Haruki Murakami is a contemporary Japanese writer. Murakami has been translated into 50 languages and his best-selling books have sold millions of copies. His most notable works include A Wild Sheep Chase (1982), Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World (1985), Norwegian Wood (1987), The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle (1994-1995), Kafka on the Shore (2002) and 1Q84 (2009-2010). He has also translated a number of English works into Japanese, from Raymond Carver to J. D. Salinger. Murakami’s fiction, still criticized by Japan’s literary establishment as un-Japanese, was influenced by Western writers from Chandler to Vonnegut by way of Brautigan. It is frequently surrealistic and melancholic or fatalistic, marked by a Kafkaesque rendition of the “recurrent themes of alienation and loneliness” he weaves into his narratives. Murakami was born on January 12, 1949.
Kim Jong-un is the supreme leader of the ironically named Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea). He is the son of Kim Jong-il (1941-2011) and the grandson of Kim Il-sung (1912-1994). He was officially declared the supreme leader following the state funeral for his father on December 28, 2011. He is the third and youngest son of Kim Jong-il and his consort Ko Yong-hui. From late 2010, Kim Jong-un was viewed as heir apparent to the leadership of the nation, and following his father’s death, he was announced as the “Great Successor” by North Korean state television. Kim was born on January 8, 1983. At 32 years of age, he is the first North Korean leader born after the country’s founding and the world’s youngest head of state.
Nicolas Coppola, known professionally as Nicolas Cage, is an American actor and filmmaker. Notable films from early in his acting career include Raising Arizona (1987) and Wild at Heart (1990). Cage received an Academy Award for his performance as an alcoholic Hollywood writer in Leaving Las Vegas (1995) before coming to the attention of wider audiences with mainstream films such as The Rock (1996), Face/Off (1997), Con Air (1997) and City of Angels (1998). He earned his second Academy Award nomination for his performance as Charlie and Donald Kaufman in Adaptation. (2002). Since then, he’s been in a lot of bad movies, but recent highlights include Kick-Ass (2010) and Joe (2014). Cage was born on January 7, 1964.
Big Bunny is a 20-foot-tall, fuzzy pink rabbit with a dubious appetite. A group of three “tasty” children—Lulu, Suzy and Sam—and their “crunchy” dog Muffin meet Big Bunny in the forest. Created in 2001, Big Bunny was the second web series by Amy Winfrey, with Peter Merryman as the voice of Big Bunny. Winfrey is the creator of the Nickelodeon show Making Fiends, as well as the web series Muffin Films. Her most recent animation series include Squid and Frog and Fun with Cobra. Delicious.
P.S. Happy New Year! Christmas is over, but you can still play with the holiday characters.
Henry John Deutschendorf, Jr., known professionally as John Denver, was an American singer-songwriter, activist and humanitarian. Throughout his life, Denver recorded and released approximately 300 songs, about 200 of which he composed, with total sales of over 33 million. His signature songs include “Take Me Home, Country Roads,” “Annie’s Song,” “Rocky Mountain High” and “Sunshine on My Shoulders.” Denver was one of the most popular acoustic artists of the 1970s and one of its best-selling artists. In the following decade, he continued to record, but also focused on calling attention to environmental issues, lent his vocal support to space exploration and testified in front of Congress to protest against censorship in music. Denver was an avid pilot, and died in a single-fatality crash of his personal aircraft on October 12, 1997 at the age of 53. He was born on December 31, 1943.
P.S. The best John Denver movie moment is this driving scene in an ’84 sheepdog van. Harry Dunne: “I expected the Rocky Mountains to be a little rockier than this.” Lloyd Christmas: “I was thinking the same thing. That John Denver’s full of shit, man.”
Namahage in traditional Japanese folklore is a demon-like being, portrayed by men wearing hefty ogre masks and traditional straw capes (mino) during a New Year’s ritual of the Oga Peninsula area of Akita Prefecture in northern Honshū, Japan. The frightfully dressed men march through neighborhoods, admonishing children who may be guilty of laziness or bad behavior.
