Doom Patrol! Robot Man and Elastigirl!

Robot Man is one of my favourite comic book heroes. I don't remember when I first saw the old Bruno Premiani Doom Patrol but I know it was love at first sight. There's just something about the cast of characters that I love. So with Robot Man I finalized my Hero body. I kinda find it's best to create a new pattern with a character who has very little body detail...that way when you pull out stitches in an unsatisfactory shape it's all the same colour yarn.

Like Doop, I couldn't resist showing off Robot Man's brain. His is pink, though, because it's all that's left of race car driver, and human, Cliff Steele.

Cliff welcomes Rita Farr to the fold. Welcome, sister Rita. Elastigirl is my Female Hero body test subject. There are still some kinks to work out with her. For one thing the arms are too long...not a failing on a character called Elastigirl, but something I'll want to fix in later Yarn Sculptures.

The only thing I'd like to redo with Rita is her face. She's a little too harsh looking. Like the headmistress of a school. She looks like Eve Arden or Agnes Moorehead. Classic beauties in their own way but not the bright eyed beauty I think Rita should be.

"Hello, sailor", says Rita as she reclines in her boudoir.

Oh yeah, check out the newest issue of Wizard Magazine issue #207 for an article on yours truly. It's all about my little hobby and showcases my early superhero Yarn Sculptures (which is my new name for these things...it's so much more "arty" than calling them "dolls"!

best,

j.

I don't own these...

My attempt at a Godzilla doll. Something is lost, to me, when you don't show Godzilla's teeth. If I were to make another I would try to create an open mouth with rows of fangs and a cute little pink tongue. As it is I wanted a cute Godzilla...and added teeth only made him look like a doofus.

I love/hate Elmo. He's really just too adorable to truly dislike. On the other hand the media saturation coupled with the ENDLESS attempts to re-create the Tickle-Me-Elmo phenomenon make me cringe at the sight of him. On the other Other hand, my mom loves Elmo. So for Mother's day I made her my very own Cuddle-Me-Elmo. He doesn't talk or dance or sing or poop...he just sits and smiles.

And occassionally drinks. Can you blame him? He's probably sick of himself, too!

j.

Doop!

All right, this guy is probably one of my favourites ever! Somewhere online I saw someone's Frankenstein creation with an exposable brain. I'd started sketching a Doop doll and just knew that he'd have to have a full on removable blue brain. I don't know why his brain is blue. I don't think his brain is blue in any of the comic books. But MY Doop's brain is blue :)

I made the initial Doop for myself, he being one of my favourite of the newest characters to come along in the past few years. The second Doop was made for the Doc Allred because he wouldn't exist without the brilliance of Mike (and, I'm sure, Peter Milligan too). And the third went to Darwyn Cooke because he and I worked together on the Wolverine/Doop mini-series. I absolutely love the way Darwyn drew Doop.

Construction-wise this was the first character to get fingers. Until now everyone had mitten hands.

j.

Amazing Sea Monkeys! Watch them Grow!

Once I'd made the Cute pattern I got a jones on to make an adorable Sea Monkey! Based on the characters you'd see in comic book ads, I wanted a fleshy pink skin, with the weird tentacles and cute little tail. I also looked up brine shrimp (which is what sea monkeys are) and learned that they actually have three eyes. The first eye ceases to function when the other eyes fully develop. To make my Sea Monkey different from the comic book ad, and because I love multiple eyes on things, I added the third eye. This is my initial sketch for the Sea Monkey. I wanted a real Harvey comics (Hot Stuff, Casper and Richie Rich) shape to him.

I love how this guy turned out. His eyes felt a little bulgey so I made a second one with less bulging eyes. Also it was a good excuse to have another little Sea Monkey in my collection. I call them Sherman and Shelby.

j.

Little Froggies and a Wolf!

I made these little guys for friends who were expecting twins. Their Baby Shower list include a few things with a frog theme so I made up this little pattern. Pretty simple. What I like most about these guys is the webbed feet gave me a new way to make shaped appendages. Nothing ground breaking but new methods are always helpful for future characters.

I made this little guy for my dad who likes Wolves. In the end he didn't look much like a wolf cub, really. He at least looks like he belongs in the dog family, I think. It'd make a great fox if he were made out of red-brown yarn.

j.

Villainous Heroes!

Doom based on my "cute" pattern where cute = big head and stubby limbs. Second to Kalibak in detail. The eyes had to be made of felt because crocheted parts get too thick when layered. The hood and cape are knitted. I'm not all that quick with my knitting so it took a while to make even this small cloak.

My second attempt at creating a Hero body...this time larger than Orion. Namor stands a little under 18 inches. I like how he turned out but in the end decided that the body was just too big. More detailed heroes would take too long to make...this is supposed to be a hobby, after all, not a full time job :)

j.

Early Cute Animals!

Basic character with simple ball head and tube legs. He's pretty clumsily made but he was one of the first.

The Lion is based on a pattern found in the Amigurumi book from which I learned how to make these critters. The black cat is a modified version of the lion.

j.

Kirby's New Gods!

Kalibak was made shortly after Orion. He has so far been the most detailed character and therefore took the longest to make. I aimed for the Kirby Kalibak as seen in the early issues of the New Gods...before he started carrying around his power staff. The sash and gun belt are knitted with crochet elements.

He kind of looks a little like a Klingon.

One of my first Hero characters was Kirby's Orion. Kirby's characters fit perfectly in the world of rounded Amigurumi. However, you do lose the agressive toughness of a Kirby hero when you make him out of yarn.

This is the early Hero body. The later guys are sturdier and thicker around the waist and ankles. Early Hero also has "mitten" hands.

j.

Sock Monkeys!

He loves to sit in your hand! He fits in a teacup! His favourite food is lollipops!

Adopt them all!

j.

Barbapapas!

Two new members of the Barbapapa family...Barbalbino and Barbaboney. I added arms to Barbaboney but I don't actually like them. Eventually I plan on stitching them behind his back and put a flower arrangement or skull in his hands.

j.

Cro-chet-Magnon Man and Woman!

One of my first non-pattern projects. Sorta made 'em up as I went along.

j.