“O Uommibatto”
August 23, 2023 3:43 AM Subscribe
How the Pre-Raphaelites Became Obsessed with the Wombat. Angus Trumble at the Public Domain Review on 'Dante Gabriel Rossetti and company's curious but longstanding fixation with the furry oddity that is the wombat — that "most beautiful of God's creatures" which found its way into their poems, their art, and even, for a brief while, their homes.'
The Oatmeal reveres the Wombat (and with good reason).
posted by Phanx at 5:15 AM on August 23, 2023 [4 favorites]
posted by Phanx at 5:15 AM on August 23, 2023 [4 favorites]
Truly the best animal (fight me) because of its:
- ears
- tum
- lil roundness
- face bits
posted by rebent at 5:17 AM on August 23, 2023 [6 favorites]
- ears
- tum
- lil roundness
- face bits
posted by rebent at 5:17 AM on August 23, 2023 [6 favorites]
also, cube poop.
posted by Lawn Beaver at 5:18 AM on August 23, 2023 [7 favorites]
posted by Lawn Beaver at 5:18 AM on August 23, 2023 [7 favorites]
It's got a "wom," and a "bat," and an "omba."
wombats have been my favorite marsupial since i learned what marsupials were (around kindergarten i think). i suppose i can share them with the pre-raphaelites.
posted by emmling at 5:23 AM on August 23, 2023 [3 favorites]
wombats have been my favorite marsupial since i learned what marsupials were (around kindergarten i think). i suppose i can share them with the pre-raphaelites.
posted by emmling at 5:23 AM on August 23, 2023 [3 favorites]
"Rossetti gleefully reported to William Bell Scott on September 28, 1869, that the wombat had effectively interrupted a long and dreary monologue from John Ruskin by patiently burrowing between the eminent critic’s jacket and waistcoat."
Ha! Yes!
My partner grew up in Tasmania, which has lots of wombats and, unfortunately, also lots of road kill. Her primary school used to foster orphaned baby wombats, and kids would take them home over the weekends.
Apparently, these baby wombats loved to climb up inside your jumper and curl up in your armpit. Presumably it's similar to being in the pouch.
posted by davidwitteveen at 5:37 AM on August 23, 2023 [15 favorites]
Ha! Yes!
My partner grew up in Tasmania, which has lots of wombats and, unfortunately, also lots of road kill. Her primary school used to foster orphaned baby wombats, and kids would take them home over the weekends.
Apparently, these baby wombats loved to climb up inside your jumper and curl up in your armpit. Presumably it's similar to being in the pouch.
posted by davidwitteveen at 5:37 AM on August 23, 2023 [15 favorites]
Well, this is timely. I just got my replacement copy of Digger. (The ex lent my original copy to a friend and never bothered to get it back before walking out.)
posted by humbug at 6:18 AM on August 23, 2023 [7 favorites]
posted by humbug at 6:18 AM on August 23, 2023 [7 favorites]
Double wombat
What's better than one wombat? Two wombats!
posted by May Kasahara at 7:01 AM on August 23, 2023
What's better than one wombat? Two wombats!
posted by May Kasahara at 7:01 AM on August 23, 2023
Every so often I come across an article that reminds me how damned weird the Pre-Raphaelites were, and I become briefly obsessed again. When I first encountered them, I got annoyed with them for being on posters in every friend's dorm room, but I am beginning to come around to their entire deal.
posted by Countess Elena at 7:15 AM on August 23, 2023 [5 favorites]
posted by Countess Elena at 7:15 AM on August 23, 2023 [5 favorites]
There really needs to be a comic The Adventures of Wombatman and Numbatman. They could solve all sorts of crimes with marsupial-themed gadgets!
posted by GenjiandProust at 7:28 AM on August 23, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by GenjiandProust at 7:28 AM on August 23, 2023 [1 favorite]
ctrl-F "mourn"
finds Rossetti's self-portrait after the death of his wombat
Yup, good article.
goes off to read the article
posted by Quasirandom at 7:35 AM on August 23, 2023
finds Rossetti's self-portrait after the death of his wombat
Yup, good article.
goes off to read the article
posted by Quasirandom at 7:35 AM on August 23, 2023
This inspired me to go read about why, exactly, wombat poop is cube-shaped. This article did not disappoint (CW: text mention of a roadkill wombat).
"As for what the world is supposed to do with this new information, Hu admits that it's "not going to replace the way we manufacture plastic." But the wombat's strategy could help engineers design better ways to shape valuable or sensitive materials, he says."
posted by mostly vowels at 7:41 AM on August 23, 2023
"As for what the world is supposed to do with this new information, Hu admits that it's "not going to replace the way we manufacture plastic." But the wombat's strategy could help engineers design better ways to shape valuable or sensitive materials, he says."
posted by mostly vowels at 7:41 AM on August 23, 2023
If you want a wombat comic, there's always Digger. Only one wombat, and no numbats though.
posted by Clever User Name at 7:49 AM on August 23, 2023 [5 favorites]
posted by Clever User Name at 7:49 AM on August 23, 2023 [5 favorites]
this is delightfully weird
posted by supermedusa at 7:57 AM on August 23, 2023
posted by supermedusa at 7:57 AM on August 23, 2023
Apparently, these baby wombats loved to climb up inside your jumper and curl up in your armpit.
Jumper apart, my last cat did the same -- see my Facebook icon -- and then purred for hours. I so miss her still.
