Tag Archive for 'Cthulhu'

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MAD TEA: Not MAD TEA

Normally on Mondays I do MAD TEA, which stands for Monster Art Dolls Toy Etsy Artists. It’s a stretch I know. See this page for details about MAD TEA. Today instead of cool monsters on Etsy I want to talk about a cool H.P. Lovecraft monster at another place. I’ve become an affiliate there because I want to sell a million of these things.

Nyarlethotep Statue - H.P. Lovecraft

It’s a Lovecraftian Nyarlethotep and it’s pretty awful-looking. I mean somebody did a really good job. Check out the impossible anatomy! I don’t know about you, but the horse legs really get to me. Besides being IMPOSSIBLE TO SPELL, Nyarlethotep is a monster described in a rather brief but haunting story, and is otherwise known as the “crawling chaos”.

Nyarlethotep Statue Close-up - H.P. Lovecraft

“My friend said they were horrible and impressive beyond my most fevered imaginings; and what was thrown on a screen in the darkened room prophesied things none but Nyarlathotep dared prophesy, and in the sputter of his sparks there was taken from men that which had never been taken before yet which showed only in the eyes. And I heard it hinted abroad that those who knew Nyarlathotep looked on sights which others saw not.” – H.P. Lovecraft from Nyarlethotep 1920

Nyarlethotep Statue Detail - H.P. Lovecraft

Yeah! They also have a pretty mean-looking Cthulhu statue. Here’s more information about (and more photos of) the Nyarlethotep at Sideshow Collectibles.

Published on July 6, 2009 in MAD TEA. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , .

Paper Model: Cthulhu

Regular readers here will know that besides papercrafts, I am also a really big fan of Cthulhu and H.P. Lovecraft. It’s so wonderful to have the two come together in one place.

Cthulhu Papercraft by Jerom

This is another papercraft by Jerom, who designs great monster papercraft. If you haven’t been to his site yet, you should really check it out. He’s the person who designed the awesome Proxima Centari paper monster that I built a few months back.

Cthulhu Paper Toy

One cool thing about this model is that it comes with a screaming “cultist.” Also, it can be made in three different colors! There is green, orange, and black (the black is available through Dreamland Toyworks).

Cthulhu Paper Doll

“Above these apparent hieroglyphics was a figure of evidently pictorial intent, though its impressionistic execution forbade a very clear idea of its nature. It seemed to be a sort of monster, or symbol representing a monster, of a form which only a diseased fancy could conceive. If I say that my somewhat extravagant imagination yielded simultaneous pictures of an octopus, a dragon, and a human caricature, I shall not be unfaithful to the spirit of the thing. A pulpy, tentacled head surmounted a grotesque and scaly body with rudimentary wings, but it was the general outline of the whole which made it most shockingly frightful.” – H.P. Lovecraft from The Call of Cthulhu

Cthulhu fhtagn

Published on June 10, 2009 in Papercraft. 1 Comment Tags: , , , , .

Mad Tea 1: Chat Noir Studios

MAD TEA stands for Monster Art Dolls Toy Etsy Artists. It’s a stretch I know. See this page for details about MAD TEA.

This week we have chatnoirstudios on tap. Char Noir Studios sells unusual and strange art dolls, illustrations, sculpture and jewelry. They are also evidently familiar with Cthulhu, because they have a Cthulhu Figures category and a Pet Shop of the Old Ones.

There are so many amazing dolls at this shop that I really had to think hard about what to post here.

cthulhu-doll

First off, we can’t go very far without mentioning the Cthulhu Doll itself. This baby is 8 inches tall and all his tentacles are posable. The artist makes her dolls by starting with a bendable wire armature and then covering them with fabric.

mai-li-new-edition-hex-cat

Chat Noir has a whole series of “Hex Cats” in the Pet Shop of the Old Ones. Like the Cthulhu Doll, this Hex Cat is fully posable. The artist makes the eyes herself, and this cat is made with velour and plush.

mojo-minkeys-bette

If you’re looking for something a little more cuddly, there is the Mojo Minkey Bette. I like to think that the word “Minkey” here is a’la Peter Sellers Inspector Clouseau: “Do you have a leasanse for your Minkey?”

If you’re more into historical drama, you’ll like the next, my favorite. It’s a mermaid being attacked by a sea monster.

captured-ooak-mermaid-and-seamonster-1

captured-ooak-mermaid-and-seamonster-2

I love this piece! The mermaid is wearing opera gloves. What more can you ask for?

