My favorite parts are the intestine print on the interior lining and the disemboweling light saber zipper pull…. and the fact that the kid in the picture is smiling pleasantly instead of screaming in terror. Nothing like snuggling your young Jedi up in the simulated stinking carcass of a dead tauntaun at bedtime. Sweet Dreams!
In fact it is unbelievable. It’s a April Fools prank. Apparently they do something like this every year on ThinkGeek.com. Brilliant, though.
I have seen this video featuring Louis C.K. on “Late Night with Conan O’Brien” around for the last two weeks on the web and Facebook and such. It’s so incredibly true that I finally tracked down an embeddable version to post here.
It is amazing how incredibly spoiled people are today, especially young people. Many have a misguided sense of entitlement that boggles my mind… it’s like they are owed whatever it is they want, and don’t think they should be required to earn it or earn money to pay for it. The internet is a prime example. Many people seem to think they are entitled to free content on the internet. They actually get angry if they have to pay for something or have to wait for something. Some time ago I posted a short video on YouTube demonstrating my digital color technique. It was not especially well done, but YouTube was an easy place to host it and share it here on the blog as a part of my color tutorial. I have received several polite inquiries about my doing more videos, and these are quite welcome. I have also received not a few snarky or smart-assed comments or e-mails scolding me for not doing any more and actually demanding me to update my video “channel”. It’s like they are feeling cheated that I am not spending my free time educating or entertaining them for free. Hard to believe, but true.
That said, much of what Louis is saying is just a result of progress. After all, there was a time that there were no telephones at all and instant communication over long distances was impossible… yet I’ll bet he would not hesitate to call his phone company and complain when his service is not working rather than to sit and stare into space just being thankful there is such a thing as a telephone even if it doesn’t work right at the time. I know I get pissed whenever my internet is down, miracle though it is… I am paying for it, after all. It’s all a matter of persepective, I guess… and what you’ve become accustomed to.
Frequent reader of The Mad Blog and fellow Minnesotan Marv Sohlo emailed me a link to this video which features a short but informative piece on caricatures and why they resonate so much with people. It’s from the BCC show “The Human Face” narrated by John Cleese. Unfortunately the creators do not allow embedding, but click on the screen capture to go to the YouTube clip:
Click on the image for the full clip… it’s less than 2 minutes…. we’ll wait…
I’ve always said that a really good caricature looks more like the subject than a photo does, and some of the observations this video makes about how the brain processes the human face offers some explanation as to why that might be very true. While that is interesting, it’s the short interview with Spitting Image caricaturist Tim Watts and his great caricature sculpture of narrator Cleese that really makes this video good. Watt’s observations on what needed to be exaggerated on Cleese are spot on. Most enlightening is his observation that in order to exaggerate the chin and forehead “something had to give” and that meant reducing the size of Cleese’s nose and making it more delicate. That’s a great example of the theory of constant mass in action.
Our usual smörgåsbord of cartoon, caricature and MAD related website, links, news articles and announcements!
I Like Both Kinds of Music: Country AND Western Dept.-
MAD artist Grey Blackwell and MAD scribe David Shayne collaborated with David’s brother Jon on this animated music video where “Merle Hazard” laments losing his girl for someone who is more “environmentally sensitive” and trys going green to lure her back.
I’m Smarter than This 5th Grader Dept.-
Smithson with the offensive drawing…
10 year old 5th grader Cullen Smithson got into a little hot water recently when his teacher, Karen Boudreau, 44, filed criminal charges against him over a drawing he did of her at school. That instantly caused a number of flashbacks for me concerning drawings I did of my teachers in school… but I was a little smarter than this kid. I didn’t draw them lying dead with a bullet hole in their head and me holding a smoking gun. I was more subtle.
Cullen’s drawing depicts Mulcahey Middle School teacher Boudreau and a girl named “Kailey” both with marks labeled “bullet wholes” (guess spelling isn’t Cullen’s strong suit) in them with him standing there (labeled “me”) next to a gun. There is also a large “HA HA” in the mix. Those goofy kids!
The story mentions a suspension but no details about it. It’s centered over the criminal charges the teacher filed and the boy’s mother’s outrage over it. Of course she immediately ran to the American Civil Liberties Union to enlist them to fight the charges. She is quoted in the story as saying: “he shouldn’t be treated like a criminal. He did not threaten. He was making a picture for himself. He wasn’t showing anyone. He didn’t go up to the teacher and give it to her. There were no threats.” I wonder if this lady reads the papers, or has ever heard of Columbine, Red Lake, Pine Middle School or about a dozen other incidents in the last 10 years where some kid takes a gun to school and starts shooting? I’d agree filing criminal charges is a bit over the top, but for all we know she demanded the kid get serious psychological counseling and his mom refused to do it, and the only recourse was getting the courts involved.
