Whether you’re enjoying the treats, scaring the kids, dressing up for the fun of it, or watching some great Halloween themed movies, I hope you have a great All Hallow’s Eve.
And if it’s your birthday too…well have double the fun!
This year’s jack-o’lantern turned into Jack Skellington from Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas.
Happy Haunting from April and I!
My wife April and I hope all of you had a wonderful holiday season in 2006 and that 2007 presents you with plenty of new opportunities, ideas, friends, family, and fun.
We spent our time decorating the house here in Edmonton (April decorated our place in Iowa before she traveled up here), visiting friends and family, watching movies at home and the theater, playing board and video games, shopping for and wrapping gifts, cooking and eating plenty of good holiday meals, and having a generally pleasant time.
We wrapped up 2006 by attending a get-together at our friends place in Edmonton. It has become a yearly tradition and this year, as always, there was plenty of great food and festivities. Between Taboo, Jenga, Jeopardy, and the Bookers’ Nintendo Wii (pronounced ‘wee’) and Nintendo DS, nobody was sitting around bored.
After spending more time with the the Wii, I am even more convinced it will help attract non-gamers into the world of video games and pry those “couch potatoes” up off the sofa. It’s revolutionary control system (Revolution was the unit’s development codename) requires the player to perform movements just like the real action. Well, in truth, you can still sit down and use wrist motions to do all of the action, but it’s more fun, and more exercise if you’re standing up and playing the game with the Wii Remote. Wii Sports, which ships with the system, includes baseball, bowling, boxing, tennis, and golf. Of all the games, we found bowling to be one of the most fun (your movements are comparable to holding a real bowling ball and sending it down the lane), and boxing to be a fascinating way of using the Remote and ‘nunchuck’ accessory. April’s Tae Bo skills certainly came in handy during that Wii game! And no, there weren’t any Remote straps breaking or controllers flying into the big screen TV, lamps, or artwork.
Look for photos to be posted in the Flickr album soon.
A big thanks to all the great people who have kept in touch, who have been checking out the blogs and projects I work on, and for providing feedback. Stay tuned for more blog postings this year and follow what is sure to be an eventful, and hopefully positive, year ahead.
Cheers!
Chad
One of the best things about Halloween is working your way through the candy and treats throughout the year. In addition to this year’s haul, be sure to check out my 2005 blog post for a bunch of tasty Halloween leftovers from last year!
AUDIO GOODIES:
Characters © Mike Mignola. Art © 2006 Starz Media, LLC and Revolution Studios.
An audio interview with Hellboy and The Amazing Screw-On Head creator, Mike Mignola, can be found over at Word Balloon. Mike discusses the upcoming Hellboy Animated films, working with Tad Stones, more Abe Sapien and BPRD adventures, and the big red character’s beginnings. *Contains potentially offensive language near the end. (via Hellboy Animated.)
The Nocturnals © Dan Brereton.
What’s Halloween without Dan Brereton’s The Nocturnals? The Gunwitch, Doc Horror, Halloween Girl, Polychrome. Great names. Great characters. Great stories. Great art. Check out another great Word Balloon audio interview…this time with the creator of the fascinating Halloween-style characters himself.
Note to movie and TV producers: Where’s the Nocturnals movie or animated series we’re all waiting for? These easily-translatable characters, if handled properly, could potentially be a box office tentpole film or series!
Tunes for Ghostbusting: Ghostbusters Project:Remix. Use the free Switch application to convert the WMA files to MP3 or other format. Flip4Mac (also free) is also required for conversion.
VIDEO LOOT:
The Skeleton Dance © Disney.
Tune in to Disney’s classic Silly Symphony animated short, The Skeleton Dance (1929), on YouTube.
Lonesome Ghosts © Disney.
One of my all-time favorite Disney animated shorts, Lonesome Ghosts featuring Mickey, Donald, and Goofy, can also be found over on YouTube.
