Splicers that still roam the rooms and Brute Splicer ambush awaiting.

Plaza Hedone

The Entrance to the Orphanage.

The Siren Alley branch of the Little Sister's Orphanage is located in the southern section of Plaza Hedone between Pumping Station 5 and Joe's Green Groceries. Delta must first deal with the pair of Leadhead Splicers loitering outside the building, the Brute that charges out from the Pumping Station, and the Security Camera that watches overhead before he can enter. Upon entering Delta finds the orphanage to be a sad, dark, and disturbing place.

The first floor lobby houses the reception desk which is flanked by card catalogues and filing cabinets full of records on the children and operations of the facility. This area is as far as most adults would get when dropping off their daughters to the care of the orphanage. The professional set up may have been enough to convince them that this was a better place for the children than one they could provide, but it was all a façade. Delta finds the dimly lit area foreboding what with the Spider Splicer corpse gruesomely pinned to the wall. The staircase in the rear leads upstairs, as Delta ascends, he sees the orphanage isn’t as abandoned as it first seemed.

Delta finds himself in a common room filled with couches, bookshelves, and tins of crayons laid out. The doorway to the left is barricaded by a security gate and bunk bed. The door to the right is blocked by a Spider Splicer, which quickly flees. This leads to the dining area, where the children ate their meals. There’s a roaring fire burning in the room and some 00 Buck on the table. Further on is a hallway, the Splicer from before shuts the security gate and creeps upstairs leaving Delta only one way to go.

Outside the Little Sister's Orphanage in Siren Alley.

Delta enters the main dormitory where the girls slept. The dark room is decorated with painted blue skies and fluffy white clouds. There are a couple of EVE Hypos and some toys around the bunk beds, but the main draw is Eleanor’s bed in the back corner by the heater. The red wagon contains two sets of Trap Rivets, a couple of Dollars, an Automatic Hack Dart, and Eleanor's audio diary My Name is Eleanor. After gathering the items, Delta turns to leave but the light bulb breaks. Through the adjoining room, he sees a trio of Spider Splicers dart by (one of them carries a teddy bear).

As he backtracks through the orphanage, Delta sees it’s even grimmer than before with new corpses laid out everywhere, several of the girls' wall drawings defaced and the Spider Splicers skulking just out of reach. As he makes it back to the common room, the Spider Splicers slam the gates sealing him in. One Spider goes on the attack while a Brute charges in to join the ambush. Back downstairs, Delta comes to the uncomfortable realization that a live Spider Splicer has replaced the one earlier seen pinned to the wall.

Burial at Sea - Episode 1

Council's order.

Main article: Burial at Sea - Episode 1

The takedown of Frank Fontaine is a popular conversation piece among the Rapture citizens on Market and High Street. One woman mentions the closing of the orphanages and poorhouses, thinking it was for the best, she being one of Rapture's upper class.

Outside the elevator window to High Street, Booker DeWitt sees a large billboard advertising the facility, with a banner reading "Attention! Closed by order of the Council".

Burial at Sea - Episode 2

Worth taking a closer look.

Main article: Burial at Sea - Episode 2

The familiar poster sits on the wall close to the entryway for Bathyspheres DeLuxe. Elizabeth walks by it on her way to the Silver Fin Restaurant. If she examines the poster, the future event of a Little Sister and a Big Daddy together flashes before her eyes.

Elizabeth's vision of a Rosie and a Little Sister in Neptune's Bounty.

Behind the Scenes

Design by Laura Zimmermann.

• The marquee for The Little Sister's Orphanage was designed by Laura Zimmermann.