The Houston Cougars mascot, Shasta, is NCAA Division I pixel art mascot #110 of 351. (View reference images.)
Note: Since Houston’s football team qualified for one of the New Year’s Six bowl games this year, I figured it was time to make an 8-bit Houston Cougar. It’s going to be (18) Houston vs. (9) Florida State in the Peach Bowl.
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!
Chuck E. Cheese is the mascot of Chuck E. Cheese’s, a chain of American family entertainment center restaurants. The brand derives its name from its main animatronic character Chuck E. Cheese, a comedic mouse who sings and interacts with guests. The establishment serves pizza and other menu items, complemented by arcade games, amusement rides and family-friendly animatronic displays. In 1977, Chuck E. Cheese’s Pizza Time Theatre in San Jose, California, was the first location to open. The concept was authored by Atari co-founder Nolan Bushnell, credited with bringing video games such as Pong to the mainstream. Pizza Time Theatre was the first family restaurant to integrate food, animated entertainment and an indoor arcade. The chain merged with competitor Showbiz Pizza Place in 1984. In the early 1990s, the company unified the two brands renaming every location to Chuck E. Cheese’s.
Bill the Cat is a fictional character created by cartoonist Berkeley Breathed. Bill is a large orange tabby cat, first introduced in 1982 as a parody of the comic character Garfield. Bill has appeared in Breathed’s 1980s comic strip Bloom County as well as the two “sequel” strips (Outland and Opus), his illustrated children’s books and the 1991 television special A Wish for Wings That Work. The cat’s most frequent spoken sentiments are “Ack!” and “Thbbft!” Numerous strips indicate that Bill’s persistent near-catatonic state is the result of drug use or brain damage resulting from once being legally dead and then revived after too long of a period.
Note: About a week ago, Berkeley Breathed starting posting new Bloom County comics, after over 25 years. I was a 10-year-old when the strip ended.
Snoopy is a pet dog owned by Charlie Brown in the comic strip Peanuts by Charles M. Schulz. The original drawings of Snoopy were inspired by Spike, one of Schulz’s childhood dogs. Snoopy is a perpetually innocent and mindlessly happy dog who either fantasizes or dances around in joy. Snoopy cannot talk, so his thoughts are shown in thought balloons. In the animated Peanuts films and television specials, Snoopy’s thoughts are not verbalized; his moods are instead conveyed through growls, sobs, laughter, monosyllabic utterances and pantomime. Snoopy has imagined himself as different things such as a pelican, a vulture, an author and a World War I Flying Ace (in which he battles the Red Baron).
The Akron Zips mascot, a kangaroo named Zippy, is NCAA Division I pixel art mascot #106 of 351. (View reference images.)
Note: This is NCAA Division I mascot #2 of 5 in celebration of the first week of the 2015 NCAA Tournament.
Hieronymus Bosch was an Early Netherlandish painter. His work is known for its use of fantastic imagery to illustrate moral and religious concepts and narratives. Very little is known about the artist or the intended meaning of his art. However, it is known that Bosch received many commissions to paint from abroad—and in response, he masterfully painted saints, demons and the life of Christ with profound creepiness. Notable works include the triptychs The Garden of Earthly Delights and The Adoration of the Magi, and many other paintings of various panel formats. The exact number of Bosch’s surviving works has been a subject of considerable debate. He signed only seven of his paintings, and there is uncertainty whether all the paintings once ascribed to him were actually from his hand. Bosch died on this day in 1516.
Note: This 8-bit pixel art Bosch is based on his “self-portrait,” but I was also inspired by the devils and demons found in Triptych of the Temptation of St. Anthony. Here is a playable retro battle for your amusement: Hieronymus Bosch vs. Chris Bosh.
The 2014 Winter Olympics, officially the XXII Olympic Winter Games, are currently taking place from February 6-23, 2014, in Sochi, Russia. The Amur Leopard (designed by Vadim Pak, Nakhodka) was selected as one of three 2014 Winter Olympic Games mascots. The other two mascots are the Polar Bear (by Oleg Serdechniy, Sochi) and the European Hare (by Silviya Petrova, Chuvashia).
King Moonracer 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 winged lion who rules the Island of Misfit Toys. His appearance is similar to a griffin, the legendary creature who is part lion and part eagle.
P.S. Merry Christmas! I enjoyed this forum thread, which addresses King Moonracer’s possible villain status: “Was King Moonracer a fraud?” Indeed. Why was King Moonracer holding the misfit toys hostage for so long? Since he regularly flies around the world collecting unwanted toys, why wasn’t he already collaborating with Santa to find new homes for those toys? Moonracer only thought to contact Santa after Rudolph, Hermey, and Yukon showed up? Really? King Moonracer is very possibly a manipulative cult leader with megalomaniac tendencies who hoards rare, emotionally damaged toys. It seems like the unexpected arrival of visitors to his remote island shamed him into doing the right thing with his sad toy collection.
