August 20th
Today is Virtual World Day and you know I'm excited to talk about this one. Technically a virtual world is defined as any virtual space where people can communicate through customized avatars and explore the virtual area available. This is a vague definition that encompasses a good amount but not all MMOs. Likewise, most virtual worlds exist over live services.
Sometimes I think about the bittersweet nature of virtual worlds, as a virtual world is only as alive as the people who fill it. Even as someone who used to frequent online worlds without making any big friendships, there's something about having a passing moment with a stranger. Maybe it's a short conversation about a show you haven't watched in years, playing a minigame together, spamming emojis at each other, or everyone trying to dance with or without in universe animations. Everyone you meet in these words is another person who may or may not remember the single moment you shared. This is what virtual worlds mean to me.
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August 21st
Today is the birthday of the Late Great animator Stephen Hillenburg, best known for creating the cartoon SpongeBob SquarePants. Now I don't need to tell you how big a deal SpongeBob SquarePants is, it's objectively the most popular cartoon of the 2000's, but in this success it's easy to forget where the show came from.
Hillenburg was a cartoonist and marine biologist, and SpongeBob SquarePants was his two lines of work mixed in with his experience working at a nautical themed restaurant and the energy of Ween music. Before SpongeBob, Hillenburg worked on Rocko's Modern Life and a few short films at Calarts. The first,The Green Beret, was about a destructive girl scout. The second, Wormholes, can only be described as surreal, scientific and poetic. But that's what really made Hilliberburgs work stand out and the reason I think SpongeBob really took off. He knew how to reach the perfect midpoint of smart, stupid, and sincere, and this mix makes for incredible storytelling when put into motion. SpongeBob wouldn't be forgotten anytime soon, and neither will its creator or his tremendous work in cartooning.
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August 22nd
Today Mouse actually wanted to take a regular article, so here’s Mouse:
Hey everybody, it’s Mouse time, and in more ways than one. Today’s August 22nd, which is one of two dates recognized as National Tooth Fairy Day (the other being February 28th). As an adult, it’s easy to gloss over how freaky it is that we have two sets of teeth in our lives. We grow a set of milk/”baby” teeth when we’re little, and then they all just drop out over time so bigger ones can come in– that’s weird stuff, especially to a kid! It’s very handy to have whimsical traditions to make that process something to look forward to, and the Tooth Fairy serves that purpose well. You lost one of your teeth? Oh, wow! If you leave it under your pillow, a magical sprite will visit your bedroom and leave you a gift for taking such good care of your teeth.
Now, what does this have to do with mice? Well, like many child-focused traditions, the tales of beings that take away your shed baby teeth have plenty of international variation. Just as you might notice that the tooth fairy gives your neighbor a whole five dollars while you always get a shiny golden dollar coin, you may also notice that your pen pal in Bogotas gets their tooth to pesos transaction done by a rodent instead of a fairy. Yes, in many Spanish-speaking cultures, teeth are left out for a rat or mouse, "El Ratóncito (or simply Ratón) Pérez". According to a story penned by Luis Coloma in 1894, Ratón Pérez lives in a cookie box with his family, and his small size makes it easy for him to slip into the homes of children who have lost a tooth. If you don’t think that’s charming get out of my face.
Take care of your teeth, folks!
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August 23rd
Today is the birthday of both the virtual musician KK Slider and Kazumi Totaka, the real musician behind everyone's favorite musical video game dog. KK Slider is from the popular Animal Crossing video game series, being credited in universe with the composition and performance of all of the series' diegetic music tracks.
KK is said to be a caricature of Kazumi Totaka, a video game composer known for his work on the animal crossing series alongside games like Wii Sports, the Luigi's Mansion series, and several Yoshi games, alongside being the primary voice actor for KK Slider, Yoshi and Pikmin's Captain Olimar. In particular he is known for having a signature 19-note musical sequence he squeezes into every game he works on, with an odd exception to the one video game he directed, Wii Music.
[EDITOR’S NOTE: K.K. Slider is also known as Totakeke, just to make the comparison more clear.]
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August 24th
Today is Can Opener Day. A can opener is a device people objectively think about the most when they don't have one. It's a simple but common utility device, you need it to open metal cans and get the food or whatever else inside the can. Today I think you should contemplate your can opener. Maybe give it an extra cleaning or rust removal or something.
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August 25th
Today is another Kablam recap and this is definitely one where I have a lot more to say about the person who wrote it then the animation itself. The Louie and Louie Show is straightforward toon about a lizard and hamster attempting to get their neglectful owners' attention.
This short is actually pretty early work from Gary Baseman, a famed American illustrator best known for his distinctive and whimsical art style. Baseman would leave Nickelodeon to create the show "Teachers Pet" for Disney. The series ran for two seasons with 39 episodes, winning an Emmy, a BAFTA, and receiving a Theatrical film that was liked by critics but didn't make its money back. He also did the artwork for the board game "Cranium".
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August 26th
Today is another Kablam short review, and this one's about Fuzzball. The story is that a young tomboy named fuzzball has to replace her father's bowling trophy after she breaks it. I think this is the most down to earth animation in the whole of Kablam, and its realistically proportioned art style definitely adds to the vibe.
The creator of this Short, Kevin Dougherty , was a little difficult to research because he shares a name with a few other people in politics and golf. What I do know is that he worked on an early internet cartoon called "Juanita & the List", however I can't find any proof that it exists other than lists of his work he put forward himself. I did however find an animation test from Fuzzball. He is also currently working on a documentary on American cartoonist Drew Friedman; so he seems like he's keeping busy.