I’ll tell you what, I got sick of being dragged into the principal’s office everytime a drawing of a teacher surfaced around school. I endlessly expained to the principal that I only did the really funny ones, and I was insulted to be accused of the crappy ones.
MAD on the Move Dept.-
Someone on YouTube uploaded the first five plus minutes of the 1974 MAD television special which includes the opening sequence and the first segment “the automobile manufacturer of the year”. It looks to me like Angelo Torres did the art that was the basis for the “automobile” skit, but the animators obviously had to adjust things for the animation to work. Actually the animation itself is a lot more involved than you might think it would be.
A smörgåsbord of cartoon, caricature and MAD related website, links, news articles and announcements!
You Know What They Say About Guys With Big Heads Dept.-
A hilarious video demonstrating why caricaturists perhaps should not be police sketch artists… except in certain cases.
Put your Funny Where your Mouth Is Dept.-
The Pittsburgh area Toonseum is having it’s first public fund raiser in May… a worthy cause. Here are the details:
COMIC, CARTOON AND ANIMATION FANS UNITE!
You and your friends are invited to KA-BLAM! A party to benefit the ToonSeum
Your Host: Rob Rogers
When: Saturday, May 3rd, 7:30 – 11:30 pm
Where: ToonSeum, at the Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh
10 Children’s Way Pittsburgh, PA 15212
Tickets: $35.00 in advance (ordering details to come)
The evening will feature:
Live music, DJ and dancing, caricature artists
Dr. Sketchy’s Anti-Art Salon, demonstration by cartoonists, a silent auction
door prizes, food and drink by Pittsburgh favorites, and more!
Contact Info:
Joe Wos
Executive Director
ToonSeum
“A Museum With Character”
412-325-1060
joe@toonseum.com
www.toonseum.org
The mission of The ToonSeum is to celebrate the art of cartooning. Our goal is to promote a deeper appreciation of cartoonists and their work through hands-on workshops, community outreach,
cartoon-oriented educational programming and exhibitions of original cartoon art.
Let Friedman Ring Dept.-
MAD artist extraordinare Drew Friedman as an exhibit of his superb art opening this Thursday, March 27th at Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery in Seattle. Drew will appear for a book signing and the opening of the exhibition of his original artwork on the 27th from 5:00 to 8:00 PM. Visit here for all the details.
To PC is Human, to Mac… Divine Dept.-
Here’s an interesting link to a forum thread discussing the latest “Monkey theme” issue of MAD, issue #488… in a Mac computer forum of all places.
I’ve found that readers either loved or hated that issue. Seems these folks liked it. The most telling of the posts on the thread, however, is post #3 by “Abstract”:
They still make MAD?
Sigh….
While on the subject of MAD #488, it is exactly one year from right now when MAD #500 hits the stands. I started in #399, and #400 was a big deal at the time, so I hope they’ve got some fun stuff planned for #500.
As a kid in the 1970′s there were a few things I collected as much and as often as I could get my hands on them: Anything Star Wars but especially the bubble gum trading cards, Batman comics, Micronauts toys… but one thing I couldn’t get enough of was Wacky Packages stickers from Topps. My friends and I thought these parodies of popular products were hilarious. They are often associated with MAD Magazine, although they did not have any connection other than MAD artist Tom Bunk did some art for them recently. Other MAD artists may have contributed as well, but Tom’s the only regular one I am sure of.
This May a coffee table book about the Wacky Packages phenomenon will be releases which includes an interview with Art Spiegelman, the original artist and conceiver of the first series of Wacky packages. The book will feature images of all 232 stickers from series 1-7, circa 1973-74. Check out the official Wacky Packages website, from where you can preorder the book.
This Saturday’s “Surf’s Up Dept.” is very MAD video-centric, with a few other stories tossed in.
Revenge of the Mommy Dept.
Des Moines mom Jane Hambleton proclaimed herself the “Meanest Mom on the Planet” when she sold her son’s car through the want ads of the Des Moines Register after finding alcohol under the seat of the vehicle. The ad read:
OLDS 1999 Intrigue. Totally uncool parents who obviously don’t love teenage son, selling his car. Only driven for three weeks before snoopy mom who needs to get a life found booze under front seat. $3,700/offer. Call meanest mom on the planet.
Hambleton was then undulated with calls and e-mails from people supporting and applauding her for being tough on her kid and following through on her rules. Hambleton said she had only two rules with the car, which she bought for her 19 year old son around Thanksgiving: “Keep it locked, and no alcohol.” After finding the booze, she made her son face the consequences.
