Deadpool (real name Wade Winston Wilson) is a fictional antihero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by artist/writer Rob Liefeld and writer Fabian Nicieza, the character first appeared in The New Mutants #98 (February 1991). Initially Deadpool was depicted as a supervillain when he made his first appearance in The New Mutants and later in issues of X-Force, but later evolved into his more recognizable antiheroic persona. Deadpool is a disfigured and mentally unstable mercenary with the superhuman ability of an accelerated healing factor and physical prowess. He is known as the “Merc with a Mouth” because of his talkative nature and tendency to break the fourth wall, which is used by writers for humorous effect and running gags.
The Groke is a character in the Moomin series of books authored by Swedish-speaking Finn Tove Jansson, appearing in four of the nine novels. She appears as a ghost-like, hill-shaped body with two cold staring eyes and a wide row of white shiny teeth. Wherever she stands, the ground below her freezes and plants and grass die. She leaves a trace of ice and snow when she walks the ground. Anything that she touches will freeze. On one occasion, she froze a campfire by sitting down on it. She seeks friendship and warmth, but she is declined by everyone and everything, leaving her in her cold cavern on top of the Lonely Mountains.
The 1990 Japanese-European anime television series Moomin is one of the few shows we sometimes let our two-year-old watch. Our daughter is obsessed with the Groke. She often says, “The Groke is too scary. See her?” She feels the exact same way about the big blue elephant from the Super Simple Songs animation of “Hickory Dickory Dock.” Ditto for Bumble the Abominable Snow Monster. On that note, other shows/movies we’ve recently let her watch are various Rankin/Bass holiday movies, Charlie Brown holiday shows and (probably more than anything else) the animated 1982 short The Snowman, including the special David Bowie introduction. David Bowie, who died two days ago, is one of the few musicians my daughter knows by name. Sad times that Bowie has departed Earth.
Barney Rubble is the secondary main character of The Flintstones, an animated, prime-time American television sitcom that was broadcast from 1960 to 1966 on ABC. The show, produced by Hanna-Barbera, fancifully depicted the lives of a working-class Stone Age man, his family, and his next-door neighbor and best friend. The show’s continuing popularity rested heavily on its juxtaposition of modern everyday concerns in the Stone Age setting. The Flintstones was the most financially successful network animated franchise for three decades, until The Simpsons debuted. In 2013, TV Guide Magazine ranked The Flintstones as the second greatest TV cartoon of all time (after The Simpsons). Barney Rubble and other characters from The Flintstones have been mascots of Fruity Pebbles and Cocoa Pebbles breakfast cereal since 1969.
Fred Flintstone is the main character of The Flintstones, an animated, prime-time American television sitcom that was broadcast from 1960 to 1966 on ABC. The show, produced by Hanna-Barbera, fancifully depicted the lives of a working-class Stone Age man, his family, and his next-door neighbor and best friend. The show’s continuing popularity rested heavily on its juxtaposition of modern everyday concerns in the Stone Age setting. The Flintstones was the most financially successful network animated franchise for three decades, until The Simpsons debuted. In 2013, TV Guide Magazine ranked The Flintstones as the second greatest TV cartoon of all time (after The Simpsons). Fred Flintstone and other characters from The Flintstones have been mascots of Fruity Pebbles and Cocoa Pebbles breakfast cereal since 1969.
Hobbes is the sardonic stuffed tiger owned by Calvin, a precocious, mischievous and adventurous six-year-old boy. Calvin and Hobbes is a daily comic strip by American cartoonist Bill Watterson that was syndicated from 1985 to 1995. The strip depicts Calvin’s humorous antics, his flights of fancy and his friendship with Hobbes. To Calvin, Hobbes is a live anthropomorphic tiger, but all the other characters see him as an inanimate stuffed toy. The pair is named after John Calvin, a 16th-century French Reformation theologian, and Thomas Hobbes, a 17th-century English political philosopher. At the height of its popularity, Calvin and Hobbes was featured in over 2,400 newspapers worldwide. Reruns of the strip still appear in more than 50 countries. There are 20 Calvin and Hobbes books, which encompass all newspaper strips plus extra content.
P.S. It was exactly 30 years ago today (November 18, 1985) that we first met a boy and his tiger. Happy birthday!
