Bwah ha ha ha ha! Boo!

April 14, 2004 9:54 PM

The GashlyCrumb Tinies "A is for Amy, who fell down the stairs", "B is for Basil, assaulted by Bears", "C is for Clara, who wasted away", D is for Desmond, thrown out of a sleigh", "E is for Earnest, who choked on a peach", "F is for Fanny, sucked dry by a leech" - But, as they say, a picture is worth a thousand words. Edward Gorey's GashlyCrumb Tinies, A-Z, in pictures - done in by bears, tacks, gin, awls, mires, fires, mice, ennui......enjoy!
posted by troutfishing (32 comments total)

Man, has it been 50 years already?

My daughter has purloined my copy and quotes it with glee, at the age of not quite nine. Luckily, she hasn't found The Curious Sofa yet.
posted by i_am_joe's_spleen at 10:05 PM on April 14, 2004

M is for Mathowie, mauled by a mob.
posted by garethspor at 10:11 PM on April 14, 2004

i_am_joe's_spleen - does she know about "Bog Men" ?
posted by troutfishing at 10:13 PM on April 14, 2004

C is for copyright, ignored and rejected.
posted by crunchland at 10:14 PM on April 14, 2004

bears, tacks, gin, awls, mires, fires, mice, ennui......

What? No bunnies? Not done in 30 seconds? Bah!
posted by namespan at 10:18 PM on April 14, 2004

[this is good]
posted by RylandDotNet at 10:43 PM on April 14, 2004

The only poster I ever owned {not counting the Purple Rain one I had in elementary school}.
posted by dgaicun at 11:00 PM on April 14, 2004

its fifty years after the death of the creator. so no.
posted by Satapher at 11:09 PM on April 14, 2004

Nope - and neither do I! Sounds like I need to investigate. I have Amphigorey at home, but that's all.
posted by i_am_joe's_spleen at 12:32 AM on April 15, 2004

Reminded me alot about Tim Burton's The Melancholy Death of Oyster Boy (I recommend the book version, though)
posted by AwkwardPause at 1:03 AM on April 15, 2004

Ach, Tim Burton is a mere Edward Gorey wannabe...
posted by bubukaba at 1:10 AM on April 15, 2004

yah man --- tim burton reminded you of edward gorey.... get your shit together
posted by Satapher at 1:33 AM on April 15, 2004

It intrigues me to see how Gorey has made the leap from cult to mainstream. I love his books, but some of the Gorey-related merchandise is just ridiculous. Gashlycrumb Tinies lunchbox, anyone?
posted by verstegan at 1:49 AM on April 15, 2004

They'd have to censor that F in the UK.
posted by johnny novak at 1:55 AM on April 15, 2004

> C is for copyright, ignored and rejected.

Well, Gorey was born, lived, and died in 1887 after all.
posted by jfuller at 4:48 AM on April 15, 2004

Satapher said: its fifty years after the death of the creator. so no.

No, Edward Gorey died in April of 2000. As far as him going from cult to mainstream, my friend's infant a stuffed Gorey Bat 15 years ago. You can't get much more mainstream than plush children's toys. Of course, I have been a Gorey aficionado since I was knee high to a his New York City Ballet Illustrations and have the Gorey Dracula Toy theatre set up in my office, so, I probably have a bit of a slanted view.
posted by amphigory at 5:33 AM on April 15, 2004

I have a little hardcover of this -- it's definitely still in print. I always wondered whether it really was for kids or not (i think it's not), but not that shocking when you think of Lemony Snicket, etc.
posted by amberglow at 5:35 AM on April 15, 2004

A nice bio of Gorey here. I've no idea where the 1887 date came from.
posted by raygirvan at 5:54 AM on April 15, 2004

Hey, that Gashlycrumb Tinies lunchbox is great! Now I'm gonna have to buy one. Thanks for the find.
posted by beth at 5:56 AM on April 15, 2004

It makes a great purse, beth...I picked one up at a horror con last year.
posted by JoanArkham at 6:13 AM on April 15, 2004

GashlyCrumb t-shirts? Ties?

The "Tinies" is really a plot to make rebellious children behave.
posted by troutfishing at 6:25 AM on April 15, 2004

They'd have to censor that F in the UK.

With this FPP and his other post I was beginning to think troutfishing was initiating a bestiality day on the blue.
posted by biffa at 6:27 AM on April 15, 2004

biffa - Yah got something against weiner dogs, or somethin ?

Eekacat - The great thing is : they didn't have a clue! The pic was from, a German site about a Dachshund competion. That German guy's just so damn proud of his weiner-dog, he's got to put it on display! (The other guy? well......)

People love their Dachshunds and Mini-Dachshunds with a deep and abiding intensity. Sometimes, owner and weiner grow to look alike, and develop a striking similarity

Don't mock Dachshunds - they need help! They are in danger! - this website claims it can help...
posted by troutfishing at 7:12 AM on April 15, 2004

A true classic of children's literature. Hat's off to troutfishing for this and his other post.
posted by caddis at 7:21 AM on April 15, 2004

See also this previous thread.
posted by hama7 at 7:23 AM on April 15, 2004

caddis - thanks, but is it really children's literature ?

Hmmm - i_am_joe's_spleen's nine year old daughgter says it is, so I guess it is. Man, they wise up fast these days - at least the girls do, anyway. The boys? Well.....
posted by troutfishing at 7:43 AM on April 15, 2004

I've had this poster hanging up somewhere (dorm room, living room, now work cubicle) for the past 15 years. It's a bit tattered, but it serves its purpose. Every once in a while, someone will come in to ask me a question and notice it. Usually they find it amusing. The ones that don't, well, not everyone gets it...
posted by MsVader at 8:15 AM on April 15, 2004

Word of the day: abecedarius.
posted by sonofsamiam at 9:17 AM on April 15, 2004

Back in the old days, they didn't worry so much about protecting children's "innocent" minds from things like reality. Death and dying are fascinating to children, and my 6 and 8 year olds loved this book. It led to a lot of discussions about all sorts of things.

The P is for Prue trampled flat in a brawl (quoted from memory) led my 6-year-old daughter to ask me about what a brawl was, why one would happen, and into a big discussion about drinking and why drinking is allowed if it can lead to things like that.

Definitely children's literature. It doesn't talk down to them.
posted by hurkle at 10:54 AM on April 15, 2004

hurkle - so logical, your daughter.

It takes years of dedicated training to properly confuse children - about 11 to 14, I'd say. Then the onset of adolescence delivers the final blow.
posted by troutfishing at 11:36 AM on April 15, 2004

Pshaw. Those questioning whether this is appropriate for children must surely not have experience with children. Heck, I forwarded the link to an eight-year old friend: she'll love it. (Her favourite song is the Arrogant Worms Rippy the Gator, a charming nursery song about a boy who is consumed piecemeal.)
posted by five fresh fish at 9:14 PM on April 15, 2004

"Word of the day: abecedarius."

Abecedarius is a poem that starts each line with the next consecutive letter of the alphabet not just a poem about the alphabet. Gorey's books are abecedarium for abecedarians.
posted by amphigory at 5:29 AM on April 19, 2004