How to use this Page

Tweet

Andrea Tsurumi is a freelance illustrator and cartoonist working on a number of platforms. She’s a Harvard graduate currently pursuing an MFA at the School of Visual Arts, but in the meantime her work has been published by Penguin Books and The New York Times. Her long work DANCE PARTY (featured above) appears on her  website, and shorter comics work YAKITORI can also be found there. She also contributes, with Keren Katz, to the site UNCANNY EATING, documenting the metamorphic and bizarre qualities of food across cultures. Recently, she’s also started blogging about comics events for THE RUMPUS. Tsurumi’s style is innovative and expansive, taking in the bizarre and grotesque while infusing them with a sense of humor. Her panel designs often break the frame and expand into full page spreads populated with active figures and mysterious vistas. She draws influence from film, pop culture, and the world of illustration and has a lot in common with a multicultural weird tales tradition in her art.

I cannot imagine being the person who would want to collect this freakish "baby monkey doll" known as "li'l monkey hugs." The ad warns that it not a toy. So some crazy adult who lives alone in a room full of "collectible" crap is the only one who will buy it. I cannot imagine being that person or even knowing them.

The ad says - with my comments in brackets - "The playful [they just lie there - how playful is that?] little sweethearts in this baby monkey doll collection are quite a handful - and as much fun as a barrel of you-know-whats! [The copywriter who penned that line probably also contemplated suicide.] They're sure to make your heart wild with joy [if so, that is really, really sad], starting with Issue One, Baby Jingles. Soon you'll welcome home Issue Two, your next adorable collectible baby monkey doll. Before you know it, additional Heavenly Handfuls baby monkey dolls, each a separate issue, will follow. [Before you know it, your credit card will be charged $29.99 each, plus $6.99 shipping and handling].

Available exclusively from The Ashton-Drake Galleries, the darling collectible baby monkey dolls in this first-ever [It is hard to fathom that no one has come up with this idea before now] collection are by acclaimed artist [name redacted because I feel sorry for her]. They're realistically sculpted, from the tops of their fuzzy heads to the bottoms of their cute little monkey feet. Each doll in the collection is covered with soft hand-applied mohair [just think - that is someone's job, probably some poor peasant in a factory in Indonesia who cannot believe what idiots Americans are], and each wears a precious costume just like a pampered human baby [for your $29.99 plus $6.99 shipping and handling, you could be sponsoring a real live human baby who is starving to death someplace in the world]! For yourself or as the most delightful collectible monkey-lover gift ever. You can pose them anywhere [I just keep getting the scary image of this person whose one joy is to buy, display and "pose" this crap], and these Heavenly Handfuls will have you falling in love with babies all over again - but only if you hurry! Strong demand is expected, so order now! [American is in deep, deep trouble if there is any demand for this.]

Author: Robert D. San Souci
Illustrator: David Catrow
Published: 2004 Harcourt Trade Publishers
ISBN: 0152050698 Chapters.ca Amazon.com

Illustrated with morbid hilarity and told in brilliant rhyme, this popular Hallowe’en book is a year round favourite at our house.