Anthropomorphic strangeness from 1870 with The Taxidermy Wonders of Walter Potter.

First a quick callout to two familiar faces. Anthro: Animating the Soul is back for another round, after its last successful campaign for travel expenses. The film’s about a range of animated and “real life” anthro characters, and the people who love them. One of their stretch goals is to get to Anthrocon, which seems…well, pretty relevant. Also, for backers of the Pelted Primacy poker deck, DJKyota has returned for another chance at the brass ring–with cleaner artwork, beautiful pip cards, exciting high-pledge goals…good luck DJ!

This week, taxidermy. I know real fur is a contentious issue, but this one’s a look at a manifestation of anthropomorphic art from nearly 150 years in the dusty past. Victorian whimsy is almost as good as the whimsy we breed now.

And then a bunch of other stuff.

The Taxidermy Wonders of Walter Potter: A Short (?) Film

A disclaimer. Then, a bit of history.

The “animal rights” movement began in the Victorian era, hand in hand with the idea of pets, that an animal could be beloved. So the sheer number of…kittens…involved in this project may be a little disturbing, but at the time, we had a different relationship to animals. And we have the artist’s assurance that no animals were killed for his work.

The artist Walter Potter was a self-taught taxidermist who lived in England, 1835-1918. His career road the wave of Victorian whimsy. The people that brought us living tableaus, self-as-mummy portraiture, fairy art, Alice in Wonderland, and the fad diet, flocked to see his collection, “Mr. Potter’s Museum of Curiosities.” Potter made tableaus and dioramas like “The Kitten’s Wedding,” “Guinea Pig’s Cricket Match, ” squirrels at school, frog farmers, mouse laborers…as many as 10,000 specimens, many of them dressed in frills, jewelry, even bloomers. Check out some of them at Ink, Blood, and Magic, where I stole the illustration above.

Obviously, Walter Potter isn’t into crowdfunding. But Ronni Thomas, creator of the microdocumentary series of the dark, exotic, and flat-out weird The Midnight Archive, clearly is. He’s using Walter Potter’s story and art to launch into longer-length productions with his Kickstarter, and it’s a fascinating way to begin. Unfortunately, Potter’s work has scattered across the world, so there’s some travel expenses to cover. But this film, and a book released this September by one of Midnight Archive’s other principals, collects Potter’s corpus together one last time. Ronni Thomas’s productions have won their share of awards, and he’s certainly got a grasp on the morbid and darkly amusing. And the music! The score’s going to be by Real Tuesday Weld, a group with a quirky 20’s aesthetic that’ll work well with the subject. Furries: you should probably check out their animated music video, “Me & Mr. Wolf.”

All in all, a fascinating project with a great pedigree–and it’s already made its very modest goal!

 

(I usually try to keep the “just for fun!” stuff down to like five items, to avoid bogging the blog down with interesting-but-irrelevant stuff. This week, fun overload apparently.)

Art

Pin-Up Babe with an Attitude (Ends: 7/2/2013)
Fun semi-anthro, lion-headed cheesecake. Hard to explain, click and take a look.

Audio

Masters of the Tooniverse podcast (Ends: 7/1/2013)
“Two highly animated nerds seek funding to aid in their quest to create the universe’s best cartoon podcast.” Help two nerds build their recording studio for a weekly cartoon–vintage and modern–review.

Books/Print

The Moscow Metro Dogs (Ends: 6/30/2013)
An exploration (book and blog) of the complex society of the semi-feral dogs of Moscow who have–really!–learned to commute and adapt to the city.

World of Afar: An Illustrated Story Collection (Ends: 7/10/2013)
Mysterious little aardvark-like creatures in a magical, illustrated world.
Is it furry? Eh, maybe a little, but the illustrations are as pretty as stained glass, so stretch with me here.