I have been on Team Wombat for years. And on Team Ozzy Man Reviews as well. What is it about the world's tiniest, most primordial, most potentially lethal and most awesome continent to produce such wonders, anyway? Small Continent Syndrome perhaps?
posted by y2karl at 9:07 AM on August 23, 2023 [2 favorites]
Jumper apart, my last cat did the same -- see my Facebook icon -- and then purred for hours. I so miss her still.
I have been on Team Wombat for years. And on Team Ozzy Man Reviews as well. What is it about the world's tiniest, most primordial, most potentially lethal and most awesome continent to produce such wonders, anyway? Small Continent Syndrome perhaps?
posted by y2karl at 9:07 AM on August 23, 2023 [2 favorites]
(I should probably confess that, when I was a teen, my main online handle was variations on wombat -- Wombatty, Pseudowombat, and so on. Only in my twenties did I decide that this was a) appropriative, given I'm not Aussie, and b) just a bit too random, or almost random, and thus settled on Quasirandom.)
posted by Quasirandom at 11:30 AM on August 23, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by Quasirandom at 11:30 AM on August 23, 2023 [1 favorite]
Did not look at TFA, skipped thread to come directly here and say
> How the Pre-Raphaelites Became Obsessed with the Wombat
sounds like it really has to be the title of a Monty Python sketch, though I know it is not.
posted by Aardvark Cheeselog at 12:22 PM on August 23, 2023 [2 favorites]
> How the Pre-Raphaelites Became Obsessed with the Wombat
sounds like it really has to be the title of a Monty Python sketch, though I know it is not.
posted by Aardvark Cheeselog at 12:22 PM on August 23, 2023 [2 favorites]
> I should probably confess that, when I was a teen, my main online handle was variations on wombat -- Wombatty, Pseudowombat, and so on
Some of us never outgrow that kind of thing.
posted by Aardvark Cheeselog at 12:24 PM on August 23, 2023 [4 favorites]
Some of us never outgrow that kind of thing.
posted by Aardvark Cheeselog at 12:24 PM on August 23, 2023 [4 favorites]
Since I saw this a few hours ago, I have had "O Uommibatto / Mr. Roboto" playing in my head.
When I sent the link around my friend group, I also bet $10 that one specific friend would change at least one social media avatar to the Burne-Jones sketch of the wombat.
posted by Mutant Lobsters from Riverhead at 3:13 PM on August 23, 2023 [1 favorite]
When I sent the link around my friend group, I also bet $10 that one specific friend would change at least one social media avatar to the Burne-Jones sketch of the wombat.
posted by Mutant Lobsters from Riverhead at 3:13 PM on August 23, 2023 [1 favorite]
this is delightfully weird
One word: hemipenes
posted by porpoise at 3:33 PM on August 23, 2023 [1 favorite]
One word: hemipenes
posted by porpoise at 3:33 PM on August 23, 2023 [1 favorite]
The Oatmeal reveres the Wombat (and with good reason).
Incidentally, "weaponized hamslammers" is my new sockpuppet name.
posted by Greg_Ace at 4:27 PM on August 23, 2023 [1 favorite]
Incidentally, "weaponized hamslammers" is my new sockpuppet name.
posted by Greg_Ace at 4:27 PM on August 23, 2023 [1 favorite]
‘Killick, Killick there: what’s amiss?’posted by the duck by the oboe at 7:36 PM on August 23, 2023 [6 favorites]
‘Which it’s your scraper, sir, your number one scraper. The wombat’s got at it.’
‘Then take it away from him, for God’s sake.’
‘I duresn’t, sir,’ said Killick. ‘For fear of tearing the lace.’
‘Now, sir,’ cried the Captain, striding into the great cabin, a tall, imposing figure. ‘Now, sir,’ – addressing the wombat, one of the numerous body of marsupials brought into the ship by her surgeon, a natural philosopher – ‘give it up directly, d’ye hear me, there?’
The wombat stared him straight in the eye, drew a length of gold lace from its mouth, and then deliberately sucked it in again.
‘Pass the word for Dr Maturin,’ said the Captain, looking angrily at the wombat: and a moment later, ‘Come now, Stephen, this is coming it pretty high: your brute is eating my hat.’
‘So he is, too,’ said Dr Maturin. ‘But do not be so perturbed, Jack; it will do him no harm, at all. His digestive processes — ’
At this point the wombat dropped the hat, shuffled rapidly across the deck and swarmed up into Dr Maturin’s arms, peering at close range into his face with a look of deep affection.
That one line of poetry in the intro took me some weird places:
One like a wombat prowled obtuse and furry
Don't feed your wombat plates of curry
Groundhog's the enemy of Bill Murray
Can't buy a wombat in Missouri
posted by Abehammerb Lincoln at 3:04 PM on August 24, 2023 [1 favorite]
One like a wombat prowled obtuse and furry
Don't feed your wombat plates of curry
Groundhog's the enemy of Bill Murray
Can't buy a wombat in Missouri
posted by Abehammerb Lincoln at 3:04 PM on August 24, 2023 [1 favorite]
Wombats are just about my all-time favorite animal (also in the running: alligators, elephants, pallas cats, most frogs, whales)
posted by thivaia at 8:45 AM on August 25, 2023
posted by thivaia at 8:45 AM on August 25, 2023
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posted by elaalamy at 4:06 AM on August 23, 2023