I also applaud this lady for following through on her rules and the punishment of their being broken. Too many parents today won’t do that because they either don’t want to be inconvenienced by actually having to raise their children, or they are too busy wanting to be their kid’s “friend” and can’t handle the confrontation. You can’t be a “friend” and a “parent” at the same time. Be strong with your kids and teach them right from wrong, and they’ll thank you for it later in life. Then you can get your revenge for all the “I hate you’s” and slamming doors by spoiling your grandkids rotten and then leaving the discipline for their parents!
Better Safer than Sorry Dept.
Here’s a video of a late 1980′s interview by Morely Safer on 60 Minutes with MAD Magazine idiots BIll Gaines, Nick Meglin, John Ficarra and Dick DeBartolo. It’s long but worth watching
It’s interesting that Safer right away questions MAD‘s ability to keep up it’s subversive, shocking reputation in the face of what he says is “more outrageous stuff than you guys are” that is available to young people. That was in the late 1980′s. Today we have the likes of the Farley Brothers and Judd Apatow setting the tone for comedic films and media. Is it any wonder that MAD has become much more riske and racy in these days, with the tone set by the Borat‘s of the world?
It’s also ironic to hear Gaines talk about how he feels about advertising and merchandising, as these are the very arguments MAD purists make against advertising in the magazine. “You can’t make fun of Pepsi Cola and take money from Coca Cola”, says Gaines. That may have been true back in the days of real corporate sponsorship, when advertisers would literally dictate the content of the shows and publications they were in or else yank their ad dollars. Today advertisers only care about circulation numbers and demographics… they WANT MAD to keep doing what they do so their target audience is reached. That’s why MAD can run ads of video games in an issue where the lead article is “The 50 Wost Things about Video Games” (MAD #457). Even the hypocrisy of that situation is ripe for MAD to make fun of, which they regularly do. MAD‘s self-depreciating humor is not just for show.
MAD BAD TV Dept.
I have to admit, I have never watched a single episode of MAD TV.
The funny thing is, MAD TV might be more exposed than MAD itself these days. It used to be every time I drew a kid at the theme park with big ears and a grin, I got a lot of “that looks like the kid from MAD” from the onlookers. Nowadays I hear “that looks like the kid from MAD TV” more and more. In fact, some kids I talked to had no idea there was a magazine that the show was named after. That just goes to show that kids spend a lot more time in front of the boob tube than they do reading publications.
The other day I saw this first MAD TV clip posted on an Apple fan website. It makes fun of the “Fiest” iPod Nano ad, and really hits the nail on the head with the frustrating nature of Apple’s product releases.
I also ran into a few other MAD TV clips that I thought were pretty funny.
Charles Schulz‘s widow and my friend Jeannie Schulzwrites some public comments about the David Michaelis book. Jeannie is one smart lady, and her comments demonstrate that quite clearly. No one would blame her if she just took a few reactionary public shots at Michaelis over his portrayal of her late husband. Instead she shows that she is actually very familiar with the book’s content and calmly and intelligently explains why a number of Michaelis’s conclusions are poorly conceived or are outright erroneous. After reading these comments and talking with her, I believe Michaelis was bent on painting Schulz as the tortured artist, and conveniently ignored both facts and whatever opinions and stories about Schulz did not support that portrayal. -From the Canadian Sans Everything Blog.
Trailer Park Parenting for Dummies Dept.
Christian book publisher Thomas Nelson Inc. was preparing to release a new book on parenting on Mothers Day, 2008. The Author: Lynne Spears, mother of those fine, upstanding role models Britney and Jamie Lynne Spears. Spear’s book, “Pop Culture Mom: A Real Story of Fame and Family in a Tabloid World” was to be all about “raising” (term used loosely) young Britney through her rise to fame.
The publisher has decided to shelve the book’s release. That decision came, I am sure purely by coincidence, shortly after it was reported that 16 year old Jamie Lynne was pregnant via her high school boyfriend. How long will publication be put off? “Indefinitely is the word we are using,” a source from the publisher told the NY Post.
“We don’t know how this happened,” Jamie Lynne has reportedly said… Apparently there is no chapter in Spear’s book concerning the “birds and the bees”.
Meanwhile plans for other rumored books by the publisher proceed including “Tips for a Successful Marriage” by Elizabeth Taylor, “Fair Play: Honor in Baseball” by Barry Bonds and the posthumous “Ethical Business Practices” by Kenneth Lay.
Ink Slip Dept.
Former Catfish Bend Casino employee David Stewartfound himself unemployed after tacking up this “Dilbert” comic strip on an office bulletin board:
Apparently casino management was not amused by the strip, and it’s referral to company decision makers as “drunken lemurs”.