The Howl of the Dead (Ends: 7/12/2013)
The outlines are your basic zombie apocalypse novel–asteroid strikes earth, things turn cannibal. But this one’s zombie dogs, which is worth bonus points. And, great title.

“The Incredible Hare” (Ends: 7/20/2013)
Illustrated book/ebook project: Harold Hopper, Man to Rabbit to Reality TV Show celebrity. A gentle parody of fame, and a kid-friendly book about fame and the media.

The Dragon Princess (Ends: 8/2/2013)
A princess cursed to be a half-dragon, half-human creature looks for love to lift her curse.

Children’s Products

Foxy and Quilly (Ends: 7/3/2013)
Educational animation project: the animals of the Empyrean Forest seek shelter as their forest home is invaded by big machines. Cute stuff.
Fans of South Park will know why naming your lead character “Foxy the Fox” is a bad idea.

Robot and Fox: The Amazing Journey (Ends: 7/10/2013)
Boy robot meets girl robot. They fall in love. Boy robot crashes ship on Earth, meets fox. That pretty much covers this book project. Really cute fox!
The fox’s cuteness is making me just a little ill.

The Great Safari Adventure Show (Ends: 7/13/2013)
A costumed, musical Las Vegas family production, with lots of chances for kids to get up and move. Plot: Child lost in Africa, finds magic talisman that transforms the local animals into exercise-obsessed mentors.
This would have been benefited by MORE exposure to the fandom, working through some anthro issues. Heart’s in the right place though!

The Tales of Shakespuss (Ends: 8/3/2013)
Stripped-down, lightened up, and retold versions of Shakespeare for kids, live action, theatre, and animated.

Clothing/Costumes

Halo Mini Illuminated Pet Collars (Ends: 7/26/2013)
LED-illuminated pet collars with deep color and flash mode.
I know, these are for dogs. But they’d match one of my costumes!

Comics/Graphic Novels

A Tiger’s Last Song (Episode 1) (Ends: 7/10/2013)
A graphic novel of the final days of the thylacine/Tasmanian wolf, in the talking animal-survival story genre.

The Digger Omnibus (Ends: 7/10/2013)
A dark fantasy graphic novel. Digger the wombat inadvertently digs her way into an underground world of hyenas, gods, and strange powers. A kickstarter for a bound edition of the original six-graphic novel series.
Great stretch goals and bonus items on this well-organized kickstarter!

Antarctic Press: Keeping it Cold in the Antarctic (Ends: 7/15/2013)
An ask from Antarctic Press to help restore their financial balance after some mass-distribution experiments and other financial challenges.
Before there was the Internet fandom there was Antarctic Press, makers of Albedo Anthropormorphics, Furrlough, Shanda the Panda…See also Radio Comix, who took on the furry mantle.

Kings of the Wasteland (Ends: 7/17/2013)
Action, revenge, and anthro dogs and cats in an apocalyptic wasteland

“Not Enough Rings” – A Sonic the Hedgehog Parody Comic (Ends: 7/19/2013)
A side-project of the Bittersweet Candy Bowl folks, a little romp through the wackier side of Sonic the Hedgehog.
Of course, you can already read the webcomic online, but lots of people have already made the book a success!

World War Kaiju graphic novel (Ends: 8/12/2013)
What if the ultimate weapon that ended World War II didn’t usher in the atomic age, but the Kaiju (giant city-crushing monster) age? Excellent video, great retro propaganda visuals, and bizarre immersive stretch goal toys.
“Furry” is a stretch, but there’s a lot to like here for fans of giant, Tokyo-crushing armadillos.

Events

CANterlot, Ontario MLP Con (Ends: 8/9/2013)
Funding campaign for Ontario’s MLP convention in November

Film/Animation/Theater

SOLO Cannibal World (Ends: 7/13/2013)
One rat’s war in a post-apocalyptic word. This isn’t Redwall. Check the artist’s blog (it’s in Italian) for more art and world.
This must be the buffest rodent ever. Now I have to learn Italian.