“Bustin’ makes me feel good!” - Ghostbusters by Ray Parker, Jr.
SWEET GRAPHICS:
Art © Bruce Timm.
Arglebargle has a blog post on Bruce Timm’s monster art as well as influential poster artist Reynold Brown. Some really fun images! (via The Ward-O-Matic.)
Art © Merrill Rainey.
Merrill Rainey has posted some fun icons, desktop wallpaper, and PDF coloring book at this link. (via Drawn.)
Scarloff. Art © Matt Putnam-Pouliot.
Matt Putnam-Pouliot has posted some fun wallpaper at this link. (via Drawn.) Be sure to check out his fantastic art gallery filled with fun ghouls and beasties!
Art © Mars, Incorporated.
Guess the titles of 50 Dark Movies hidden in imagery in this Hieronymus Bosch-like painting at the M&M’S Dark Chocolate website.
Art © Vera Brosgol.
“Everyone Loves Mummies” is a fun wallpaper for your desktop by Vera Brosgol. (via Boing Boing.)
TASTY TREATS:
Photo © theprojectmaker.
Hosting a Halloween gathering? Check out this fun set of instructions for creepy but consumable foods for supper! (via Boing Boing.)
Photo © Bakerama.
GHOULISH CRAFTS:
Photo © Spooky Blue.
Carve your own decorative tombstones. Create fear with the wicked scarecrow!
Art © www.origami-club.com.
Use the leftover candy bags to make your own Halloween origami! (via Monsterama and Paper Forest.)
FREAKY LINKS:
The League of Robots and Monsters
BlueSky Studios Challenges - Halloween!
BlueSky Studios Challenges - Classic Movie Monsters
Smooky Ghost Story. (via Cold, Hard Flash.)
Flickr photos: Jack O’ Lanterns, Halloween, Pumpkin, Pumpkins, Ghosts, Monsters, Monster, Spooky, Costume
Monstrous.com - “The largest site about monsters.”
Photo: Copenhagen, Denmark. © Warren Leonhardt.
Warren Leonhardt’s ”abra macabre!” Flickr photoset. Be sure to view his fun blog with other spooky postings!
Happy Halloween Boils & Ghouls!!
My wife and I spent Christmas being entertained by Ewan McGregor. Sort of.
Photo © Chad Kerychuk.
Within days we watched:
The McGregor film fest wasn’t planned but we noticed the pattern later. 2005. Year of the McGregor.
Nifty new Yoda Christmas stocking that is, hmmm. Wife to thank I have.
Norma and Karen philosophize about 2006.
Bubbly. And a Pepsi.
Me and Rick mug it up for the camera. We’re almost twins!
Mike and April ready for the year-end hot wing feast!
Ed gives birth during another round of “Twister.” Just kidding buddy!
Norma, acts as a “human beat box” while Mike “B-Boy” Chow busts out some “dope” moves!
The fantastic hosts, John and Cathy Booker!
Happy New Year from Chad and April Kerychuk!
All photos © 2005 Chad Kerychuk
On the last day of 2005, I hope you all look back on the previous year with good memories. It’s been fun blogging, meeting new people, and reading other’s thoughts as well. Hopefully I can continue bringing you enjoyable links and stories in 2006. Thanks for all the support!
As the final post for 2005, I present some unique New Year’s-themed illustrations to enjoy…
More great vintage Soviet Space-themed New Year’s cards can be found at this link.
Be sure to check out the other galleries too. Link via BoingBoing.
If you have iChat or AIM, try adding ‘SantaClaus’ into your buddies list. You can chat with him, play games, and tell him what you’d like for Christmas! I keep him around all year long to add some festive cheer during my Internet wanderings.
Thanks to Cartoon Brew for bringing animation fans this news: the original puppets of Santa Claus and Rudolph (from the treasured Rankin/Bass holiday special Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer) have been found.
