thinglets: Umbra - A Surreal Cycle

via vimeo.com

I'm convinced that the love I garnered for tragicomedy and existential storytelling while doing English and Dramatic Arts degrees has been reborn via animation on Vimeo. Not a week goes by that I don't find simple, yet incredibly effective pieces of bizarre, surreal, and often touching pieces of storytelling that extend far beyond most feature length films.

Umbra is yet another example on Vimeo where even the simplest concept, when shaped to a spiral, is genuine and thought-provoking. Thanks to Malcolm Sutherland and team for a unique 5 minute slice of Lemmings for Godot.

thinglets: Bimbo the Freakshow Birthday Clown

via youtube.com

I grew up with this demented, surrealistic freakshow called The Uncle Bobby Show every day as a kid. I don't think it ever extended outside of Canada. You know that creepy, perv uncle in everyone's family... this is him.

If you want to subject yourself to a WTF? moment or two as you watch the daily Birthday celebration from a host I'm sure was polluted beyond belief and a guest "Birthday Picker" who looks like she rolled out of his dressing room two minutes earlier, you gotta check this out.

Bimbo the clown looks like a hobo on a ripple bender and the crazy marionettes that fall from the ceiling are the icing on the demented cake - enjoy!

thinglets: Frank the Wrabbit

In an effort to promote some of the incredible work by the National Film Board of Canada over the past century, I offer the following parable of Frank the Wrabbit. A touch subversive and wholly satirical, the short examines several themes and does include... yes, you heard it here, rabbit zombies... well, maybe wrabbit zombies. Give yourself a ten minute surreal break and enjoy Frank the Wrabbit.

thinglets: Hot Beef Sundaes

via plime.com

I've either found a wicked new name for my next band or I just threw up a little. While I have no doubt that this probably tastes just fine. There's something very wrong about this picture. Now I'm not one who's all about presentation at restaurants. For me, good food and good portions win the day. This, however, has crossed the line of culinary decency. Maybe this would be a nice summer treat add-on to Pork Cones or Headcheesecake.

thinglets - The Ultimate 60s Kid Show Trip

via youtube.com

If you really want to get a sense of how trippy kids' shows can get, check out this intro from the classic HR Puffnstuff. Oh, I know that Japan has done its best to create some very surreal and bizarre anime for the past 30 years that have become even more crazy when adapted for the US, but Puffnstuff was just "Woah man, is that Mayor McCheese and a talking flute" kinda trippy.

thinglets: Breaking News... Eggs Contain Egg

While I know the litigious-minded proliferation of the western world with regards to out-of-court settlements with big corporations, the fear-mongering has become absurdly ridiculous when on a carton of eggs that contains pictures of eggs and a rendering of a chicken, the company has to list the allergy advice: CONTAINS EGG.

Have we been absorbed so far as consumers into the Sham-Wow death grip that in the future we will need our peanut butter to warn us of peanuts, our orange juice to warn us of oranges and our cucumbers to carry a label that says "contains cucumber"?

I also like the claim of "free range" eggs. It's good to think these eggs were allowed to graze openly on the lush plains well before they were packed. I know that PETA has been advocating for eggs to have a minimum of two weeks on the range before they are packed and subsequently boiled alive and dipped in dye for Easter festivities.

Eggs Contain Egg

thinglets: Sesame Surrealism

Within the context of watching Sesame Street as a child, most of their short cartoon clips seemed completely normal. Outside of such a context these clips are small surreal bits that seem better matched with Sprockets than Sesame.
 

 

 
...and just because I couldn't resist, the Count's origin with Cookie
Monster. The best part - Cookie's exit at the very end!