u/y2kftw360

Note: I had to re-upload this because I left out Thunder Bunny by accident.

The art in each of these covers is fun and whimsical, as to be expected from Rodney's work. I think I can see a bit of a mix of the Global Village Coffeehouse and Wacky PoMo aesthetics in them, as well. The more recent the books, the more it resembles PaRappa's art style.

Did you read any of these books when you were younger?

EDIT: I forgot the second parenthesis around 1993 in Slombo the Gross... I'm such a klutz, I swear.

Anyway, the books in order are:

Uncle Wizzmo's New Used Car (1990)

Aunt Ippy's Museum of Junk (1991)

Slombo the Gross (1993)

Thunder Bunny (1997)

The art style on each of these covers is quite fun and whimsical; I think I can see a bit of a mix of the Global Village Coffeehouse and Wacky PoMo aesthetics in it. The later the books are published, the more the art style starts resembling that of PaRappa.

Did you read any of these books when you were younger?

To me, Mo Willems' early art style is like Global Village Coffeehouse meets UPA revival. Mo Willems would later go on to become a children's book author and illustrator.

EDIT: I forgot to mention that the first 6 images are from The Off-Beats; the other 9 are from Sesame Street; and the last one is from The Man Who Yelled (his 1990 student film). Just wanted to make things clear.

The World Wide Web was a big deal at the time. I love the design on the wall.

It is about four heroes—Anne Dilly Whim (the leader), Yendor Talbneerg (the tech-savvy brainiac), Stinkabod Lamé (the wacky comic relief) and Titan Rose (the strong, poetry-loving hulk)—on a quest to fight boredom and stop the Mediogre, the head of an evil corporation called BLANDO (short for Big Lethargic Amalgamated National Development Organization), and his nerdy "techno-weasel" sidekick Pin Bleeper.

It has two stories: "A Child is Bored" and "Banker, Spare That Petshop!" The first story involves Yendor, Stinkabod and Titan rescue a Habitroid boy named Jeremy Gerbilman, who has become a "brain-washed zombie" from watching excessive television. The second story involves Stinkabod's pet hamster Shortnin'head getting sick, but when Anne Dilly Whim tries to call the Probe and Poke Pet Shop for help, she discovers that it has mysteriously disappeared, an event which turns out to be the work of the Mediogre's Transglumifier. Each story goes differently depending on which character you choose to continue.

There's also Dazzeloid Dreams, a look into the dreams of Anne, Yendor, Titan, Stinkabod and the Mediogre.

The plot of four fun-loving heroes fighting against aggressive capitalism and corporate boredom is kind of ahead of its time for me in retrospect; nowadays it seems that corporations have made their products and services (e.g. McDonald's) less aesthetically vibrant. And as for this game's art style, it just screams Wacky PoMo and I love it.