Woodrow Wilson was the 28th President of the United States (1913-1921) and leader of the Progressive Movement. To date the only U.S. President to have held a Ph.D., he served as President of Princeton University from 1902 to 1910. Wilson induced a conservative Democratic Congress to pass a progressive legislative agenda, unparalleled until the New Deal in 1933. This included the Federal Reserve Act, Federal Trade Commission Act, the Clayton Antitrust Act, the Federal Farm Loan Act and an income tax. Wilson’s second term was dominated by American entry into World War I. For his sponsorship of the League of Nations, Wilson was awarded the 1919 Nobel Peace Prize. Wilson has consistently been ranked by scholars and the public as one of the top 10 presidents. He was born on this day in 1856 and died on February 3, 1924.
Gerald Ford (born Leslie Lynch King, Jr.) was the 38th President of the United States (1974-1977). Prior to this, was the 40th Vice President of the United States (1973-1974). Ford was the first person appointed to the Vice Presidency under the terms of the 25th Amendment, after Spiro Agnew resigned. When he became president when Richard Nixon resigned on August 9, 1974, he became the first and only person to have served as both vice president and president without being elected by the Electoral College. As President, Ford signed the Helsinki Accords, marking a move toward détente in the Cold War. With the conquest of South Vietnam by North Vietnam nine months into his presidency, U.S. involvement in Vietnam essentially ended. In 1976, Ford defeated Ronald Reagan for the Republican nomination, but narrowly lost the presidential election to Democrat Jimmy Carter. Ford died on this day in 2006 at the age of 93.
Ded Moroz (translated as “Old Man Frost” or “Grandfather Frost”) is a fictional character who plays a role similar to that of Santa Claus in some Slavic cultures. Ded Moroz is said to bring presents to children; however, unlike the secretive Santa Claus, the gifts are often delivered “in person” at New Year celebrations. Depictions of Ded Moroz commonly show him with a heel-length fur coat and a semi-round fur hat. He is accompanied by Snegurochka (“Snow Maiden”), his granddaughter and helper. She is a unique attribute of Ded Moroz; no traditional gift-givers from other cultures are portrayed with a female companion, though the German analog Saint Nicholas comes with Krampus. There are equivalents of Ded Moroz and Snegurochka all over the former Soviet Union, as well as the countries once in the so-called Soviet bloc and in the former Yugoslavia. The official residence of Ded Moroz in Russia is the town of Veliky Ustyug.
The Spotted Elephant is a character from the stop-motion children’s Christmas special Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, produced by Rankin/Bass in 1964. The Spotted Elephant resides with other unwanted toys on the Island of Misfit Toys, a land ruled by King Moonracer. (Moonracer is possibly a manipulative cult leader with megalomaniac tendencies who hoards rare, emotionally damaged toys.)
The Chiquita company mascot Miss Chiquita, now Chiquita Banana, was created in 1944 by Dik Browne, who is best known for his Hägar the Horrible comic strip. Miss Chiquita started as an animated banana with a woman’s dress and legs. Advertisements featured the trademark banana character wearing a fruit-filled sombrero. The obvious inspiration was Brazilian bombshell Carmen Miranda, who was known for wearing exotic fruit-adorned hats/headdresses. Miss Chiquita was depicted as a banana until 1987, when artist Oscar Grillo, creator of the Pink Panther, transformed her into a woman. A new Miss Chiquita design was unveiled in 1998. Peel-off logo stickers have been placed on bananas since 1963. This year was Miss Chiquita’s 60th anniversary.
P.S. As a playable 8-bit character in my retro artillery game, Miss Chiquita throws bananas (obviously), just like the original gorilla character and inspiration for this entire project, QBasic Gorilla.
Mr. Peanut is the advertising logo and mascot of Planters, an American snack-food company and division of Kraft Foods. Dating to 1916, he is depicted as an anthropomorphic peanut in its shell dressed in the formal clothing of an old-fashioned gentleman: a top hat, monocle, white gloves, spats and a cane. Mr. Peanut has appeared in many TV commercials as an animated cartoon character. He continues to teach hipsters the modern practice of dandyism.
