Archive for May 2011

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New Bigfoot Footage?

May 31, 2011

 – – Once again Bigfoot has reportedly been sighted, this time by hikers in Spokane, Washington.  The good news is that the sighting was filmed, the bad news is that the footage is again grainy,  unclear, and taken from a distance.   The hikers hadn’t even realized what they had come across until they went home and examined their footage, which was taken on an iPhone at Downriver Park along the Spokane river.  The unexplained…creature?…appears in the background at some distance from the hikers.

As to whether this is yet another elaborate hoax, a case of mistaken identity, or the real deal is unclear, but the walk of the unexplained creature appears well done…

Categories: anomalies, cryptozoology, unexplained, unidentified
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Comments: 2 Comments

Doritos “Mouse Attack” Commercial!

May 29, 2011

 – – This commercial was actually crafted for initial display at the Super Bowl, and has been around a while but seems to be enjoying a renaissance, so we can benefit, too!  An apparently wealthy man enters his mansion-like home, wearing an immaculate suit and slicked-down hair.  As the opera “Carmen” plays in the background, this man of means baits a mousetrap with Doritos, places it before a classic mouse-hole, and then positions himself in a chair before the baited trap, presumably to enjoy the gruesome spectacle to follow.

The joke’s on Richie Rich, however.  As he stuffs his face with Doritos,  a human-sized mouse in a cheesy fursuit erupts from the wall and is briefly glimpsed bowling into the man, and knocking him and his chair completely over!  We then see the gargantuan mouse astride the prone man, pummeling him with both paws and landing some solid punches!- -Well done, oh mouse that roars!- –Furry Pride! 

 

Categories: absurdities, animals, Brilliant but twisted, cool things, furry, furry commercials, television
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Comments: 2 Comments

Howl Hitler?

May 27, 2011

 – – The Nazis weren’t much on human rights, but apparently were fond of animals and liked the idea that dogs were intelligent and could communicate with people.   According to a new book “Amazing Dogs:  A Cabinet of Canine Curiosities,”  Nazi specialists attempted to train an elite group of dogs regarded as intelligent to read, write, and speak!

Research from Cardiff University associate professor Dr. Jan Bondeson found that the Nazis collected pups from across Germany and put them through intensive training in the 1930’s at the Tier-Sprechschule ASRA (School for Dog-Human Communication) in the town of Leutenberg.  According to Dr. Bondeson, the hope was that the superior dogs would eventually communicate with their SS masters and act as the ultimate guard dogs. Where it gets really strange is in the contention that an institute-trained dog such as one named Rolf the Airedale could communicate with humans on such topics as  religion and mathematics by tapping out an elaborate code with his paw!  Another dog, Kurwenal, supposedly could crack jokes.

Hitler himself was widely recognized as a dog lover, and had two German Shepherds named Blondi and Bella.  Where talking dogs are concerned, we of course will always have Scooby-Doo…


Categories: animal oddities, animals, historical perspectives, strange happenings, weird
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Comments: 2 Comments

Netflix Tiger and Bunny Commercial

May 25, 2011

 – – In a Netflix commercial spot, a grouchy live-action grandpa intrudes into an animated world where a tiger and a bunny are cutely curled up together asleep.  “I’m not going to cry, am I?,” asks grandpa of the ‘toon characters.  “Only if you don’t believe in the power of friendship!,” responds the doe-eyed bunny sprightly.  “Really?,” counters the jaded and sarcastic tiger.  “You guys are good!,” the curmudgeonly grandpa says in parting from the cartoon duo, a ‘toon critter hanging on his back.

In the next scene, grandpa is back in the living room, begrudgingly watching the classically-styled animated cartoon movie with his wife and granddaughter.  “That’s so cute, it’s stupid!,” comments grandpa of the Disneyesque movie.  As we  well know, cute and stupid sells, and so does this clever Netflix ad that works on a variety of levels…

Categories: animals, anthropomorphic, Brilliant but twisted, cartoons, furry, furry art, furry commercials, television
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Comments: 3 Comments

Coyote Attacks and Fear of Foxes

May 23, 2011

 – – Red foxes at times have an image problem; you know, that whole “crazy as a fox” thing and the business about leaving a fox to guard the henhouse.  In the minds of some people, foxes have also been tainted because of being incorrectly associated with coyotes, our larger canine cousins who can do some nasty things.  There were some coyote attacks in the state of New York last year.  Outweighing us handily, coyotes will also prey on foxes, and push us further into suburban subdivisions; they’re well supplied by Acme.

For the record, foxes don’t want to eat the  kids or pets of suburbanites; we do have our standards, after all!  Fox kits are born in late winter to early spring, when they come out of their dens to frolic ( lurking doesn’t come until much later with advanced training).  Because of the unpleasantness with coyotes, some people wig out when they discover fox families non grata in their yards.  Foxes adapt to suburbia quite well, and can find cover in hedges, under sheds, and in old woodchuck holes; we’ll even use more than one den.  Small rodents are a food source, although we’ll eat lots of other stuff as well. 

People needn’t panic, however; we’ll disperse if given a grace period or made uncomfortable; putting a chair or wheelbarrow near the current home might do the trick.  A State Department of Wildlife Conservation biologist suggests placing a radio near a fox den if you don’t want them about. 

Elevator music would send me packing in short order!