Calvin is a precocious, mischievous and adventurous six-year-old boy. Calvin and Hobbes is a daily comic strip by American cartoonist Bill Watterson that was syndicated from 1985 to 1995. The strip follows Calvin’s humorous antics, his flights of fancy and his friendship with Hobbes, a sardonic stuffed tiger. To Calvin, Hobbes is a live anthropomorphic tiger, but all the other characters see him as an inanimate stuffed toy. The pair is named after John Calvin, a 16th-century French Reformation theologian, and Thomas Hobbes, a 17th-century English political philosopher. At the height of its popularity, Calvin and Hobbes was featured in over 2,400 newspapers worldwide. Reruns of the strip still appear in more than 50 countries. There are 20 Calvin and Hobbes books, which encompass all newspaper strips plus extra content.
I’m excited for the day when my daughter is old enough to appreciate the humor of Calvin and Hobbes, especially the relationship of Calvin and his dad. I plan to read all of Watterson’s books to her just like my dad did for my sister and me. When I was in junior high school in the early 1990s, I expressed my fondness for Calvin and Hobbes by meticulously shaping and painting a papier-mâché head of Calvin (spiked hair and all) for a Mardi Gras art project. My second Mardi Gras head was of the Fat Kid from The Far Side by Gary Larson. Those were my two favorite newspaper comics. It was exactly 30 years ago tomorrow (November 18, 1985) that we first met a boy and his tiger.
Scorpion is a recurring player character and occasional boss character from the Mortal Kombat fighting game franchise created by Ed Boon and John Tobias. Making his debut as one of the original seven playable characters in Mortal Kombat in 1992, he is an undead ninja specter seeking revenge for his own death at the hands of Sub-Zero. Arguably the series’ most iconic character, Scorpion has been playable in nearly every Mortal Kombat game. Scorpion yells one of two taunts at his opponents when he hits them with his spear. His most notable catchphrase is “Get over here!”
Sub-Zero is a video game character from the Mortal Kombat fighting game franchise and one of the original characters in the first Mortal Kombat game in 1992. A mainstay of the series, Sub-Zero is the only character who has appeared in every main Mortal Kombat game. The character is a formidable fighter possessing the innate ability to control ice in many forms. In his first return appearance in Mortal Kombat II, it was revealed that the original Sub-Zero had died during the events of the first game and was replaced by his younger brother. In subsequent games, the younger brother remained as Sub-Zero, while the elder brother became Noob Saibot. The most defining trait of the character is his fierce rivalry with his archnemesis Scorpion.
Happy Veterans Day! This week I’ve had my 14-year anniversary as an Oregon resident, my 11-year anniversary as lead web developer/designer at Oregon State University, and my five-year anniversary (three years married) with my wife Heidi. These major life events all happened within three days of each other (November 8-11) in different years.
Stimpy is a good-natured, dimwitted cat. He is one of the title characters of The Ren & Stimpy Show, an American animated television series created by John Kricfalusi for Nickelodeon. The series follows the adventures of Stimpy and his pal Ren, an emotionally unstable chihuahua. Ren & Stimpy premiered in 1991 as one of the “original three” Nicktoons, along with Rugrats and Doug. Throughout its run, the TV show was controversial for its off-color humor, sexual innuendo and violence. Ren & Stimpy received critical acclaim, and has developed a cult following. It is often credited, along with The Simpsons, for paving the way for satirical animated shows like Beavis and Butt-head, South Park and Family Guy, and for helping revive television animation in the 1990s.
Last night our oldest cat, The King, passed away. I’ll miss that scruffy guy. With his orange and white fur, in cartoon form he’d actually look a bit like Stimpy. The King is dead, long live The King.
Ren, an emotionally unstable chihuahua, is one of the title characters of The Ren & Stimpy Show, an American animated television series created by John Kricfalusi for Nickelodeon. The series follows the adventures of Ren and his pal Stimpy, a good-natured, dimwitted cat. Ren & Stimpy premiered in 1991 as one of the “original three” Nicktoons, along with Rugrats and Doug. Throughout its run, the TV show was controversial for its off-color humor, sexual innuendo and violence. Ren & Stimpy received critical acclaim, and has developed a cult following. It is often credited, along with The Simpsons, for paving the way for satirical animated shows like Beavis and Butt-head, South Park and Family Guy, and for helping revive television animation in the 1990s.