The University of California, Santa Cruz Banana Slugs mascot is NCAA Division III pixel art mascot #1 of 449. (View reference images.)
Space Cat is a children’s book series from the 1950s, written by Scottish author Ruthven Todd and illustrated by Paul Galdone. The third book, Space Cat Meets Mars (1957) introduces Moofa, a female cat with striped red fur and pink whiskers. While visiting Mars, the protagonist space cat Flyball meets Moofa, who is the last surviving Martian cat. She subsists on golden fish from the Martian canals and takes shelter in caves during the frigid Martian nights and red dust storms. Her story continues in the fourth and final book in the series, Space Cat and the Kittens (1958).
The Pittsburgh Panthers mascot is NCAA Division I pixel art mascot #74 of 348. (View reference images.)
The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets mascot is NCAA Division I pixel art mascot #69 of 348. (View reference images.)
Benny the Bull is the mascot of the Chicago Bulls, a role he has filled since 1969. He has become just as popular as some of the franchise’s most notable figures, such as players Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen and Dennis Rodman and head coach Phil Jackson. Benny is one of the longest-tenured mascots in the NBA and in all of professional sports.
Space Cat is a children’s book series from the 1950s, written by Scottish author Ruthven Todd and illustrated by Paul Galdone. The first book, Space Cat (1952), introduces Flyball, an ambitious young cat who is off to the moon in a rocket. Flyball not only makes an important scientific discovery on his way to the moon, but also saves the pilot’s life. The sequels are Space Cat Visits Venus (1955), Space Cat Meets Mars (1957) and Space Cat and the Kittens (1958).
In celebration of Earth Day and my 607th character, I was thinking of cutting back on my pixel art updates to focus more on other creative projects, such as my novel(s). This concept of “other creative projects” might also include “trying to buy all four vintage Space Cat books on eBay for less than $50 each.” However, since I don’t yet feel inspired to write, I think I will carry on as usual with 3+ pixel art characters per week.
Felix the Cat is a cartoon character created in the silent film era. His black body, white eyes, and giant grin, coupled with the surrealism of his cartoons, make Felix one of the most recognized cartoon characters in film history. Felix appeared in 1919 and was the first animated character to attain a level of popularity sufficient to draw movie audiences. With the arrival of sound cartoons in the late 1920s, including Disney’s Mickey Mouse shorts, Felix’s success faded – though he was revived as a television star in 1953.
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. Described as half-goat, half-demon, Krampus is said to capture particularly naughty children in his sack and carry them away to his underworld lair. He beats people into behaving with a bundle of birch sticks. According to folklore, Krampus shows up in towns on the night before December 6, known as Krampusnacht, or Krampus Night. The history of the Krampus figure stretches back to pre-Christian Germanic folklore.
Note: Happy Christmas Eve! Hopefully Krampus the holiday devil doesn’t show up on your street dragging rusty chains and bells.
Jabberjaw is an air-breathing, anthropomorphic great white shark whose voice and mannerisms are similar to Curly of The Three Stooges. He is a drummer for The Neptunes, a rock group made up of four teenagers, who live in an underwater civilization in the year 2076. Jabberjaw was the star of a Saturday morning animated series produced by Hanna-Barbera that aired from 1976 to 1978.
Sedna is the mermaid goddess of the sea and marine animals in Inuit mythology. The creation myth of Sedna describes how she came to rule over Adlivun, the Inuit underworld. As the sea-mother and provider of food for the Inuit people, she is the patron of fisherman and hunters. Sedna is known by other names in Greenland and Canada, including Arnakuagsak, Arnapkapfaaluk and Nerrivik.
Heidi and I are currently in beautiful Reykjavík, Iceland. This is the third day of our vacation in Europe.
Garfield – No. 873
Garfield is the title character of a comic strip created by Jim Davis. Published since 1978, Garfield chronicles the life of the cat Garfield; his owner, Jon; and Jon’s dog, Odie. As of 2013, it was syndicated in roughly 2,580 newspapers and journals, and held the Guinness World Record for being the world’s most widely syndicated comic strip. Common themes in the strip include Garfield’s laziness, obsessive eating, and disdain of Mondays and diets. Originally created with the intentions to “come up with a good, marketable character,” Garfield has spawned merchandise earning $750 million to $1 billion annually. In addition to the various merchandise and commercial tie-ins, the strip has spawned several animated television specials, television series and movies. Part of the strip’s broad appeal is due to its lack of social or political commentary.
Few things are more banal than a Garfield comic strip, but apparently few things are more profitable than relatable banality. My daughter now has two plush Garfield toys from my 1980s childhood. With one billion dollars in Garfield merchandise sold each year, this lazy cat is difficult to avoid, despite having nothing interesting to say. However, it’s all worth it, because the existential angst of Dan Walsh’s Garfield Minus Garfield is the best.