Long thought lost, the puppets were found among the holiday decor of a former Rankin/Bass employee. The puppets have been purchased by TimeandSpaceToys.com and will be restored for public display.
Check out the TimeandSpaceToys.com article for more information.
Also, be sure to read last year’s lengthy but informative post on the animated holiday classic.
RUDOLPH animated program © & TM Classic Media.
I love Halloween. Always have. Cool costumes, dark decorations, mysterious movies, and creepy activities make this one of the most fun times of year! So, in keeping with the Halloween ’spirit,’ here’s some spook-tacular treatsll!
Images © Lucasfilm 2005.
HALLOWEEN IN A GALAXY FAR, FAR AWAY…
In addition to the Star Wars paper masks I blogged about last Halloween, StarWarsKids.com has posted a new set of masks for you to print, cut out, and wear. This year’s masks feature characters from ‘Star Wars Episode 3: Revenge of the Sith‘ including Kit Fisto, Yoda, Aayla Secura, Tion Medon, Chewbacca, Darth Vader, R2-D2, General Greivous, C-3PO, 3 clone troopers, Padme Amidala, The Emperor, Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and the Boga.
The site also features a tutorial for home-made Star Wars treat bags at this link.
For Jack O’Lantern patterns, Star Wars Kids also features fun intergalactic designs ranging from a simple Rebel Insignia to a complex Tusken Raider. Paste them on your pumpkins and start carving your galactic affiliation!
SPOOKY SONGS SURFACE AND VILE VIDEOS EVOLVE!!!
Michael Fleming has been posting an insane amount of links to obscure but fantastic Halloween-themed MP3 music files on his blog. Unfortunately, the process is slightly complex but it’s definitely worth it to hear some great music! Especially noteworthy are Bing Crosby’s ‘The Headless Horseman,’ Vaughn Monroe’s ‘(Ghost) Riders in the Sky,’ Ronnie Dawson’s ‘Rockin’ Bones,’ ‘Watusi Zombie‘ by Jan Davis, and ‘King Kong‘ by Tarantula Ghoul and the Cryptkickers.
A few more obscure songs that fit the Halloween mood can be found at this link on WFMU’s Beware of the Blog. ‘Parade of the Damned‘ features the cool ‘Bo Meets the Monster‘ by Bo Diddley and Messer Chups’ ‘Intro Monstro Crescendo‘ among other hip tunes.
Image courtesy of The Scooby Doo Case Files.
Halloween without everybody’s favorite canine sleuth and his gang, Mysteries, Inc.? No way! ‘Scooby Doo, Where Are You!‘ is still considered one of the finest animated series. From spooky storylines to eerie locations with evocative background art, the show still outshines some of today’s top cartoons.
The Scooby Doo Case Files website has posted links to the hip ‘Scooby Doo themes,’ including unreleased symphonic score tracks from the show. A real treasure, Ted Nichol’s compositions are not to be missed! Delve into the site to discover episode summaries, imcompetent sheriffs, avatars for the Internet, and an index of monsters with roll-over images revealing their true identities! Be sure not to miss a section I savored, Wallpapers, which features a ton of outstanding animation background designs from the show!
Images courtesy of Ben Kane.
Some readers will probably remember ‘The Hilarious House of Frightenstein,‘ a 1970’s Canadian TV variety show featuring some of our favorite monsters. Wth the legendary Vincent Price and Billy Van, the show had some truly enjoyable moments featuring Count Frightenstein, Igor, Grizelda, the Librarian, Wolfman, the Oracle, and others. I remember being particularly fascinated by the set design, cinematography, effects, and music. ‘March of the Martians,’ the memorable theme from the show, (created with the famous Moog Synthesizer) can be found among the other goodies on the Frightenstein Downloads page. Be sure to snoop around the incredible tribute website for show info, music, video clips, and even a ‘Return to Transylvania‘ documentary!
Of course, no Halloween should go without a visit from Jack Skellington or a giant robot!