Beavis is one of the title characters of Beavis and Butt-head, an American animated sitcom created and designed by Mike Judge. The series originated from Frog Baseball, a 1992 short film by Judge. After seeing the short, MTV signed Judge to develop the concept. Beavis and Butt-head first ran on MTV from 1993 to 1997. In 1996, the series was adapted into the animated feature film Beavis and Butt-head Do America. In 1997, Daria, a spin-off show based on their classmate Daria Morgendorffer, was created. During a short-lived revival in 2011, new episodes of Beavis and Butt-head aired on MTV.
Butt-head is one of the title characters of Beavis and Butt-head, an American animated sitcom created and designed by Mike Judge. The series originated from Frog Baseball, a 1992 short film by Judge. After seeing the short, MTV signed Judge to develop the concept. Beavis and Butt-head first ran on MTV from 1993 to 1997. In 1996, the series was adapted into the animated feature film Beavis and Butt-head Do America. In 1997, Daria, a spin-off show based on their classmate Daria Morgendorffer, was created. During a short-lived revival in 2011, new episodes of Beavis and Butt-head aired on MTV.
Stuart is one of the minions from the Despicable Me franchise. Minions are small, yellow, cylindrical creatures with one or two eyes and metal goggles. One-eyed Stuart is the shortest minion in the first movie. He has a slim body with flat, center-parted hair. Stuart is among the most sincere and innocent of the minions. He is also always hungry and at one point attempted to eat minions Kevin and Bob by visualizing them as bananas. In another scene, while in a dark ventilation shaft, Stuart’s minion friend Jerry picks him up and cracks him, which turns him into a glow stick.
My two-year-old daughter Ramona has a small Stuart doll given to her by my dad. She’s never seen the movies and knows nothing about minions, but Stuart is among her favorite dolls and stuffed animals, which also include Pooh Bear, Margot, Lufkin, Domo-kun and Garfield.
Marty McFly is a fictional character in the Back to the Future trilogy. In 1985, Marty plays guitar with his group The Pinheads and is a talented skateboarder. His girlfriend is Jennifer Parker and his best friend is Emmett Brown, a scientist whom Marty and Jennifer call “Doc.” Marty is portrayed by actor Michael J. Fox. Marty also appears in the animated TV series (1991-92) and the episodic video game (2010-11).
Popeye the Sailor Man is a cartoon fictional character, created by E. C. Segar, who has appeared in comic strips and theatrical and television animated cartoons. He first appeared in the daily King Features comic strip Thimble Theatre in 1929; Popeye became the strip’s title in later years. In 1933, Fleischer Studios adapted the Thimble Theatre characters into a series of Popeye the Sailor theatrical cartoon shorts for Paramount Pictures. These cartoons proved to be among the most popular of the 1930s, and the Fleischers—and later Paramount’s own Famous Studios—continued production through 1957.
Lufkin is a large stuffed ape I was given as a baby in 1979. A gift from my uncle, he’s one of my most beloved childhood toys. Lufkin’s body type strongly suggests that he is a gorilla, despite his chimpanzee-like ears. He was handmade by a South Dakota artist and sold at a craft fair in Aberdeen, SD. Lufkin came with an adult-size red cap, which he wore for my entire childhood. His name comes from this red Lufkin cap, which had an embroidered Lufkin measuring tools patch on the white polyester front, with red mesh and a snapback adjustable strap in back. We have always pronounced the gorilla’s name “Loofkin,” I suppose because my parents didn’t know much about the measuring tools company. The gorilla is now one of my two-year-old daughter Ramona’s favorite toys/pillows, though we’re not sure where his red trucker hat is these days.
Winnie-the-Pooh, also called Pooh Bear, is a fictional anthropomorphic teddy bear created by English author A. A. Milne. The first collection of stories about the character was the book Winnie-the-Pooh (1926). This was followed by The House at Pooh Corner (1928) and two children’s verse books. All four volumes were illustrated by E. H. Shepard. In the 1940s, Agnes Brush created the first plush dolls with Pooh in his red shirt. Rights to Winnie-the-Pooh were first licensed to Walt Disney in 1961. Disney has released numerous animated productions starring Pooh and related characters, including theatrical featurettes, television series, and direct-to-video films, as well as theatrical feature-length films.
