Laughing Squid is more than just a web host, it is also on the front lines of culture and art. Their tentacles touch many parts of the Internet, including Tumblr. Here is a sampling of some recent cool content from http://links.laughingsquid.com:
We all sleep in a yellow submarine. (Photo by lane becker)
Twenty Thousand Leagues Under The Sea 3D Book Cover by Jim Tierney
©DC Comics
Aquaman is an easy character to make fun of…I mean what kind of superpower is the ability to talk to fish, anyway? But in this amazing panel by artist Jim Lee, you can literally feel the full might of the King of Sea bearing down on the Last Son of Krypton. I don’t know what comic this is from, or what exactly is going on here, but Superman must have done something to royally piss off Aquaman! Jim Lee did the art on Superman issues #204-215 (2004-2005), so it may be from somewhere in that run. Obviously, I need to do some more research!
Of course, the best thing about this panel is the school of squid spiraling out into infinity! I’d love to think these are Architeuthis, but given the apparent scale and sheer numbers, the Jumbo Squid (Dosidicus gigas) seems more likely. Still, it’s pretty damn cool!
In ancient times, sailors were constantly losing track of their drinking vessels. If you set down your tankard of grog for even a second, it was very likely to be absconded (sometimes inadvertently, sometimes not) by one of your fellow mariners. This problem grew exponentially during the cocktail parties which were thrown at regular intervals on long voyages. It was at one such ship-board soiree that an enterprising seaman (whose identity, sadly, has been lost to history) first grabbed a handy cephalopod and wrapped it around his cup as a way of easily distinguishing it from those of his shipmates. This venerable (and completely made-up) tradition lives on in this set of colorful cocktail charms from the kitschmeisters at Accoutrements.
These cute little plastic squids (not quite anatomically accurate, but that’s OK) come in a mix of red, blue, green, yellow, and, as you can see below, they perch on the rim of your glass, looking as though they just climbed out of your drink.
Here you see a cocktail squid in action on the Bloody Mary I made myself tonight. (We were having omelettes for dinner, so it seemed only appropriate.) I would normally have used Kraken rum for a demo like this, but, tragically, we finished off our bottle last month!
One could also use these charms on a wine glass…say one full of The Tentacle 2008 Syrah. However, it doesn’t appear that Accoutrements makes these anymore, so if you want to obtain your own shimmering rainbow school of tiny plastic cephalopods, Ebay may be your only option.
©Skot Olsen
The artist’s own words pretty much say it best…
Saint Architeuthis is the patron saint of doomed sailors. While the origins of the saint remain unclear, it’s recent history and worship are well documented. Whalers who turned their attention to catching giant squid and sea serpents in the 19th century, began asking Saint Architeuthis for mercy whenever a hunt would go awry, which was fairly frequent. When hunting for such animals, one would sometimes be thrown over board or a boat would sink exposing the men to whatever was in the water at the time. A sailor would ask Saint Architeuthis for the quick and relatively painless death of drowning, rather than the hideous demise of being ripped apart by the beak of the squid or chewed up in the sea serpent’s hideous maw. Often, men would have visions of Saint Architeuthis who would appear before them in the form of a gigantic, yet benevolent squid wearing a bishop’s mitre and carrying tools of the squid hunter’s trade.
Still available: Limited Edition (signed and numbered run of 50) Gliclee on heavy watercolor stock; 14.5″ x 27″. $200
This was recently submitted by my friend Will, and it seems particularly timely because I just finished reading Kraken by China Miéville. Although not specifically mentioned in the book, I wouldn’t be at all surprised if this painting adorns the secret sanctuary of the Church of God Kraken.
The following squidtastic fabric patterns are part of the Sepia and Sky collection by Holli Zollinger. They are available from Spoonflower.com, a marketplace for print-on-demand textiles by independent creators. You can purchase any of these “Candy Squid” designs in a variety of fabric types and in sizes ranging from an 8″ x 8″ test swatch ($5) to multiple yards of cloth ($18-$32 per yard, depending on fabric).
Click on any of the images below to buy from Spoonflower or to find out more info.
This shirt is ten kinds of awesome, but the name is not nearly descriptive enough. Personally, I would have gone with something like “Sharkopter Vs. Squidmersible.” But that’s just me.
Get it at Chris Yates’ store on TopatoCo.com for $18.75. It is available in Teal as both American Apparel Standard and Classic Girl tees. Supplies in most sizes are currently running low, so buy it now!
Visit Chris Yates Studios for more about the artist and his works.
Here’s another cool piece of cephalopod-y merch from the folks at ModCloth.
A flask! Covered in squid!
The site describes it thusly…
The stainless steel construction of this drink container along with a screw-on lid will keep your spirits safe, while a cephalopod print wrapped around the exterior will keep your spirits high!
The flask costs $29.99, but it is sold out at the moment. However, you can submit your email address if you want to be notified when it is back in stock.
If I had one, I know what kind of booze I would fill it with!
Sighted by my friend Stacie (the one who make the Sock Squid!)
"Best Friends Forever" © Lucy Knisley
I didn’t plan to go silent for an entire week, but I was on vacation and just didn’t have time to prepare any posts in advance.
I’ve got a handful of cool sightings and submissions that came in while I was offline, and I’ll be focusing on those throughout the week. Stay tuned!
Where does he get those wonderful toys?
I bet you didn’t think I’d be able to figure out a way to tie Plush Week to Wednesday Comics, but with the Internet all things are possible!
Kristin Hogan is the co-creator, writer and artist of a comic book called Dead Squirrel Girl. Squids play heavily into the story, so she came up with an idea to make squid dolls. Her squids are approximately 19″ long and made of a variety of materials in a variety of colors and patterns. “Batsquid” is made from a bed sheet featuring characters from the 1992 movie, Batman Returns. He costs $38 and there is currently only 1 in stock, so if you want it ACT FAST!
Kristin’s Etsy store has several other cool squid dolls, as well some plush nautiluses. You can even get a copy of the Dead Squirrel Girl comic!
Volume 1 ($17)
Find out more about the comic and Kristin’s art at www.deadsquirrelgirl.com!
We interrupt Plush Week to bring you this awesome video by the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI). I’m virtually certain that the first few are Humbolt Squid (Docidicus gigas), but can anyone identify the rest?
(Tip o’ the tentacles to Pharyngula and Deep-Sea News)
UPDATE!
In the comments, Linda Kuhnz from MBARI comes to the rescue. She says…
The squids featured in this video were filmed in Monterey Bay (except for the Piglet Squid, which was filmed in the Gulf of California) at depths ranging from 980 to 3,150 feet.
A) Black-eyed Squid (Gonatus)
B) Humboldt Squid (Doscidicus gigas)
C) Swordtail Squid (Chiroteuthis)
D) Market Squid (Doryteuthis opalescens)
E) Cockatoo Squid (Galiteuthis)
F) Swordtail Squid (Chiroteuthis)
G) Octopus Squid (Octopoteuthis)
H) Piglet Squid (Heliocranchia)
I) Swordtail Squid (Chiroteuthis)
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