A fictional superhero created by Hanna-Barbera in the 1960s. In his original incarnation, he fought supervillains in outer space. In the 1990s, he was the host of the animated parody talk show Space Ghost Coast to Coast on Cartoon Network and Adult Swim, which I quite enjoyed. In the 2000s, he was revamped as a serious superhero by DC Comics.
The fictional gorilla monster in the movie Queen Kong, a 1976 British spoof of King Kong with the gender roles reversed. A female film crew journeys to Africa where a giant ape falls in love with the crew’s male star. The film has a cult following in Japan. A version of the movie with new Japanese dialogue was released on DVD in 2001 (with hot pink bikini art).
You can see a poster of the 2001 Queen Kong art in some Laughing Planet Café locations, including the new restaurant in Corvallis, Oregon.
A fictional character in the Pierre Boulle novel Planet of the Apes, and the film series (1968, 1970-73) and television series based on it. He is an anthropomorphized orangutan who serves a dual role in the ape society, as Minister of Science and as Chief Defender of the Faith. Zaius knows the true origins of the ape society and how mankind fell as the dominant species.
Rise of the Planet of the Apes, a reboot of the Planet of the Apes series, opens today in theaters nationwide. I am curious about the new drug-based origin story. Unrelated to this is the amusing @Zaius13 Twitter account.
A 40-foot-tall purple gorilla and star of The Great Grape Ape Show, which was a late-1970s Saturday morning Hanna-Barbera cartoon. His catchphrase is repeating his name twice (“Grape Ape, Grape Ape”) after anything anyone says, usually as a form of agreement or acknowledgment. He travels the countryside with his canine pal Beegle Beagle.
Grape Ape is also one of my favorite items from Oregon’s Voodoo Doughnut. It’s a raised yeast doughnut with vanilla frosting, grape dust and lavender sprinkles.
After the enormous success of King Kong (1933), Merian C. Cooper and the same Hollywood creative team responsible for Kong made another film about a giant ape, this time named Joe. Mighty Joe Young was a 1949 RKO Radio Pictures film about a girl from Africa who brings an oversized ape (10-12 feet tall) to Hollywood to become a nightclub performer.
A fictional gorilla monster created by Merian C. Cooper that has appeared in several remakes and sequels since his 1933 movie debut. The original stop-motion animated film, in which Kong battles an airplane on top of the Empire State Building, is the most significant work featuring this 50-foot-tall gorilla who kidnaps and lusts for a human woman.
An Irish singer-songwriter who rose to fame in the late 1980s and achieved worldwide success in 1990 with a cover of the song “Nothing Compares 2 U” by Prince. In 1992, she controversially tore a photo of Pope John Paul II to pieces on Saturday Night Live to protest sexual abuse in the Roman Catholic Church and was vilified by the media.
Today MTV is celebrating its 30th birthday. Remember when MTV mattered? You can watch the first 20 minutes of the original August 1, 1981 broadcast.
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.
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.
A Dutch post-Impressionist painter whose vivid work had a far-reaching influence on 20th century art. He is also famous for his mental illness. In 1888, he famously cut off part of his left ear after a confrontation with his friend Paul Gauguin. He died on this day in 1890, largely unknown, from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Now his paintings sell for $100 million.
George Herman Ruth, Jr. (AKA “the Bambino” and “the Sultan of Swat”) was a Major League Baseball player from 1914-1935. He is one of the most famous sports heroes in American culture and is considered the greatest baseball player ever. He spent his career with the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox and set numerous MLB records.
The first athlete to be named an All-Star in two major American sports (baseball and football). He won the Heisman Trophy in 1985 and became a household name in 1989-90 through Nike’s “Bo Knows” advertising campaign. He was also the most unstoppable athlete in video game history (see “Tecmo Bo” in Tecmo Super Bowl for Nintendo).
A comic fictional character created and portrayed by American comedian Paul Reubens. He is best known for his television series and movies (including Pee-wee’s Big Adventure) during the 1980s. On this day in 1991 (it’s the 20th anniversary!), Reubens was arrested for public masturbation in an adult theater in Florida. Oh, the childhood memories.
Born Samuel Langhorne Clemens, he worked as a typesetter and a master riverboat pilot on the Mississippi River before turning to journalism. He found his calling in the 1860s as an American humorist. He is most celebrated for his novels, including The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876) and its sequel, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1885).
A noted American aviation pioneer. Born on this day in 1897, she was the first woman to receive the U.S. Distinguished Flying Cross, awarded for becoming the first aviatrix to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean. She disappeared over the central Pacific Ocean on July 2, 1937 while attempting an around-the-world flight.
A fictional half-Vulcan character in the Star Trek media franchise. He served as the science officer/first officer and commanding officer of the USS Enterprise. He was first portrayed by Leonard Nimoy in the original Star Trek series.
A fictional character in the Star Trek media franchise. Captain Kirk was born and raised in Riverside, Iowa in the year 2233. He was the youngest individual to become a Starfleet captain and served as the commanding officer of the USS Enterprise. He was first played by William Shatner as the principal lead character in the original Star Trek series.
An American aviator and former NASA astronaut best known as the first person to set foot on the Moon. The first Moon walk occurred exactly 42 years ago today. Armstrong served as commander of the 1969 Apollo 11 moon landing mission, which fulfilled U.S. President John F. Kennedy’s goal of reaching the Moon before the Soviet Union by the end of the 1960s.
A Hong Kong American actor, martial arts instructor and founder of the Jeet Kune Do movement. He is widely considered the most influential martial artist, and a cultural icon. While doing work for the movie Enter the Dragon, he suffered a cerebral edema. Two months later, on this day in 1973, he died at age 32 from a mysterious allergic reaction to medication.
Hulk – No. 165
A fictional superhero in the Marvel Comics universe who first appeared in 1962. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the Incredible Hulk is the emotional and impulsive alter ego of physicist Dr. Bruce Banner. The Hulk appears shortly after Banner is accidentally exposed to the blast of a test detonation of a gamma bomb he invented. Hulk smash!
Like many kids in the 1980s, I recall happily jumping across furniture to avoid my house’s lava floor while wearing Hulk-themed Underoos.