EERIE IMAGES AND TERRIFYING TEXT!!
Keith Milford’s blog, Old Haunts, collects “Halloween photos of long past,” marketing material, greeting and trading card art, and even music and audio stories from old vinyl LPs. The bonus audio downloads ‘Alfred Hitchcock presents Ghost Stories for Young People,’ ‘Casper the Friendly Ghost Haunted House Tales,’ ‘Sounds of Terror!‘ and others let your ears enjoy a Halloween chill! I have no doubt that you’ll recognize some of the costumes and relive childhood ‘trick or treat’ memories.
Check out Jay Stephen’s blog, Monsterama for some amazing illustrations and creative monster lore. Described as a place to see ‘cute creeps from popular culture,’ the new blog is already loaded with great images by Jay. Along with artwork, you’ll discover brief histories of characters like Casper the Friendly Ghost, Gossamer, Fangface, and others.
Jay, a Canadian with a great sense of design, is the creator of ‘Jetcat,’ ‘The Land of Nod,’ and ‘Tutenstein,’ all of which I highly recommend. He’s also a regular contributor to Drawn!, a blog that provides insight and links about illustrators around the globe. Some of the links in this post were found at the blog.
Project Gutenberg has online text versions of ‘The Legend of Sleepy Hollow‘ by Washington Irving. Available in both HTML and Plain Text formats, this is the original tale that has spawned numerous film versions. No Halloween celebration is complete without a reading or viewing of this great story! Download ‘Dracula‘ by Bram Stoker or ‘Frankenstein by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley as well!
RavensBlight features a fun collection of Haunted Paper Toys including The Mechanical Bat, Coffin Gift Boxes, the Splatterbot, and more; all courtesy of artist Ray O’Bannon. With paper (preferably heavy cardstock), scissors, an X-Acto knife, glue, and tape, you’ll be able put together these morbid masterpieces. To download and print the files, you’ll need the free Adobe Acrobat Reader.
retroCRUSH, “the world’s greatest Halloween website,” is a must-see for any pop culture and Halloween fan. The vast archive of images, audio, and text will devour hours of your time. Check out “the world’s greatest Halloween costumes” with photos of many vinyl and plastic costumes from yesterday and today. I know I’ve certainly worn a few! Marvel at the Top 100 Monsters of All Time! Note: Not all portions of the website are safe for younger children or work viewing.
Open your goody bag to find the MonsterParty font by Michael Gaines (use the caps lock key with it) or the many other horror fonts that await your experiments!
How about some great icon sets such as Vintage Halloween, Creeps, Boo Buddies, Macabre, Snappy Hour Halloween, and Cute Dead Icons. You may also enjoy Haunted Hard Drives, Ravenswood Revisted, World of Aqua - After Dark, and Jack Skellington.
Oh yeah…if you can’t find a real pumpkin to carve…how about a digital one? Thanks Tad!
Well, that’s a bowl full of treats from me! How do you like them apples?!
HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!
Amazon.com links:
Click here for the Dr. Tran Valentine Card! Flash required.
See a clip of the infamous Dr. Tran at Spike and Mike’s Sick and Twisted Animation Gallery. “Noooooooo….”
While you’re at it, head on over The Official Here Comes Dr. Tran website and order the DVD!!
Due to battling Pneumonia, a cold, and flu, my wife and I spent part of the 2004 Christmas Holiday trying to regain our health. Thankfully we didn’t miss the great dinners and company on Christmas Day and Boxing Day like we did last year. To keep us entertained, we watched a bunch of movies and played quite a few video games. Mario Kart Double Dash and Prince Of Persia: Sands of Time on the Nintendo GameCube and The Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The King on the PlayStation 2. Overall, we had a pretty good time despite being sick.
Because I was so ill, I didn’t have time to complete our 2004 Holiday Card before Christmas, but now that I’m back in good health, I did finish it. So to all of the blog readers, family, friends, and associates, Best Wishes for a safe, healthy, and prosperous 2005!
This month marks the 40th anniversary of the first broadcast of Rankin/Bass’s stop-motion animated classic Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. Originally aired by NBC in December, 1964, it’s a Christmas favorite that according to Rankin/Bass fan and historian Rick Goldschmidt, has become “the longest running, highest rated television special in the history of the medium.” From Rudolph’s desire for respect from the other reindeer, to the struggle of Hermey the Elf trying to become a Dentist, to the adventures of Yukon Cornelius and the Abominable Snow Monster, Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer is an enduring tale that has remained in the hearts and minds of many children and adults.
Like Jim Henson’s Muppets, the Rankin/Bass characters animated in stop-motion are cartoon beings brought to life in the third dimension. The technique accomplished in Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer, was also used by Rankin/Bass in other classics including Mad Monster Party, by pioneering animator Willis O’Brien in King Kong, by Ray Harryhausen in Jason and The Argonauts, Clash of the Titans, and the many Sinbad films, by Henry Selick and crew in Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas and by the Aardman Studio in Chicken Run. Imagine having to animate each character and surrounding props frame by frame. For film, it took between 16 to 24 frames in order to produce one second of film. Think about that. One second. Now imagine how many frames it took to complete the 55-minute film and you have an idea of the enormous amount of work required! Each character’s movements had to be carefully coordinated and because they were talking and singing, their heads had to have mouths that matched the words. An incredibly complex production but the results, as we are all aware of, were simply amazing.
What are holiday specials without holiday music? The soundtrack and narration are as much a part of the magic or Rudolph as the animation. Burl Ives, who narrated for the film as the voice of Sam the Snowman, also provided memorable songs including ‘Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer‘ , ‘A Holly Jolly Christmas‘, and ‘Silver and Gold.’ As the ‘big name’ brought in to attract viewers to the special, his voice and music alone can evoke vivid memories of the colorful animated feature. You can listen to samples and purchase the soundtrack for Rudolph at the iTunes Music Store.
Some interesting facts about Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer include:
- The 55-minute film took approximately 18 months to shoot, and like other stop-motion gems, it required the animators to work frame by painstaking frame. The animators had to keep a focused effort on their work; one error could result in having to reanimate and re-film an entire sequence.
- Rudolph, like television’s Bart Simpson (voiced by Nancy Cartwright), was given audio life by a woman, Billy Mae Richards, currently 83 years of age and living in Ontario, Canada.
- As was the case with George Lucas’s original Star Wars Trilogy, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer also had alterations made. For the 1965 rebroadcast, the song and sequence of ‘We’re A Couple Of Misfits‘ was replaced with a new song, ‘Fame and Fortune‘. There were also some minor alterations done, but the film was supposedly restored back to its original condition in 1998. However, eagle-eyed fans will note some differences between the Collector’s Edition DVD and the original airing of the show, most of which are due to ownership and rights issues.
- The character of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer was created in 1939 by Robert L. May, who at the time, worked as a copywriter for the Chicago-based Montgomery Ward department stores. The book was created as a Christmas story that could be given away as a promotional item to holiday shoppers.
Thanks in large part to the efforts of Rick Goldschmidt and Mark Sykora at RankinBass.com, the histories of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and the Rankin / Bass company have become more available to the fans. A search around the Internet turned up some rather great links about our favorite reindeer.
The insightful TVParty website features an incredibly in-depth 3-part article by Rick Goldschmidt on the history of the beloved holiday favorite. Topics discussed in the article include the characters and their name problems, the soundtrack written by Johnny Marks, and the re-shoot required to replace one song sequence with another.