Well, that’s it for this week’s installment of MAD TEA. See you next week for more Monster Art Doll Toy Etsy Artists.

Published on June 1, 2009 in MAD TEA. 1 Comment Tags: , , , , , , , .

Weekly Geeks: Interview with Cthulhu

In this week’s Weekly Geek the assignment is to interview a character in a book or story. Today I have the honor to interview Cthulhu, who many of you know is the subject of stories by H.P. Lovecraft among others. In particular, his adventures as a horrible monster are detailed in Lovecraft’s 1926 masterpiece “The Call of Cthulhu” first published in Weird Tales. In the 83 years since then Cthulhu has gone on to be a menacing media sensation. So without further ado:

cthulhu-top

Welcome Cthulhu and thanks for agreeing to meet with me and not squish me like an insect. Can I call you Cthulhu?
Yes. Although I prefer an unintelligible word which translates to “That which must awaken soon and devour the stars and the Earth.”

Wow that’s great. First I want to ask you: You have enjoyed an increase in popularity of late. To what do you attribute your undying popularity?
Well it’s simple marketing 101, really. You need to have a compelling story. Something people can relate to, or maybe something that changes the way they see the world around them. Perhaps tell them something that adds meaning to their brief, pitiful, worm-like existences.

We just had a much-watched election in the United States and, as usual, there were a lot of “Cthulhu for President” bumper stickers. How do you feel about those?
I want the people of Earth to know that it is only when the stars are aligned that my terrible time will come and my minions and I will reshape this puny planet. In the meantime, my lawyers are working to stop these people. I feel that they are diluting my brand.

I have to stop a moment and admit that you’re one of my heroes. Do you have any recommendations for monsters who are just starting out?
I think one of the best decisions a monster can make early on is to be an undying evil. Things like vampires, ghosts, the headless horseman, Jason out at Crystal Lake, and up until recently, Voldemort. They all get the importance of not dying.

Where do you think Voldemort went wrong?
Voldemort first got into trouble when he decided to mess with children. Children are easier to menace, and you get a bigger reaction in the short term, but eventually children become teenagers, and then they get crushes on each other and have all this petty drama going on. A monster can end up feeling pushed aside. And then it’s hard to keep going.

Very interesting. So I’m going to ask you some quick “either-or” questions.
OK.

Good vs. Evil or Chaos vs. Order?
I really think that it’s more complicated than that. A monster needs an inner compass to guide him or her or it. Whether it be devouring hapless victims in a cave, stalking teenagers, or making doomed artists go insane, a monster really needs to listen to that inner voice. What do YOU want to do with your night?

King Kong or Godzilla?
King Kong, definitely. Oh Godzilla has his destructive side, and the lizard has a charming victory dance, but King Kong is a tragic story and I think it’s very moving.

Morticia Addams or the Beldam (a.k.a. the “other mother”) from Coraline?
Morticia all the way. (Laughs horrifyingly) Although there is something about the Beldam. I’d like to show her how to thread a needle, if you know what I mean.

Ha ha. Yes. OK. I’m going to say a word and I want you to say whatever comes to your mind:

Blue.
Black.

House.
Black.

Dream.
Black.

Um. Flower?
Black.

Fairy dust.
Black.

Wow thanks. I’m learning so much here. It’s like being in a monster master class. Do you get on the internet? And if you do, do you have any favorite things?
Yes recently the old ones figured out how to get satellite internet to my ruined city under the ocean. I just discovered this YouTube video of a cat who plays the piano. I play it over and over. (Editor’s note: We think Cthulhu is talking about this clip.)

I’m going to take a page from “Inside the Actor’s Studio” and ask, what is your favorite curse word?
I would love to share that but, if you could express it in print, it would most certainly make your readers go insane. If it didn’t kill them instantly, it would snuff their tiny minds out like candles.

Wow. Well we only have time for one more question and I’ll let you go. Well, Cthulhu, we all know you lay in wait under the ocean in R’lyeh…
Yes. Dreaming.

What do you miss most about the surface?
Depending on how you look at the ocean, it is always Spring or Fall under the sea. I miss a good Winter.

Wow well thanks again. It’s been a real pleasure talking with you. Thanks for answering my questions.
The pleasure is all mine, really. Thanks for having me.

cthulhu-bottom

Published on February 21, 2009 in Memes. 9 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , .