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.
Ksitigarbha is a bodhisattva, or “saint,” primarily revered in East Asian Buddhism and usually depicted as a Buddhist monk. In Japanese culture, where Ksitigarbha is known as Jizō or Ojizō-sama, he is the guardian of children in limbo. Jizō is also the patron deity of children, expectant mothers, travelers and aborted/miscarried fetuses. Jizō statues are a common sight in Japan, especially by roadsides and in graveyards. Ksitigarbha means “womb of the earth” and this deity is known for his vow to take responsibility for the instruction of all beings in the six realms between the death of Gautama Buddha and the rise of Maitreya, as well as his vow not to achieve Buddhahood until all hells are emptied. He is therefore often regarded as the bodhisattva of hell-beings, or savior of hell’s torments.
Jizō Bodhisattva is one of two garden sculptures in our backyard. Jizō, which I purchased as a gift for my wife, is a 15.5″ figure made of volcanic stone with an antique brown finish. My two-year-old daughter refers to the dense Jizō statue as “the heavy baby.” The other sculpture, Saint Francis of Assisi, is a 20″ white stone/resin sculpture that was in the yard when we bought our house. Alongside these two sculptures is our 10″ plastic garden gnome of many travels, Dingledodger VonFefferhedge. Together they preside over our backyard cat cemetery, which includes the recently deceased The King. Happy New Year!
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!”
Sonic the Hedgehog is an anthropomorphic blue hedgehog. He is the protagonist of a video game franchise created by Yuji Naka, and is developed and owned by Sega. The franchise centers on a series of speed-based platform games, but several are spin-offs in different genres. Sonic’s peaceful life is often interrupted by mad scientist Doctor “Eggman” Robotnik. Typically, Sonic—usually along with some of his friends, such as Tails, Amy Rose and Knuckles—must stop Eggman and foil any plans of world domination. The first game in the series, published in 1991, was conceived after Sega requested a mascot character; the title was a success and and transformed Sega into a leading video game company during the 16-bit era in the early to mid-1990s. The series has sold 150 million units as of November 2014, making it one of the best-selling franchises of all time.
Since I had a Sega Genesis instead of a Super Nintendo, Sonic the Hedgehog was a relevant part of my junior high school experience. The decision to choose Sega Genesis over SNES was easy at the time because violent arcade games like Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat, plus EA Sports titles, were important to adolescent me. Oh yeah, and NBA Jam was the best (as covered in my Mike Iuzzolino post).
Yoko Ono is a Japanese multimedia artist, singer and peace activist. She is the widow and second wife of John Lennon and is also known for her work in avant-garde art, music and filmmaking. Ono grew up in Tokyo, and studied at Gakushuin University while her family moved to the U.S. to escape the war. They reunited in 1953, and she became involved in New York City’s downtown artists scene, including the Fluxus group. Ono first met Lennon in 1966 at her own art exhibition in London, and they became a couple in 1968. She achieved commercial and critical acclaim in 1980 with the chart-topping album Double Fantasy, released with Lennon three weeks before his death. Since 2003, 11 of her songs, mostly remixes of her older work, have hit No. 1 on the U.S. dance chart. Ono was born on February 18, 1933.
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.
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.
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.
Urashima Tarō is the title character of a Japanese legend about a fisherman who rescues a sea turtle and is rewarded for his kindness with a visit to Ryūgū-jō, the undersea palace of Ryūjin, the dragon god of the sea. In one version of the story, Tarō stays under the sea for three days and, upon his return to his fishing village, finds himself 300 years in the future.
P.S. This 8-bit pixel art Urashima Tarō is based on ukiyo-e art by Japanese artist Yoshitoshi Tsukioka. Though I almost designed 8-bit Tarō after George Suyeoka’s gorgeous illustrations in Urashima Taro (1973), a beloved book on my bookshelf.
Snufkin is a character in the Moomin series of books authored by Swedish-speaking Finn Tove Jansson, appearing in six of the nine novels. He is the best friend of the series’ protagonist, Moomintroll, and lives a nomadic lifestyle, only staying in Moominvalley in the spring and summer, but leaving for warmer climates down south every winter. Snufkin wears old green clothes and a wide-brimmed hat he has had since birth. He lives in a tent, smokes a pipe and plays the harmonica. Snufkin has a great dislike for all symbols of private property and for authority figures such as the Park Keeper, and the many regulation signs and fences he erects. At one point he sabotages the Park Keeper by planting Hattifatteners in his garden, causing them to grow and drive him out. Snufkin prefers freely-growing foliage to fenced-in lawns. He keeps as few worldly possessions as possible, seeing them as a burden, and being happier keeping the memory of a thing than the thing itself. Tove Jansson based the character of Snufkin on her friend and one-time fiancé, Atos Wirtanen.
P.S. This 8-bit Snufkin is based on his character design in the 1990 Japanese-European anime television series Moomin.
Usagi Tsukino, better known as Sailor Moon, is the superheroine protagonist and title character in the Sailor Moon manga series and anime adaptations. Usagi is introduced as a carefree, underachieving schoolgirl in Tokyo. She is initially believed to be an Earthling, but is later revealed to be Princess Serenity of the moon kingdom Silver Millennium. Usagi meets Luna who discovers that she is destined to save Earth from the forces of evil. Luna gives Usagi a broach to transform into Sailor Moon, and asks her to form the Sailor Soldiers, find their princess and protect the “Legendary Silver Crystal.” As Usagi matures, she becomes one of the universe’s powerful warriors and protects her adopted home planet, Earth, from villains who wish to harm it.
