October 31, 2011

Week 44 - Caution Dude


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Faster than Scrubbing Bubbles, more powerful than a Magic Eraser... able to mop huge puddles in a single swipe. -- Look, Over there! It's a bumble bee. It's a taxi. No, it's Caution Dude! -- Yes, it's Caution Dude! Strange visitor from another world who came to earth with powers and abilities far beyond those of below-average men. Caution Dude, who, disguised as 20-year-old Greg Bowdler, mild-mannered seasonal janitor for a small-town high school, fights a never-ending battle for cleanliness, caution, and really, REALLY shiny floors."

Happy Halloween!

What? You were expecting some kind of ghoulish creeper or nocturnal cave-dweller? Look around people. Superhero costumes are HOT this year. In fact, according to a survey I just made up, 93% of people reported that they were celebrating Halloween dressed as their favorite tight-wearing civil-saver. And although I love seeing one tiny Iron Man after another, after another, at my door (hating on my sour apple flavored Blow Pops) my favorite superheroes are the ones that are completely made up.

Take Caution Dude for instance. He came into being back when I was working summers as a janitor during college trying to stockpile money to fund a bad corn dog habit. Sure, the original costume was little more than caution tape, rubber gloves, and some ridiculous boots I found in the school's janitor closet... but I had moxie. I ran around that school, in full costume, professing the importance of caution to my co-workers and supervisors alike. (basically anything was better than scrapping gum off the bottom of desks)

So... let your imagination run wild and go out there and do something... Super!

The next Munny will be posted on November 11 and will feature a hero of another kind. If you have an idea of a Munny YOU would like to see, leave a comment below or shoot me an e-mail at gbowdler@gmail.com.

      

Jump to the MUNNDEX.


October 28, 2011

Week 43 - Dummy Munny (with mini dummy dummy)


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I've always had a fascination with puppets. Not ventriloquism specifically, but puppets in a more general sense. It started when I was a young boy participating in a summer program at a living museum where I pretended to be a boy in the 19th century at a school house. One day I found a duck marionette. I played with that thing every free moment and I got pretty good at walking it around and pecking at things that the person acting as the school teacher would have me perform with my duck for visitors to the museum.

Out of the blue in 2007 I got the idea that I should start making muppet-style puppets and did just that. I created 12 puppets that all went on to star in a year's worth of videos on YouTube including a holiday spectacular including 12 video's every other day leading up to Christmas. Shortly after their first birthday the novelty wore off and artistic differences between the other puppeteer and I meant an end to the videos. (Just YouTube 'The Grupples" to see that unintentional year-long project.)

In 2009 my puppet skills made a short come-back for one night only as I created a Grupple in the likeness of my room-mate and friend for her senior showcase inspired by the Broadway musical, Avenue Q.

Puppets have recently taken a back seat to Munnys (go figure) in 2011 but who knows.... I've got a big plastic container sitting in storage with a bunch of characters just aching to get out and stretch their felt. 

The next Munny will be posted on November 4th (unless there is some kind of holiday coming up that might warrant an early Munny post. wink wink) If there is a Munny you would like to see to round out the year, leave a comment below or shoot me at e-mail at gbowdler@gmail.com.

      

Jump to the MUNNDEX.

October 21, 2011

Week 42 - Munnaret

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It’s Homecoming Week here at The University of Tampa.

As you may, or may not know, I’ve been calling UT home for the past decade. My parents dropped me off here in August of 2001 and I’ve been here ever since. (Mostly because they never came to pick me back up.)

To celebrate this week I wanted to share with you a classic University of Tampa icon… a Munny inspired by one of the Minarets that top Plant Hall – the building our whole university was built around. (Plus I already did a Spartan back in week 23.)

Fun fact about a specific UT Minaret. back in 2007 my office was actually IN one of the columns supporting the silver minaret on top. The office was round so my rectangular desk was awkwardly shoved in there, and I wasn't able to hang anything square (i.e. bulletin board, picture frame, etc.) on the walls. Have you ever worked in a round office? No? I guess I'm just special.

The next Munny will be posted on October 28th. If there is a Munny YOU would like to see make sure you leave a comment below or shoot me an e-mail to gbowdler@gmail.com!


      

Jump to the MUNNDEX.


October 14, 2011

Week 41: Autumn the Pile Pulverizer


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One of the things I miss most now that I've relocated from Western New York (where I grew up) to Florida is that season commonly known as Fall. (Here we basically go from Summer to Diet Summer and back) One of my favorite activities as a child was "helping" my father rake up leaves. Basically he would do all the raking, then I would help him push the piles into this huge mesh sheet that he would then hoist up over his back (a la Santa) and drag back to our mulch pile in the woods behind our house. Upon his return he usually would find me, not near but, IN the next pile to pick up.

The next Munny will be posted on Friday, October 22. If there is a Munny YOU would like to see, leave a comment below or shoot me an e-mail at gbowdler@gmail.com.


      

Jump to the MUNNDEX.

October 7, 2011