The Interesting Thoughts of Edward Monkton.

March 5, 2005 2:25 AM

The Interesting Thoughts of Edward Monkton. Known in the UK for his quirky and melancholic card designs, and sometimes compared to David Shrigley, Edward Monkton is the creator of the Toast with No Ears, the Ninja Biscuits, and most famously, the Penguin of Death which even has its own spinoff site.
posted by wessatong (10 comments total)

I'm tired, cynical and biased - only the Ninja Biscuits made me laugh.
posted by NinjaPirate at 3:52 AM on March 5, 2005

I like the cards, but they remind me of natalie dees dairyland
posted by Suparnova at 4:45 AM on March 5, 2005

hmm, maybe cos of the handwriting and fonts style, but the similarities seem to end there
posted by wessatong at 6:42 AM on March 5, 2005

I wish the gallerey was ten times the size. I liked what was there.
posted by nthdegx at 6:48 AM on March 5, 2005

The Penguin of Death is fantastic. Thanks!

Also great : deep thoughts and chickens. Fabulous.
posted by grapefruitmoon at 8:22 AM on March 5, 2005

For me at least, this post seems ultimately about the phenomenon of some folks making an ugly but charming web site based entirely on inspiration from one card by a funny odd cartoonist. A single card has a fan site. Or, less dismissively, a few aspiring comedy writers are finding their voice through riffing on a single cartoon.

I laughed quite a few times, and found myself reading until the end. I found the comic timing of the FAQ quite good.

Of note, the original artist seems properly flattered and supportive, and does not seem to be interested in pursuing any silly litigation.
posted by KS at 8:34 AM on March 5, 2005

The Penguin of Death...not to be confused with "Feathers" McGraw

[Tangent] I gotta tell ya...There is a scene in "The Wrong Trousers" where Feathers first comes in to rent the room and he gives Grommit a look that could kill...pure film genius. Look for it next time .[anyway...]

Not all potatoes...can swim.

Smile of the Week
posted by jaronson at 9:17 AM on March 5, 2005

i've actually e-mailed edward monkton before, and he's a pretty nice, down-to-earth fellow. yes he doesn't mind the spinoff site, he was the one who actually gave me the link to the site when i asked him for it (originally he was reticent about giving it cos apparently the spinoff site was exceeding its bandwidth). so i suppose he doesn't mind the extra attention paid to the Penguin.

feathers mcgraw of wallace and gromit rocks! my favourite is shaun the sheep, the sheep who wears a sweater made out of his own wool. btw wallace and gromit's studio, aardman animations, is based in my city, so we see plenty of them around town.
posted by wessatong at 5:02 PM on March 5, 2005

I was house-hunting in North London recently, and every second house had an Edward Monkton card on display. This year's charming whimsy is next year's irritating cliché ..
posted by verstegan at 12:00 AM on March 6, 2005

Obviously the phonomenon has yet to hit my part of Oxford then...
posted by salmacis at 4:14 AM on March 6, 2005