A stuffed Pooh Bear from my 1980s childhood is one of my daughter’s favorite toys. She also believes that old Pooh and Baby Margot are some kind of inseparable team. It’s sweet. I am often reminded of the final passage of On the Road by Jack Kerouac: “So in America when the sun goes down and I sit on the old broken-down river pier watching the long, long skies over New Jersey and sense all that raw land that rolls in one unbelievable huge bulge over to the West Coast, and all that road going, and all the people dreaming in the immensity of it, and in Iowa I know by now the children must be crying in the land where they let the children cry, and tonight the stars’ll be out, and don’t you know that God is Pooh Bear? the evening star must be drooping and shedding her sparkler dims on the prairie, which is just before the coming of complete night that blesses the earth, darkens all the rivers, cups the peaks and folds the final shore in, and nobody, nobody knows what’s going to happen to anybody besides the forlorn rags of growing old, I think of Dean Moriarty, I even think of Old Dean Moriarty the father we never found, I think of Dean Moriarty.”
Awesome Baby is the unholy combination of a baby’s head on the body of an octopus—plus the baby has a mohawk, a Fu Manchu mustache and sunglasses. It’s difficult to explain exactly how this character arose in my household, but I can say that it was created piecemeal over many days by my two-year-old daughter Ramona. My wife Heidi and I regularly draw pictures for Ramona at her request, often on her Fisher-Price magnetic doodler. We have drawn countless sea creatures, including octopuses and squids, as well as human babies and many other things. At some point, and in some order, my daughter became very interested in mustaches, sunglasses and different hairstyles. Eventually, her combined requests consistently guided us to create the monstrous creature she refers to as Awesome Baby, who is mostly orange (pronounced “ohn-mo” by Ramona, despite her linguistic advances). She loves him so much.
Update: Heidi posted pen-and-ink illustrations of Awesome Baby and Baby Margot on her Tumblr blog.
Margot is my two-year-old daughter Ramona’s favorite baby doll. This 9.5-inch Babi Corolle doll was a gift from my dad. As a Corolle product, the doll’s given (slave) name is Miss Grenadine’s Heart. She has a soft body and wears a sewn-on raspberry-colored dress with an embroidered heart and a lavender collar. She also wears sewn-on lavender shoes and a raspberry-colored cap. Her face is vanilla-scented, which I have come to believe teaches children cannibalism, because it smells delicious. Also, Ramona conceives of “Margot” as a type of person, rather than a specific individual. Hooded cartoon characters, other dolls, and sometimes even humans fall into the category of “Margot” and are differentiated by their color (e.g., Blue Margot, Pink Margot). But this is the original Margot.
Green Lantern is the name of a number of fictional superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. They fight evil with the aid of rings that grant them a variety of extraordinary powers. The first Green Lantern character, Alan Scott, was created in 1940 during the initial popularity of superheroes. Alan Scott usually fought common criminals in New York City with the aid of his magic ring. In 1959, to capitalize on the booming popularity of science fiction, the Green Lantern character was reinvented as Hal Jordan, an officer for an interstellar law enforcement agency known as the Green Lantern Corps. Additional members of this agency, all of whom call themselves Green Lanterns, were introduced over time.
The Groke (Moomin) – No. 952
The Groke is a character in the Moomin series of books authored by Swedish-speaking Finn Tove Jansson, appearing in four of the nine novels. She appears as a ghost-like, hill-shaped body with two cold staring eyes and a wide row of white shiny teeth. Wherever she stands, the ground below her freezes and plants and grass die. She leaves a trace of ice and snow when she walks the ground. Anything that she touches will freeze. On one occasion, she froze a campfire by sitting down on it. She seeks friendship and warmth, but she is declined by everyone and everything, leaving her in her cold cavern on top of the Lonely Mountains.
The 1990 Japanese-European anime television series Moomin is one of the few shows we sometimes let our two-year-old watch. Our daughter is obsessed with the Groke. She often says, “The Groke is too scary. See her?” She feels the exact same way about the big blue elephant from the Super Simple Songs animation of “Hickory Dickory Dock.” Ditto for Bumble the Abominable Snow Monster. On that note, other shows/movies we’ve recently let her watch are various Rankin/Bass holiday movies, Charlie Brown holiday shows and (probably more than anything else) the animated 1982 short The Snowman, including the special David Bowie introduction. David Bowie, who died two days ago, is one of the few musicians my daughter knows by name. Sad times that Bowie has departed Earth.