Know Your Iconic History

Hello Kitty Of Course

It was inadvertently brought to my attention today that while I love Hello Kitty and the other Sanrio cutesy critters for their total squee factor, I really know nothing about them or their origins. How did Hello Kitty start? Why is it popular? I know it's a fad everywhere in Japan as well, but is it seen as cutesy there, or does it mean something more?

I realized the time for uneducated fandom has come to an end! I will begin researching this tomorrow, and am going to look into a few other things too and see if I can share some tidbits of information.

In a brief escapade into this quest sometime earlier, I did attempt to watch the cartoon with my Bean. I will say, I was not impressed. Hopefully the information I gather will be much more engaging.

So dear zombie readers, I will be back soon with a brain full of useless knowledge. I know you're at the edge of your seats waiting. Just hold on tight!

Braaaiiiiiiinnnn food: How much time do you spend researching your hobbies?

A little zombie love story

I saw Super 8 over the weekend and it was absolutely fantastic. What a fabulous homage to Spielberg films and to good stories and suspense I remember from my own childhood. I laughed out loud several times and really did feel anxious near the end to find out what was really happening in small-town Ohio.

However, one scene that I need to mention completely stole my heart. Joe is putting zombie makeup on Alice (which looks absolutely fantastic and authentic for the setting of the film) and she asks him how to act. After a brief explanation, she quickly turns to "zombie mode" and then you can see the chemistry between them, even with her dead and lifeless zombie eyes and her head cocked awkwardly to the side. You have to see the scene to believe it, but you feel it. And this little bit o' zombie love just made me melt. Check out the movie -- I'm sure you'll enjoy it too.

Braaaiiiiinnnnn Food: What are some strong moments in your favorite films where you can just feel it?

Not everything zombie is good

While I love a good play on the zombie genre as much as the next cutesy girl, I have to say that it saddens me how much the craze has gotten out of hand. It was bad enough when my beloved Hello Kitty did a horrible, not-even-cute-scary version of an HK Zombie. But as I was in the bookstore the other day I ran across the abomination.

Marvel Zombies

available at Amazon.com

Honestly, does this even make sense? And yes, we are assuming that zombies can, in fact, exist. Haven't you seen the  CDC report that says so? But how can a superhero like Spider Man or the Hulk be zombified?

Spiderman was bitten by a radioactive spider and assumed the powers he has today. If a zombie bit Spiderman, wouldn't it too be infected with "spidey sense" and the ability to shoot webbing from its hands? Would a zombie-infected Hulk be any less able to smash than he already does? Or will he just lose bits and pieces of himself as he crashes into buildings until one day he's degraded down to nothing? And just imagine if Wolverine was infected. His regenerative qualities would be spreading that virus like wildfire. You have to wonder which would run out first? The rapid regeneration of the zombie virus or his body's ability to rebuild its own cells. Or would the zombie virus just revert him to a normal man filled with adamantine... and then what? Does his body explode or something?

This comic, while I admit I just glanced at it, seems like a retarded installment aimed to make money off of a growing culture that some of us actually enjoy. Sadly, I think more and more people are just picking up and buying anything that has the word zombie, regardless of whether the item in question is either intelligent or fun. And there are so many instances of this happening out there, it just disappoints me.

Please people. If you're going to do zombies, do it with some sense. Not just to be cool like the rest of them. 

Braaaaaaiiiiinnnn Food: What do you think is the worst example of "zombieism?"