Playing Games

I love Sesame Street, duh.  It's fun to imagine things that the characters might do, especially when it's definitely in the integrity of the characters.  And, after all, who doesn't like games?

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Dealing with Loss

Back in December, I created a comic strip to focus a little on an emotion I had after the loss of one of my heroes, but I chose to not show it yet.  It took a while for me to want to share this with the public - also because it gives an opportunity to bring some attention to:

Loss.  It happens, and nobody is immune to it.  Remember the old saying is that "nothing is certain but death and taxes." 

Everyone responds to it differently, whether it's the initial shock of the news, or being hateful as a defensive mechanism to the loss, or showing emotion or being a stoic man because that's the social expectation for men.

And then:  What about the kids?

Kids respond to death differently.  This article says it best that kids think death is a temporary situation and that it can be reversed.  There's important psychology behind what happens with kids after a family loss.  Prepare in advance of it ever happening in the future by doing some research now to better help the children through the process.

Let's digress.  One such character had to deal with loss in a very important episode of Sesame Street after the passing of Will Lee, better known as Mr. Hooper.  It was a loss we all felt back in the day when it happened.

Now, with the loss of Caroll Spinney, we all feel the loss again. 

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Sunny Days - Why'd the Chicken Cross the Sesame Street?

I love when Frank Oz and Jim Henson play off each other.  One of my favorite characters is Fozzie Bear.  I love him because he never gives up!  He has a passion and refuses to not try to make people laugh.  His joy is in bringing (or TRYING to bring) others joy!!  I also love Ernie.  I was told once that I'd rather play and pick on folks instead of eat and, while it's not true - it's pretty close to truth.

So, what happens when these two characters come together?  Well...

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I better get back to work!  This is my last strip drawn - have others to ink and color and...maybe today!

Sunny Days - A Fan Comic Strip by Me - Oscar's Reality

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I think we can all agree that reality television is trash.  I hate it.  A bunch of no-talents get famous for doing nothing extraordinary and that makes ME grouchy!

Again, I've used photos of the actual Muppet and the street to get the real images.  I did lights and darks this time for two reasons:
1) I wanted to try it out.
2) I forgot I did only flat colors last time.

What do you think?  Are these fun?

Oh, and as far as reality TV goes, that one guy who has a show that says he's a doctor but really isn't had a Muppet character on Sesame Street that interviewed Bob.  Look REALLY closely at Oscar's TV screen.  Heh heh heh...

(Also, Sesame Workshop, please don't sue me as I'm not making any money on these; but, feel free to hire me and I'll be right there!)

Sunny Days - A fan comic strip by Me.

I've wanted to do this for years: create a comic strip around Sesame Street where all things Jim Henson converge on the street and participate with one another.  I've wanted to do it forever and, so, after much discussion, have decided to just do it.

Of course, my Muley the Mule and Friends comic strips will remain on their own website.  I will also say that without this show, the Muppets, and a love for Charles Schulz' Peanuts, I probably would never have been inspired to create!

Now, I'll include some older art, etc., but definitely wanted to start this post with the most recent (and what I'll call the official first) Sunny Days comic strip.

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A little side-note: when possible, I'll be sampling the colors from actual photographs to keep the characters closer to their original counterparts.  Even some props I hope to sample colors from that, and background colors from set images.  So, you should feel more at home when reading the strips.

They will likely be few and far between; but, it will help get some of my need to go there in person (and meet Big Bird which is my life-long dream!  Get me there somehow, folks!)

Hope these are fun for you.  They are for me!

Earlier on, I wanted to do "Sunny Days" under a different title, which I chose not to do now:

A now famous photo by Lin Workman and myself, taken with
the help of Martheus and Janet Wade!