CBS has produced new animated Christmas promotional spots featuring the classic characters of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and some of their recent hit shows like Survivor, CSI and Everybody Loves Raymond. In a nod to the old technique, one of the characters remarks that his movements seem a little ‘jerky’ - and if you’re viewing the clip online, the often stuttering video clip quality (sadly available in Real Player only) echoes his statement. In addition to the video clips, the website features a photo gallery, a coloring book, and wallpaper for your computer.
National Public Radio (NPR) has a small article and audio interview with Goldschmidt discussing Rudolph’s 40th anniversary and even some clips from an interview with the voice of Rudolph.
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer is not the only Christmas Classic the Rankin/Bass Studio created. Other holiday adorations include: Santa Claus Is Coming To Town, The Year Without Santa Claus, Jack Frost, The Little Drummer Boy, The Leprechaun’s Christmas Gold, and the 2D classic Frosty the Snowman. One of my favorites is the rarely-seen The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus currently only available on VHS. Written by L. Frank Baum, more famously known for creating The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, the stop-motion film centers its story on Santa’s journey from myth-filled boyhood in the Forest of Burzee to legendary manhood around the globe. Wonderful creatures and gods, including Knooks and Nymphs, and beautifully detailed and designed by Rankin/Bass, help support Claus in his goal of providing all children, rich or poor, with toys for Christmas. This is both a more spiritual and adventurous take on the legend of Kris Kringle that fans of mythology, fantasy, and stop-motion animation will enjoy. For those not familiar with the wonderful tale, you can read it this link.
The look of Rudolph continues to be emulated today in numerous commercials, movies, and spoofs. A few years ago, animator Corky Quakenbush provided us with a satire on MadTV called Raging Rudolph (Windows Media Player required and Parental Discretion is advised). Combine the gangster films of Martin Scorsese and the work of Rankin/Bass and you have a violence-laden revenge story instead of the friendly childhood version we all know and love. CBS has used the look in their 2004 holiday promos, and many fans have created their own homages on the World Wide Web. Films like Toy Story and Shrek, even owe a debt to Rankin/Bass for helping to bring continued recognition to animated storytelling. And while studios continue to produce new animated holiday tales in 2D, 3D, and Stop-Motion, none will be as cherished or glow as brightly as Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.
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Special Note:
I’ve been a customer of Amazon.com since they first began life on the Internet. I’ve always experienced great service and found many items I’ve been searching for. Since many of you have asked for recommendations from me, I’ve decided to become an Amazon associate. Your purchases through the links below (or using the search boxes in the sidebar and subsequent links in future articles) provide me with small referral fees and help in continuing to bring you, the reader, interesting and insightful articles. A sincere thanks for your support!
Amazon.com purchase links:
Amazon.ca purchase links:
Purchase Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer on DVD
Purchase Frosty The Snowman on DVD
Purchase The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus on VHS
Purchase Rankin/Bass Christmas Classic DVD Pack
Purchase Jason and the Argonauts on DVD
Purchase The Nightmare Before Christmas on DVD
I hope you had a great All Hallow’s Eve and filled your pails, pillow sacks, and treat bags with assorted goodies! I had a nice dinner with a grandmother and handed out treats at her place (occassionally sneaking a few for myself) as I have done in previous years. After the kids had stopped coming to the door, I helped her clean up and headed home to finally carve my 2004 Jack O’ Lantern. I couldn’t accomplish this earlier in the day, because when I went looking for a pumpkin, every major grocery store on the south side of Edmonton was apparently sold out. As I would discover later, the reason had something to do with pumpkins rotting in the growing fields and not being fit for sale. So what little they did have sold earlier in the week.
Not one to easily give up, I thought back to High School Art Class and how we created clay pumpkins for an assignment. As I recall, I was pleased with the way mine turned out (carved flames coming out of the tops of the eyes, nose, and mouth) but so was the art teacher. He asked to keep many of them and since he was such a nice guy, we couldn’t refuse. However, today I knew I didn’t have time to make a clay Jack O’ Lantern, and I remembered reading about artificial ‘Craft Pumpkins’ in a flyer a week ago. These allow you to carve your design into a foam-based pumpkin and keep your art rather than throwing it out before it rots. So I drove over to a Michaels Arts and Crafts store to take a look.
