December 24, 2012
Krampus is a demonic beast-like creature from the folklore of Alpine countries thought to punish bad children during the Yule season, in contrast with Saint Nicholas, who rewards nice ones with gifts. Krampus is said to capture particularly naughty children in his sack and carry them away to his lair. The history of the Krampus figure stretches back to pre-Christian Germanic foklore.
Note: Happy Christmas Eve! Hopefully Krampus the holiday devil doesn’t show up on your street dragging rusty chains and bells.
July 25, 2012
Bigfoot, also known as sasquatch, is the name given to an ape-like creature that cryptozoologists believe inhabits forests, mainly in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. Bigfoot is usually described as a large, hairy, bipedal humanoid. Scientists discount the existence of Bigfoot and consider it a combination of folklore, misidentification and hoax.
December 18, 2011
The Abominable Snowman of the North (AKA Bumble) is a character from the stop-motion children’s Christmas special Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, produced by Rankin/Bass in 1964. He is a gigantic white-furred yeti/monster with long fangs and a hairless blue face, lips, hands and feet.
November 3, 2011
A personification of death. The concept of death as a sentient entity has existed in many societies since the beginning of history. In English, Death is often given the name Grim Reaper and, from the 15th century onward, came to be shown as a skeletal figure in a hooded black cloak carrying a large scythe.
October 31, 2011
A fictional character from the Land of Oz book series by L. Frank Baum. Jack was made by a little boy to scare his guardian, an old witch named Mombi. She then brought him to life using the Powder of Life. Jack has a jack-o’-lantern for a head and his tall figure is made from tree limbs and jointed with wooden pegs.
P.S. Happy Halloween!
October 30, 2011
A fictional monster that first appeared in Frankenstein, the 1818 novel by Mary Shelley. The creature is often erroneously referred to as “Frankenstein,” but in the novel the creature has no name. Frankenstein includes elements of the Gothic novel and the Romantic movement and is also considered to be one of the earliest examples of science fiction.
October 29, 2011
The fictional antagonist of Bram Stoker’s 1897 Gothic horror novel Dracula and archetypal vampire. Some aspects of his character have been inspired by the 15th century Romanian general Vlad the Impaler. In the U.S., the character is in the public domain and frequently appears in all manner of popular culture, from films to animated media to breakfast cereals.
October 24, 2011
The blue cartoon ghost mascot of Boo Berry breakfast cereal. Introduced in 1973, it is one of three currently distributed General Mills monster-themed breakfast cereals. This sugary variety features blueberry-flavored corn cereal bits and marshmallows. Beginning in 2011, these cereals are only sold during the fall/Halloween season.
October 23, 2011
The cartoon Frankenstein’s monster mascot of Franken Berry breakfast cereal. Introduced in 1971, it is one of three currently distributed General Mills monster-themed breakfast cereals. This sugary variety features strawberry-flavored corn cereal bits and marshmallows. Beginning in 2011, these cereals are only sold during the fall/Halloween season.
October 22, 2011
The cartoon vampire mascot of Count Chocula breakfast cereal. Introduced in 1971, it is one of three currently distributed General Mills monster-themed breakfast cereals. This sugary variety features chocolate-flavored corn cereal bits and marshmallows. Beginning in 2011, these cereals are only sold during the fall/Halloween season.
August 27, 2011
The main villain and archenemy of He-Man in the Masters of the Universe media franchise. Depicted as a muscular blue humanoid with a purple hood over his yellowing bare-bone skull, Skeletor seeks to conquer Castle Grayskull so he can learn its ancient secrets and rule all of Eternia.
July 31, 2011
An almost-unstoppable enemy in Kid Icarus, which was an action platform video game for the Nintendo Entertainment System, first released in 1987. The Eggplant Wizard (or, as we affectionately called him, the Eggplant Priest) could turn the protagonist’s (Pit’s) upper body into an eggplant by tossing eggplant projectiles at him. See this evil creature in action.
July 30, 2011
The official mascot of Japan’s NHK television station. Domo first appeared in stop-motion interstitial sketches in 1998 and later became well known outside of Japan through a Photoshopped image depicting Domos chasing a kitten. This Internet meme originated at Fark.com in 2002 and helped popularize “killing kittens” as a euphemism for masturbation.
July 3, 2011
A culturally influential German-language novelist born on this day in 1883. Kafka is most famous his 1915 novella “The Metamorphosis” featuring Gregor Samsa, who wakes up to find that he has been transformed into a giant insect-like creature. This 8-bit Kafka character is based on Samsa, who was the fictional alter ego of Kafka.
April 22, 2011
A cosmic entity created by H. P. Lovecraft. Who better to help us celebrate Earth Day and get us to demonstrate our commitment to survive on this small planet.
Mandeville (2012 Summer Olympics) – No. 472
Wenlock and Mandeville are the official mascots for the 2012 Summer Olympics and Paralympics being held in London. The mascots, unveiled in 2010, are animations depicting two drops of steel from a steelworks in Bolton. They are named after the town of Much Wenlock, which held a forerunner of the current Olympics, and Stoke Mandeville Hospital, which organized a precursor of the Paralympics.
As for the designs of Wenlock and Mandeville, you say “drop of steel,” I say “penis monster in a crotchless jumpsuit.” But at least these mascots don’t look like Lisa Simpson performing fellatio on London, which is what was selected for the official London 2012 logo, at great expense.