“I find that very offensive,” and unidentified management source exclaimed. “We are not lemurs.” No comment on the “drunken” part….
Casino management reviewed security tapes to discover who posted the cartoon, and then fired Stewart saying he was not a “team player”. They cited the posting of the cartoon during a hearing over Stewart’s unemployment compensation, which they were trying to oppose. The judge sided with Stewart, saying that posting the cartoon was not done with malicious intent.
“However, had he posted a “Cathy” cartoon, he would have had his unemployment yanked in a heartbeat,” the judge reportedly added. -from The Daily Cartoonist
The Year in Askew Dept.
Finally, web humor site JibJab has once again posted their annual “Year in Review” video. Not quite as funny as last year but still worth look and a laugh:
Disclaimer- Certain additions to the “news stories” above were added for satirical and humorous purposes, including fictitious quotes, facts and other nonsense. Treat the “reporting” above with the same amount of gravitas as you would Saturday Night Live’s “Weekend Update”, except not as funny…. and no Amy Poehler.
Here’s another collection of the weird, somewhat interesting and downright horrific from around cyberspace:
The Blubberfull World of Disney Dept.
According to this article, Disneyland in California will be closing down their “It’s a Small World” ride for some refurbishment. Not because the characters are looking tattered or the endless looping song needs updating… nope, it’s because the boats are bottoming out and getting stuck. Disney won’t come out and say it, but the reason?… riders are too fat.
Yes, it has come to this. Disneyland has to do reconstruction on a 41 year old ride because Americans have become so fat they are literally sinking the boats.
According to stories about the web, “Small World” boats have bottomed out and actually become stuck, forcing the occupants to exit and walk… or apparently in many cases waddle… out an emergency exit. Americans are now an average of almost 25 pounds heavier than they were in 1960, men going from an average of 166 lbs to 191, and women from 140 to 164. That’s a lot of Big Macs. You hear a lot of hype about the obesity problem in this country but sometimes it takes something like this to really drive it home.
I understand that some people’s weight problems are a result of very real disease and factors not within their control. However that cannot explain the epidemic we are seeing. American’s largely eat like pigs and get very little exercise, and that is the root of the problem.
Of course society is as much to blame as those who refuse to take their own health seriously. Take Disney, for example. According to the linked article above, when those fat folks sink the “Small World” boats and are escorted off the ride Disney makes sure they aren’t disappointed…
…they hand them a free food ticket!
Here Dumbs the Bride Dept.
A distraught bride in New York City is suing her florist for breach of contract, restitution and damages because the flowers that were delivered to her wedding were not the dark rust she ordered but pastel pink. Worse yet, they were wilted and brown and in dusty vases with not enough water. So, she’s suing for $400,000… the cost of the flowers was almost $27,500.
The florist claims they tried to match the colors to a picture given to them by the bride, but told her the color “might not match”.
I’m not sure what the worst crime committed here is… the bad job by the florist or the fact that somebody paid over $27,000 for FLOWERS for a wedding, let alone without actually picking them out in person? It’s a toss up.
Go Ahead… Make my Bed Dept.
A Montgomery, Alabama couple returned home from a week long trip to catch a thief red-handed after he had just ransacked their home, emptying drawers and throwing cabinets and piles of trash everywhere. Homeowner Adrian McKinnon caught the man walking through his home while inspecting the damage and held him at gunpoint while waiting for police to arrive.
As long as they were waiting, McKinnon forced the thief at gunpoint to clean up his house.
Police arrived to find a loudly complaining suspect, who felt he was being cruelly treated to be forced to straighten up the mess in the McKinnon household. No word on whether he flatly refused to do the windows.
Lake House-Be-Gone Dept.
Only in Minnesota.
According to an AP story, local ice fisherman Brian Young of Bowlus, MN, discovered friday that his fish house was missing. For you warm climate readers, that is not a house for fish, but rather a small shack that is hauled out onto a frozen lake, placed over bored holes in the ice and where grown men sit and stare at a bobber floating on the icy water trying to catch a fish, but mostly get really drunk.
Apparently some pranksters had placed a “FREE” sign on it without Young’s knowledge and unsuspecting persons had helped themselves to the fish house. It had been sitting near the intersection of County Road 13 and state Highway 287 about 26 miles from St. Cloud, MN. The cops don’t consider it stolen, but are just asking for it’s return. Local walleye are rejoicing. Local liquor stores are despondent.
… I should try that with my neighbor’s lawnmower he fires up at 6 am.
Urine Trouble Now Dept.
Lastly, this is an old video but I recently ran across it again on YouTube and it always gets a laugh.
