Oh, pippa. Really. I beseech you. You must go immediately to this page on the site of Portland-based artist Michael Paulus. He’s done a whole series of skeletons of popular cartoon figures and it will positively fill you with joy, I guarantee it. I’m beside myself! Much like these cartoons! Look at Charlie Brown:
Hahahahahaha! I feel like I’ve died and gone to a heaven where there is nothing but giggling, giggling, for all eternity.
Here’s part of what he writes about his series:
I decided to take a select few of these popular characters and render their skeletal systems as I imagine they might resemble if one truly had eye sockets half the size of its head, or fingerless-hands, or feet comprising 60% of its body mass.
Trust me, Mr. Paulus, My Beloved is not threatened, but I feel I must tell you that I am deeply in love with you right now. I basically have no words for how happy this all makes me.
I’m serious when I say you cannot click away FAST enough to check out these pieces: Hello, Kitty. Peppermint Patty. Betty Boop. Pikachu. And on and on. And much bigger images than I was able to reproduce here. GO! GO! GO! I want all of you to feel the utter GLEE I’m feeling right now!
(Oh, wait! One last thing! Be sure to scroll down after his explanation and note the link to “Mrs. Duncan’s class assignment.” Click on that AFTER you’ve looked at all of his stuff. A bunch of middle school kids did this very same thing as an assignment in science class and their pieces are hilarious. I cannot get past the “skeletal system” of “Chip” from “Beauty and the Beast”! The base of the teacup has phalanges! And the letters from the students about their projects! This from teacup kid: “It was hard to adapt your skill and technique to my character because cups don’t have bones.” I’m crying with laughter!!)
Yes, I’m the first to comment on my own post, but why do I think of sheila’s nephew, the prolific Cashel, when I look at all of these? Wouldn’t the creator of Kung Food Guy and Stretchy Colorado make some awesome cartoon skeletons??
I’m overpunctuating all over the place here, but I can’t help it!!
Oh my gosh – to see Cashel’s name here!
But this is making me howl:
//and render their skeletal systems as I imagine they might resemble if one truly had eye sockets half the size of its head, or fingerless-hands, or feet comprising 60% of its body mass.//
Because of course. That’s what you do.
Tracey – I can’t get thru to that site!! It says “service not available” dern it … Let me try again. I already LOVE this man.
Okay, I’m in. Tracey, I am guffawing – look at Buttercup’s skeleton! I CANNOT STOP LAUGHING. The huge eye sockets!
Look at Schmoo!!
Cups don’t have bones!
tracey. This has absolutely made my day.
I’m sending the link to Cashel immediately. He will LOVE it.
Okay, your blog is going to think I am a spammer because of all of these comments – I am reading the letters from the kids and tears of laughter are streaming down my face.
“I didn’t know what to do with the vertebrae so I just put it at the back of his head.”
Good solution.
Did you see the letter from the little kid who started it Dear Mr. so and so – and he made the D a big decorative letter encased in a square – kind of like it was a medieval manuscript or something. hahahaha Then the kid had to add a PS to the letter: “Sorry about the Big D.” As though he couldn’t help it!!!
I also loved the letter from the little kid who said that the class project had “brought him back to his early childhood”. HAHAHAHA The kid is 11! Ah yes, the good old days of … you know … 2 years ago …
sheila — HAHAHAHAHAHAHA to ALL of the comments! The whole thing is so outrageously wonderful that I cannot STAND it! Uhm, on your #7 — Yes, the teacup kid! And the teacup with the vertebrae, I mean, it’s killing me. The kid was struggling with teacup vertebrae!
#8 — I haven’t seen that one. Must go find it!
#9 — Yes, much like a certain young autobiographer I know … Hahahahaha!
I seriously think Mr. Paulus needs to make these into greeting cards. Wouldn’t you just eat them up? I would have the entire collection. Okay. Am I a dork that I actually want to write to him and BEG him to do that? I couldn’t afford these any other way.
Oh, and Shmoo with his tiny little clavicles and his double-wide pelvis. I’m dying. The addition of the clavicles is genius. There are no arms, of course; just isolated clavicles to support his blobbiness. Hahahahaha!
I know!! So clever! I love how the little kids list out all the bones.
Clavicle. Sternum. Fibula.
It’s killing me!!!
And how they dutifully tell the artist what bones do.
Big D is a compulsive apologizer, poor thing! “Sorry if this letter is short. PS Sorry about the Big D.” It’s okay, kid. You’re gonna be okay.
Yeah, seriously! He did a good job with that Big D! No need to apologize, kiddo – it looks totally cool!
Oh, and I love the kid who says the dragon “has antlers and 3 pelvises.”
Wow. Some serious childbearing hips, then.
And I can’t get over Betty Boop’s luscious little skeleton. Didn’t think there could be such a thing, but there it is. I love it.