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Cobb's totem vs. regular totems[]

I propose it be added to the article that Cobb's totem works differently than the regular totems as explained by him to Ariadne. A regular totem is the owner's way of checking if he or she is in another person's dream (as only in the owner's own dream would the totem have the correct characteristics), but Cobb's totem plainly tells him if he's in a dream or not. I have yet to come upon a satisfactory explanation for this small, but significant difference in function, but as it is evident from the film itself that it is so, I believe it should be added to the article. 78.157.124.160 23:09, January 5, 2011 (UTC)

No, it only tells him if he is in another person's dream like anyone else's totem. Anyone who knows the balance can recreate how it falls. Thus if he wants it to, in his dream it falls correctly. If he wants it to continue spinning, it will. This does not mean however that it works any differently from any other totem. Do not add such speculation to the article please. Bastian964 23:33, January 5, 2011 (UTC)

Having thought about it, I had misunderstood how a totem can not only be used to test if you're in another person's dream, but also if you're in your own dream. In another person's dream, the totem's characteristics will be off, and the owner will be unable to change them. In the owner's own dream, he or she will be able to change the characteristics at will. In the real world, the totem will simply have the correct characteristics. Thank you for clearing up that mistake for me. 78.157.124.160 08:30, January 7, 2011 (UTC)

No problem. Bastian964 11:23, January 7, 2011 (UTC)

Yet it says if Cobbs totem does not fall. If Cobb is in my dream and he spins his totem it will fall. My subconcious knows that a top does not spin forever. It will make the top fall. However it will not fall how Cobb expects it to fall indicating to him he is in a dream and not in control. The issue then remains how will Cobb know if he is dreaming. He can not rely on his totem. As if he spins it it reacts the same in his dream as someone elses dream. The only way he can accuratly use the totem is to will it to do something other then what it is supposed to do. Like Spin forever. Aknot 12:36, December 21, 2011 (UTC)

People can change small things in other people's dreams even if they aren't the architect, thus the totems works. Also it is specifically stated in the movie so unless you have a citation, don't change it. Bastian964 20:51, December 23, 2011 (UTC)

What is specifically cited in the movie? There is no indication in the movie what the properties of COBBS totem is. As a matter of fact there is notihng in the movie that indicates what special properties the top has so Cobb can designate if it is true acting or not.

Above post by me. Aknot 21:20, December 23, 2011 (UTC)

I think that Cobb's totem is his wedding ring and not the spinning top. The spinning top is Mal's totem, so the top shouldn't work properly for him. Plus, in his dreams, he is still together with Mal, so he still wears his wedding ring. In reality, he isn't with Mal anymore, so he doesn't wear his wedding ring. 68.231.26.200 18:35, August 14, 2012 (UTC)

As 68.231.26.200 said, Cobb's totem is actually his wedding ring. He says in the movie that whenever he is dreaming, he is still together with Mal, therefore, wearing his ring. On every dreaming scene that his left hand can be seen, he's wearing it, as of when he's not dreaming, you can't spot it. Gianlucabrancacci (talk) 21:05, January 17, 2013 (UTC)gianlucabrancacci


What if Cobb's totem is not actually his wedding ring. It was described in the movie that a totem helps the user distinguish reality from a dream. What if Cobb's actual totem was not the ring, but was actuall Mal. As it was said in previous posts, "whenever he is dreaming, he is still together with Mal".  Maybe this is why Cobb did not want Ariadne butting into his thoughts about the past. Cobb could not get over Mal and therefore could not bear the thought of seeing his children. Seeing Mal meant that he was still dreaming.  In the end of the movie, he finally got over Mal and, therefore, lost his ability to distinguish dream from reality, and was able to see his kid's faces.67.169.149.69 08:39, May 16, 2013 (UTC)

Disagrees with Dom's Page[]

This page reveals that Dom's totem is Mal's top, while Dom's wiki page says it is his wedding ring. While I believe it is his wedding ring, these two pages should match up regardless. 75.138.37.230 18:11, March 15, 2016 (UTC)

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