This 8-bit Sailor Moon was created at the request of my wife Heidi and her sister. Speaking of sailing (or at least ferries), Heidi and I are heading to Orcas Island, the largest of the San Juan Islands, to stay in an apartment in Eastsound for the next few days. It’s her birthday present from me.
Tetsuo Shima is the main antagonist of the manga and 1988 anime movie Akira. One of the youngest members of a motorcycle gang in Neo-Tokyo, Tetsuo was once the best friend of leader Shotaro Kaneda. At the beginning of the story, Tetsuo is severely injured in a mysterious motorcycle accident, which causes him to display immense powers, including telekinesis, teleportation, mind-reading and a shield that allows him to breathe in space. Tetsuo’s mental instability increases with the manifestation of his powers. This ultimately drives him insane and destroys his friendship with Kaneda, who becomes his nemesis.
Note: I created 8-bit Tetsuo after the point in the story where he synthesizes an artificial, metal arm to replace his severed right arm. Also, today is 9/11. Last year on September 11, I published my 666th pixel art character, Nero. In 2012, I posted Augusto Pinochet on this day. That’s three villains in a row. But if you go back to 2011, on the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, I published Captain America. Because, ‘Merica.
Kublai Khan was the fifth Khagan (Great Khan) of the Mongol Empire, reigning from 1260 to 1294. He was the grandson of Genghis Khan. If one counts the Mongol Empire at that time as a whole, Kublai’s realm reached from the Pacific Ocean to the Black Sea, from Siberia to modern-day Afghanistan – one-fifth of the world’s inhabited land area. However, Kublai’s real power was limited to China and Mongolia. In 1271, he founded the Yuan Dynasty, which ruled over present-day Mongolia, China and Korea, and assumed the role of Emperor of China. Kublai was born on this day in 1215.
Note: Due to incredibly unlucky timing, Kublai failed to gain power over Japan, despite two Mongol invasion attempts. In 1268, Kublai demanded tribute from Japan, but Kyoto refused. The Mongols invaded Japan in 1274 with 700-800 ships, but a typhoon destroyed their armada. An even larger invasion was attempted in 1281, with a fleet of more than 4,000 ships and 140,000 troops. Stunningly, they met the same disastrous fate, losing up to 75% of their troops and supplies both times. The failed invasions marked the first use of the Japanese word kamikaze (“divine wind”). The massive typhoons also helped perpetuate the Japanese belief that they could not be defeated, which persisted until the end of World War II.
Akira Kurosawa was a Japanese film director, screenwriter, producer and editor. Regarded as one of the most important and influential filmmakers in the history of cinema, Kurosawa directed 30 films in a career spanning 57 years. Throughout the 1950s and early 1960s, Kurosawa directed approximately one film per year, including a number of highly regarded films such as Rashomon (1950), Ikiru (1952), Seven Samurai (1954) and Yojimbo (1961). In 1990, he accepted the Academy Award for Lifetime Achievement. He was born on March 23, 1910.
Utagawa Hiroshige was a Japanese ukiyo-e artist, and one of the last great artists in that tradition. Legend has it that Hiroshige determined to become a ukiyo-e artist when he saw the prints of his near-contemporary, Hokusai. As a low-ranked samurai, Hiroshige’s salary was insufficient for his needs and he initially used his artistic pursuits to supplement his income.
Monchhichi is a line of Japanese stuffed toy monkeys that Mattel introduced to the U.S. in the late 1970s. The Hanna-Barbera cartoon series Monchhichis debuted in 1983. Monchhichis are monkey-like creatures who live in the forest land of Monchia at the tops of very tall trees, high above the clouds. As a child, one of my favorite stuffed animals was a Monchhichi. I believe the character was the thumb-sucking Thumkii.
After additional, very important research, I have identified both of my beloved thumb-sucking monkey dolls from childhood. One was a tan, 11″ monkey from Atlanta Novelty, a division of Gerber Products. And the other was the banana-holding Thumkey, a 7″ Russ Berrie knockoff of the Monchhichi line. Both had plush bodies with plastic faces and hands.
A friend received a small Japanese plush toy as a gift. We later discovered that this red refrigerator-dog character is named Wanzouko. It is one of 24 hypercute zoomorphic inanimate objects (mostly furniture and housewares) in San-X’s Wanroom line. Sewn inside this refrigerator-puppy is a shelf and a chicken leg. Velcro holds its door closed.
Seeing Wanzouko next to a red camera from the OptiTrack motion capture line (especially the old FLEX:C120 model) reveals amusing similarities in color, shape and size. All the camera needs are some floppy brown ears. Or, perhaps what the mocap industry needs are adorable Wanroom carrying cases for their OptiTrack cameras. I think the current Wanzouko toy might actually work as a soft camera case, if not for the sewn-in refrigerator shelf and chicken leg. Pity.
Pon de Lion is the most popular mascot of the Mister Donut fast food franchise, which is owned by the same parent company as Dunkin’ Donuts. This character, a lion with a mane shaped like a “pon de ring” doughnut, is one of a set of doughnut-based mascots (marketed as “Pon de Lion & His Sweet Friends”). In Japan, Pon de Lion has become more recognizable than the actual Misdo logo (a moustachioed chef).
The Bride from the two-part Kill Bill action/thriller film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino. Played by Uma Thurman, Kiddo is a former member of an elite, shadowy group of assassins. Codenamed “Black Mamba,” she is a master of the tiger-crane style of kung fu and has learned the deadly Five Point Palm Exploding Heart Technique.
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.