Categories: animal behavior, animals, environmental, furry
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Comments: 3 Comments

Wrath of the Feline…

May 21, 2011

 – – Within even your common domestic house cat there continues to reside something  feral, something so awesome that we trifle with it at our own risk…and at least one man taken to the hospital might now tend to agree with me…

…while the details of the case are not well presented, it would appear that a man in Cleveland, Texas got into an altercation with a 20-pound feral cat that he found sitting in the living room of his house upon returning to it.   Scared, police said, the man grabbed a knife to try and protect himself from the cat, who seconds later is reported to have attacked the man in the bathroom.  Things got nasty then, with the 40-year-old man admitting that he stabbed the cat multiple times and the cat apparently giving back as good as she got, perhaps exploiting the man’s ineptitude with the knife and reportedly getting his pinkie really well; a claw and chaw operation!  When medics arrived, the man was bleeding profusely, and was rushed to the hospital in critical condition.  The cat was also in bad shape, but undaunted (“–Gonna mess you up bad!,” said the cat, “Bring it on,  pinkie!- -You blink, you bleed!- -Is that the best you got, suckah?- -You ain’t worth my time!”).

The feral cat was taken by animal control officers, tested for rabies, and was then euthanized…some say that as the lethal chemicals dripped into her veins, the cat seemed to be enjoying herself…she died a warrior, having fought bravely and well against another life form armed with a weapon who was about ten times her size!

“It is a far better thing that I do than I have ever done,” thought the cat as sleep took her, “it is a far better rest that I go to than I have ever known!”

“Welcome to paradise!,” roared Tatiana the tiger in greeting…

Categories: animal behavior, animal occurrences, animals, furry
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Comments: 2 Comments

– -The Fiendish Plot of Chuck E. Cheese?

May 19, 2011

 – – from our ridiculous furry lawsuits dept:   I’ve always found there to be something vaguely disquieting about Chuck E. Cheese; maybe it’s in the eyes or the teeth, or maybe it’s just the idea of a giant rodent…is he allowed in the food preparation areas?  I’m not sure I’m comfortable with that… anyways, according to one mother suing the restaurant chain for a cool five million, Chuck E. has a darker agenda; promoting gambling addiction!

Yes, according to a San Diego mother of two, many of the games at Chuck E. Cheese locations are actually illegal gambling devices because they take 25 cent tokens which dependent on the score dispense tickets that can be redeemed for prizes.  The higher the score, the greater the number of tickets dispensed, and the better the prize.  The games often take only a few seconds to play, and some of them feature a roulette-type wheel.   Pretty soon, you’ve got a serious habit, and are betting away the lunch money…it’s a slippery slope, right?

Chuck E. Cheese attorneys are moving for a dismissal of the lawsuit on the basis that the games are legal and that the California legislature never intended to make operating a children’s arcade game a criminal act…and at least one gambling expert sees a difference between a game that awards tickets and one that pays out in cold hard cash.  

Categories: absurdities, furry, strange
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Comments: 4 Comments

Animal Smuggling…

May 14, 2011

 – -We’ve posted previously here on Foxsylvania about the illegal trade in wild and exotic animals, including animal smuggling.  While it’s fairly common for one type of animal to be smuggled (snakes, spiders, etc.), some smugglers diversify and try to take a variety of different species out.

Take for example the case of a man arrested at Thailand’s international  airport May 13th after he was caught trying to smuggle wild animals out of the country.  The man, identified as a citizen of the United Arab Emirates, was trying to board a flight to Dubai when investigators found a baby bear, two leopards, two panthers, and at least two monkeys stuffed into his luggage!  Don’t ask me how…must have been some pretty big luggage!

The anti-animal trafficking group FREELAND said the man is believed to be part of a far-reaching animal trafficking network…

Categories: animal abuse, animal rights, animals, deplorable practices, endangered species, furry
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Comments: 2 Comments

Geico’s Stopping Buck…

May 12, 2011

 – – It’s short, sweet, and effective:  Geico’s Buck commercial.  Asking whether switching to Geico can save us 15% or more on auto insurance, our announcer poses whether the buck stops here…then out on cue advances a magnificent buck, who stops precisely on the plain, unadorned stage; the buck turns his fully-racked head towards us, and the announcer, who expected nothing less, shrugs slightly.  There’s not a lot of special effects artistry here as in some of its others, but with its play on the familiar expression, Geico again makes it work…

Categories: absurdities, furry commercials, television
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Hail the Mighty Thor!

May 10, 2011

 – – There’s something strangely cool about dressing up in Viking gear and then going to dine in a fine restaurant or attending the opening of Thor so attired;  besides, who am I to judge, since I am, after all, a furry…whatever floats your boat!

Anyways, the Norse Hollywood Dining Vikings did exactly that, attending a screening of the movie in Glendale, California in a variety of chain mail and horned helmet regalia.  They usually do a restaurant gig, but a little change kinda keeps things fresh, and besides, what could be more appropriate?  Tony Swatton, de facto leader of the Dining Vikings, is a master blacksmith who designs custom-made weapons, armor, and props for television and film, including Thor.

So what if they look like they just made a Capital One credit card commercial?–I say may their cup of mead be always full!

Categories: absurdities, Brilliant but twisted, cool things, humor, movies, strange, strange happenings, weird
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Comments: 2 Comments

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