Top Hat Sasquatch

I don’t know what took me so long, but I finally created an Instagram account for Top Hat Sasquatch. Instagram is my favoritist social network ever and I’ve been taking plenty of geeky photos on there for a couple years now. I figured it was time to set up an official THS account so I wouldn’t have to worry about my non-geek followers’ lack of interest in TMNT and action figures. Also, it’s a great way to find people with common interests, so hopefully it will bring some new readers over.

I think Instagram will be a fun place to host some contests for the site, too. A few months ago I posted a shot of a cartoon-inspired t-shirt I was wearing and asked people to guess the reference, and it spontaneously turned into this fun little game. I want to do that officially every once in a while and include some prizes. Also, it would be fun to do contests where you would have to post a photo and tag the site, and then I can post a gallery of entries here after it’s over. But trust me, there will be plenty of dorky pictures of toys too.

If you’re on Instagram give us a follow! I’d like to have the first contest in the next week or two, as soon as I figure out what it’s going to be.

While waiting for drugs at my local Meijer today (I got a wisdom tooth pulled, yay), I spotted these nifty Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle Valentines. Ever since Christmas was over and Valentine’s Day stuff started creeping it’s way into stores, I’d been wondering if Nickelodeon would be making any of the Turtle variety this year. Well, they are!

I threw this in my cart (along with some Mutagen Ooze, more on that later) without really reading the box, because Turtles! When I got it home I realized it was a Valentine Candy Card Kit. I wasn’t sure what that meant exactly, so I cracked it open.
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Jim Henson’s The Dark Crystal has always had a special place in my nostalgia. I watched it as a kid but came to appreciate it more as an adult. An example of world-building right up there with Star Wars, the design and execution of the film has always left me wanting to know more. For years I kept up with rumors and updates about the possibility of a Genndy Tartakovsky helmed sequel called Power of The Dark Crystal, but that fell through.

Recently I got an iPad Mini and fell back in love with comic books. Not sure what I should read and what I should avoid, I stumbled onto a comic book prequel to The Dark Crystal in Comixology. The price was right so I downloaded it, not knowing what to expect. I thought it would at least look great since Brian Froud, the film’s original designer, was involved. Needless to say, I was pretty blown away.

From the first few pages I was hooked. The art in Creation Myths is gorgeous and the story is (in my opinion) very strong and a worthy prequel to the film. I was sucked in as I learned the history of Thra, Aughra, and the mystery surrounding the Crystal.

The Premise

If you’re a fan of Crystal than you surely remember the epic ending where the evil Skeksis and the gentle Mystics are merged into one race after the shard is returned to the crystal. Creation Myths starts from the absolute beginning as a mysterious storyteller unveils the history of Thra, and the birth of Aughra.
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The Top Hat Sasquatch team reads a lot of blog posts every day, and some slip through the crack or just don’t warrant their own post. That’s where Missing Links comes in. Every few days we collect the best links we’ve come across and pass them on to you.

Jim Henson & Frank Oz Talking In 1989 With Kermit & More | The Mary Sue
This is a great find, I love looking up Jim Henson stuff on YouTube.

A month with the iPad mini — Minimally Minimal
A great write-up of what an iPad Mini is like. I've had mine for less than a month and I love it.

10 Tips to Avoid Getting Burned by Kickstarter | ShezCrafti
Jaime over at ShezCrafti wrote an excellent guide to using Kickstarter (as a consumer). Some great tips here.

The Walt Disney Image Problem
Interesting article about Walt Disney. I always roll my eyes at people when they say something about Disney being a Nazi, but it’s hard to blame them when the company doesn’t do much to educate people about what he was really like.

HAL 9000 | Uncrate
Is this awesome? Yes. Is this practical? I don't think so, Dave.

Song of the South: Disney’s Most Notorious Film by Jason Sperb, reviewed. – Slate Magazine
I can't wait to read this book. Song of the South is one of the most interesting pieces of Disney history.

Steve Jobs Promotes “Toy Story” | Cartoon Brew
A very cool little piece of animation history. Great find.

Well, that escalated quickly. Disney hasn’t even announced a director for Episode VII yet, but apparently they’re already thinking about non-numbered side films. Everyone ever is reporting today that Zack Snyder is making a Star Wars version of Akira Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai, a movie that I’ve been meaning to see for years and have never gotten around to it.

I’m not a fan of Snyder, but Man of Steel looks pretty good, and I like the idea of creator-driven standalone Star Wars films, so I’m going to stay cautiously optimistic about this. In fact, that’s the biggest thing I’m taking away from this news. The next few years (decades?) could be filled with serious, standalone Star Wars films from top directors who have been dying to play in this universe since they were kids. While this could also signal Disney’s willingness to overwhelm us with new Star Wars movies, at least they haven’t announced anything completely ridiculous yet.
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