Outside in front of the shop, they had a bin marked 50% off - even then, it seemed a bit overpriced for the quality - but I didn’t want to miss out on one of my favorite Halloween activities. They also don’t look as good as the ones available on the Funkins website, but those have to be ordered and would arrive 7-10 days after Halloween. Michaels had their pumpkins available here in the city. Another drawback is that there are seams visible on the outside and inside of the Michaels ones. If you’re picky visually about such things, this can throw off the look of your Jack O’ Lantern if not carved carefully.
Just as important to remember is that these artificial ones are flammable. That’s right; don’t put a candle or too-hot light source underneath, or you’ll not only lose your Jack O’ Lantern, but there’s a good chance you could seriously burn yourself or your house down along with it. To light them up, you can buy ready-made craft lights that have lower-wattage, or use a glow stick such as the kind kids wear on Halloween.
There’s almost no more thrilling sight on Halloween than Jack O’ Lanterns. As if each one possesses a unique ’spirit’, they glow magically, and manage to both invite and scare you off at the same time. Many people don’t realize how long it takes to do a more intricate carving job and how much patience you must have. Thankfully I’ve done this a few times already so I knew I’d be at this one a while. Because the Craft Pumpkins aren’t as easy to cut as one might think, I had to use not only my trusty Pumpkin Masters Carving Tools, but an X-Acto knife as well. Even with that, it was still not easy going through the foam. I think real pumpkins are actually easier to carve than this particular craft brand, but they still only last a week at best. I spent a total of about 6 hours on carving the Jack O’ Lantern but I know it will last longer than a week.
As for the carving pattern, I’m a Pixar fan, so I thought I’d like to do one of their characters. With the upcoming release of The Incredibles, there was an opportunity to create a new Jack O’ Lantern design - one that hadn’t been seen before. I found an image of Mr. Incredible thanks to the wonderful Pixar blog, Luxo, and then proceeded to make it carveable by changing the image to black and white and refining details to make it a semi-rigid design. When I had achieved approximately the look I wanted, I printed out an inverted black and white image (making the pattern’s black areas the ones to carve), attached it to the pumpkin with tape, and began the carving process.
Despite the quality of the Craft Pumpkin, and the time to complete the project, I think the final product turned out pretty cool. Now I just have to look for a low-wattage light socket base and I’ll have a handcarved, reusable, electric pumpkin - unless I give it away of course. And I hope the folks at Pixar enjoy what I’ve done because like the kids collecting candy last night, I’m awaiting my treat in the form of their film, The Incredibles.
Here’s an early Halloween ‘treat’ for all you Star Wars fans. In 1983, Random House Publishing produced The Star Wars Book of Masks. If you grew up with these films as I did, then you probably remember this book well. Amazing how when we were kids, it didn’t take more than simple paper products like these to keep us entertained. And who can forget those great plastic costumes that provided a more ‘immersive’ feel to the Star Wars characters? Today, you’re likely to see fully-robed Jedi, complete with replica Lightsabers, using ‘The Force’ to get their goodies!
Star Wars Kids keeps up the great work by featuring yet another cool little update. If you’re looking for a last-minute Halloween costume for the young ones, or even want a nostalgic mask for yourself - the kid at heart, Check out Trick or Treat Star Wars Style for printable color masks of Original Trilogy characters. Featuring such memorable heroes and villains as: Rebel Leader Princess Leia, faithful Chewbacca, talkative C-3PO, lovable Wicket the Ewok, menacing Darth Vader, ancient Jedi Master Yoda, a Gamorrean Guard, Bib Fortuna, and the ever-cool Mon Calamarian, Admiral Ackbar. Remember kids: get your parents help on these! Happy Halloween!
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