I associate Mr. Peanut with being a child in my grandparents’ house in West Virginia. Behind the bifold doors of their pantry they always had a jar of peanuts. My grandparents’ house was a place of many memorable childhood food-consumption activities, including making and eating pancakes at the kitchen bar; drinking brown soup with ditalini pasta; devouring homemade bread and pepperoni rolls; and sneaking homemade biscotti, chocolate chip cookies and brownies from the cookie jars.
Major Motoko Kusanagi is the main protagonist in Masamune Shirow’s Ghost in the Shell anime and manga series. She is a cyborg employed as the squad leader of Public Security Section 9, a fictional intelligence department of the real Japanese National Public Safety Commission. Her counter-terrorist unit specializes in technological warfare against cyber-crime. Being strong-willed, physically powerful and highly intellectual, Kusanagi is known for her skills in deduction and hacking.
Note: The Northern Iowa football team (9-4) advanced to the second round of the 2014 FCS Tournament last weekend. Despite a 8-4 regular season record, UNI was the only team to defeat three-time defending FCS champion North Dakota State (11-1), which snapped their 33-game winning streak. UNI was also the only team to defeat Illinois State (10-1); they are scheduled to meet the Redbirds again in the second round of the FCS tournament on Saturday, December 6.
Cleatus the Robot is the official mascot of Fox NFL Sunday, named by a viewer during a contest in the winter of 2007 in which fans were able to submit entries as to what they thought the robot’s name should be. Cleatus made his first appearance during the 2005-2006 NFL season, but was not used regularly until the following season. Cleatus mainly appears during the intro sequence of the show as well as brief commercials for movies and TV shows. In these commercials he commonly gets attacked by a CGI character (including Iron Man and the Burger King) from whatever the advertisement is about. If a Thanksgiving NFL game is on Fox, Cleatus is usually replaced with a robot turkey.
Note: I don’t usually watch NFL games, but when I do, I remember that this annoying robot mascot exists. For nine years now. Happy Thanksgiving! No football for us. We’re headed back to Seattle and Orcas Island.
Israel “Iz” Kamakawiwo’ole, also called Bruddah Iz (Brother Iz), was a Hawaiian musician, entertainer and sovereignty activist. His voice became famous outside Hawai’i when his album Facing Future was released in 1993. His medley of “Over the Rainbow/What a Wonderful World” (previously sung by Judy Garland/Louis Armstrong) was subsequently featured in several films, television programs and TV commercials. Through his skillful ukulele playing and incorporation of other genres (such as jazz and reggae), Kamakawiwo’ole’s music remains a very strong influence in Hawaiian music. He was born on May 20, 1959 and died on June 26, 1997 from obesity-related health problems (he weighed as much as 767 pounds).
I chose Iz as pixel art character No. 808 because 808 is the Hawai’i area code, and 808 is supposedly used as the penal code for disturbing the peace. I guess I’m saying that it’s a good idea to listen to “Over the Rainbow/What a Wonderful World” really loud every now and then. Though I think something more violent might be appropriate to accompany the outrage and injustice of yesterday’s Ferguson grand jury decision not to indict Darren Wilson in the shooting death of Michael Brown. In his testimony, Wilson, a white police officer, describes Brown, an unarmed black teenager, as “like a demon.” Wilson won’t even go to trial, and so St. Louis burns.
Mr. Peanut – No. 814
Mr. Peanut is the advertising logo and mascot of Planters, an American snack-food company and division of Kraft Foods. Dating to 1916, he is depicted as an anthropomorphic peanut in its shell dressed in the formal clothing of an old-fashioned gentleman: a top hat, monocle, white gloves, spats and a cane. Mr. Peanut has appeared in many TV commercials as an animated cartoon character. He continues to teach hipsters the modern practice of dandyism.
I associate Mr. Peanut with being a child in my grandparents’ house in West Virginia. Behind the bifold doors of their pantry they always had a jar of peanuts. My grandparents’ house was a place of many memorable childhood food-consumption activities, including making and eating pancakes at the kitchen bar; drinking brown soup with ditalini pasta; devouring homemade bread and pepperoni rolls; and sneaking homemade biscotti, chocolate chip cookies and brownies from the cookie jars.