Three Dog Night: Animated Film (Ends: 7/15/2013)
A group of revolutionaries–Wolf, Coyote, and Fox–set out to liberate the chained cats and dogs and start a pet revolution.

Batweasel: The Audacious Animated Web Series (Ends: 7/16/2013)
A loveable nerd falls victim to reality TV and becomes a terrible ass. Until he’s rescued by an evil genetically-mutated batweasel. You know, like you do.

The Taxidermy Wonders of Walter Potter (Ends: 7/17/2013)
A documentary about the man who single-handedly made Victorian anthropomorphic taxidermy a thing.

Razor: The Hipocrisy Eating Hyena (Ends: 7/19/2013)
Comedy/horror/action about a one hyena’s crusade against lies and double-speak. Live action, animation, comedy, and a bit of splatter. And hyenas.
Watch the video on this one :)

The Walking Tedd (Ends: 7/25/2013)
A young 20-something juggles her life, job, romance, and the sudden appearance of a zombie version of her favorite stuffed animal.
Finally, one zombie project reaches out from underneath the pile of hundreds…

“I Was Loved by a Rat” (Ends: 7/29/2013)
A twisted off-broadway fairy tale of a lonely woman, a chivalrous rat shut behind walls all his life, and their ill-fated love.
This theater group has launched some amazing dark comedies, I’m curious to learn more about this one, not a lot of information though…

Fursona Non Grata (Ends: 7/30/2013)
A play written for the fandom by the creator of American Dragon: Jake Long. What happens when a young woman brings her fiancée home to meet her all-furry family?
“This will be awesome if you can make it to California” seems to be a running joke in the fandom.

Solrac Ventures (Ends: 7/30/2013)
Animated short series for the bronies. Ponies: you can make it happen.
The art on this one’s pretty high quality. Pony fans should definitely take a look!

Anthro: Animating the Soul (Ends: 8/27/2013)
A documentary look at beloved anthro characters and their creators.
Stitchfan has broken this project up into a series of small-goal IGGs, interesting model and I hope to see it succeed!

Tabletop Games

Tonaba: The Book of Secrets Strategic Card Game (Ends: 7/7/2013)
A richly-illustrated card game focused on small decks, agency over luck, and a theme of narrative, authors, and writing.
This is a well-planned Kickstarter, with a hefty goal. Good luck!

The Royal Dogs Playing Cards (Ends: 7/12/2013)
All pugs, all the time. Or at least all your card game. Whimsical, horrible little pugs in a Bicycle card deck.

Pelted Primacy (Ends: 8/12/2013)
A Bicycle style card deck with anthro court cards and paw-print pips.
More of the artist’s work on DeviantArt.

Toys

Little Moon God Plush (Ends: 7/24/2013)
“A soft huggable little moon god to call your very own!” A tiny little Miyazaki-esque plush.

Video Games

Goatlings: Virtual Goat Petsite (Ends: 7/7/2013)
It’s sort of “My Little Pony” meets “Neopets,” but with cute candy-sparkle goats and their human (or anthro) friends.
It’s sort of the “sparkledog” concept, but with goats. Diabetics probably shouldn’t play this game.

ElPetz (Ends: 7/10/2013)
Your basic Farmville/monster-breeder/combat mobile & tablet game, but with a weirdly cute set of monsters, particularly if you like your wolves perfectly spherical.
I’m not feeling a lot of originality here. But you get to hit your wolf with a hairbrush, so that’s something.

Fleish & Cherry in Crazy Hotel (Ends: 7/11/2013)
An isomorphic period adventure game and puzzler set in a 1930s wacky black and white cartoon. Lots of anthro characters and dancing furniture!
It’s a neat role-reversal to have the damsel save her boyfriend, but unfortunately for fox-lovers, you have to play the human :( Maybe there’ll be a fan-mod someday.

