Sunday, January 15, 2012

National Gorilla Suit Day (1/30/08)

Under normal circumstances, we'd be spending today celebrating National Gorilla Suit Day with millions of others. It's a day dedicated not only to simian impersonation, but also to the work of Don Martin -- also known as Mad Magazine's "Maddest Artist" -- who created the holiday.

Unfortunately, Mr. Martin's widow has
requested that the holiday go unrecognized this year. Far be it from us to override Mrs. Martin's wishes, but for those who grew up with his cartoons, the chance to celebrate the man who created such characters as Fester Bestertester and Captain Klutz is irresistible. From 1956 to 1988, hardly an issue of Mad went by without Martin's cartoons, always accompanied by his trademark sound effects, ranging from "Fagroon Klubble Klubble" (to represent a food market falling down) to "Stoopft!" (the sound of a man in a bird suit crashing to the ground).

So what are we to do? While we'd never want to deny the Martin family the right to celebrate this day in their own way, we also feel a need to commemorate it -- somehow. Our best solution? Perhaps either a day
duck hunting or, better yet, a fine meal at a fancy restaurant.

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What Do You Get for the Man Who Knows Everything? (12/14/06)

You'd probably never predict it, but one of the things we love to do at the Spark is translating the works of Medieval French writers. One of our favorites is Michel de Nostredame, aka, Nostradamus. Imagine our surprise, then, to come across this particular quatrain:

When the bird has
devoured the cat,
And the ass has
trampled that big thing with the long nose,
Someone in a
cube of metal and fabric
Will write a
paean to me on my birthday.

Well, with that hanging over our heads, how could we not celebrate?
Mike (as we like to call him) earned his living as a pharmacist, but became known for his prophecies that foresaw everything from Napoleon to the hula hoop with startling accuracy (or not, depending on who you talk to). Regardless, Mike, we wish you a happy 503rd birthday! We'd have gotten you a present, but you would have known what it was before even unwrapping it -- and we hate that!

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