BEEF (Ends: 7/14/2013)
Now YOU play a sentient, walking mutant cow! Try to escape Meatjoy the Butcher and his abattoir of doom in this first-person survival horror/humor game.
…weirdly atmospheric.

Pooka Pets (Ends: 7/14/2013)
A cute sandbox/exploration interactive pet game featuring shape-shifting fairies. Very MLP.
Okay, maybe too many “pets” games this week. But bondage wolves and the African wild dog skin sold me on this.

Questria: Princess Destiny (Ends: 8/18/2013)
A life simulation game with very familiar characters, human versions of the “mane six” from My Little Pony.

Web

Dustbunny Pictures Comics (Ends: 7/17/2013)
A collection of five web comics, including Popiki’s Island, gearing up for an expansion and relaunch.

The Cyantian Chronicles (Ends: 8/11/2013)
A funding campaign for an online furry web comic.
I’ll take this entry down shortly, as this is an ongoing every other month fundraiser…

Adult

Naughty Dog Toys (Ends: 7/20/2013)
“new and exciting bedroom toys,” limited information on the IGG itself but you can check out their “Kaiju” model on FA, and more info in their FAQ/Blog.
Kaiju sex toy. Awesome.

Neko Adventures: Real Cat Girl Porn (Ends: 7/29/2013)
DVD/web release of cat girls, free from their imprisonment on DeviantArt and sexing it up IRL. Not just for manga anymore.

Pocket Pussies: The Legend of Seven Purity Seals (Ends: 8/9/2013)
Zelda/Pokemon hybrid exploration/battling seizure monsters game, loaded with cheesecake pokemon, cat girls, and assorted anime-esque hotness.

…Meh.

Rat Realm: A Virtual Rat Sim (Ends: 7/16/2013): A virtual rat pet sim in development. I want to love this project but there is NO information available on it :(
“Meet the Mascots!” Animation (Ends: 8/18/2013): Relaunch of the “Mascots” project, teen angst with anthro sports mascots. No change to business plan, which already failed once…

…Causes

Blue Wolf Sanctuary and Village (Ends: 7/6/2013): A sustainable community of simple houses with bed and breakfast, workshop space, etc, and a sanctuary for both wolves and humans.
Preservation of Dingo Records (Ends: 7/7/2013): Campaign to preserve archives of Berenice Walters, “The Dingo Lady,” a body of over 30 years of dingo research and preservation.
Save the African Wild Dog (Ends: 7/11/2013): Working to preserve the Wild Dog–veterinary costs, snare removal, tracking collars, research materials

…Just For Fun

Eeveelution Charms! (Ends: 7/15/2013): For the pokemon fans: A series of eevees in phone charms and tags by Peekingboo.
Cats Throughout History (Ends: 7/24/2013): Cats dressed as historical figures: The Calendar. For the social studies teacher/crazy cat lady in your life.
Undertale (Ends: 7/24/2013): A completely charming old-school RPG with a few cute anthro characters and a few good jokes. With art by Tuyoki.
Hammy’s Quest for the Golden Nuts (Ends: 7/25/2013): Green screen, falsetto hamsters, and a gangster bunny come together in this weirdly appealing trainwreck of a short film.
Heroes of Video Game Music album/dvd (Ends: 7/28/2013): New tracks, reworked classics, from across the history of video game music, from 20 masters.
Charcade: Burning Man 2013 (Ends: 7/28/2013): I wasn’t going to mention this totally-on-fire arcade in the desert, but…”Beat Beat Immolation,” guys.
Otakuware: T-Shirts for People who Love Snark (Ends: 7/29/2013): Anime and related fandom T-shirts. Add to your mildly ironic tee collection :)
Life-Size Godzilla (Ends: 8/15/2013): Godzilla as a washed-up actor living on a friend’s couch, a short comedy.
The Doctor Who Museum Edinburgh (Ends: 8/21/2013): I really can’t add to this. I guess that it makes sense that it’s in Britain :(