PlushYou!: Plush

Meet the man behind, Happycloud Thunderhead. He has a beard, makes cute monsters and draws them too. Let's hear what he has to say.

S- Tell us a bit about yourself and your work?

HCTH- I am an artist. I live in Wisconsin. I used to live in Seattle. I have a beard and a cat. Her name is Lulu (my cat, not my beard. His name is Larry). My plush toys, dolls and illustrations are characters from the imaginary fantasy land of Thunderhead Kingdom and the elf village of Happycloud. That’s why I call it Happycloud Thunderhead. I make a variety of monsters, elves, heroes, heroines, sorcerers, goblins, creatures, etc…

S- I see you have a degree in the fine arts. What drew you to making plush?

HCTH- I didn’t quite get a degree, I did go to a private art college in Seattle for a few years and I really learned a lot there. My fine art work deals with abstracting found images and collage.

When I was a kid, I really wanted to be a cartoonist. Then, I saw the book Jazz, by Henri Matisse and I became obsessed with fine art. Although, most of my early paintings were of weird monsters and creatures. It has kind of come around full circle returning to monsters and an interest in illustration. I sort of started making plush on a whim, I just wanted to see what I could do with it; I enjoy a challenge. I tried it, really liked it, and I’ve stuck with it. Plush and illustration are now occupying way more time than art, and instead of separate interests I find my self thinking up ways to blend it all together.

S- It always seems like people are drawn to monsters. Why do you think that is?

HCTH- I think people like the idea that something which should be scary is instead very cute and fun; its silly and ironic. I think its good for kids to fight off the boogie man or monsters under the bed, having their own monster friend to protect them. I like monsters because they fit so well into the fantasy theme. I find myself coming up with lots of different personalities and stories for them. Most of my monsters live in the Forgotten Forest.

S- Where do you think we will see your monsters 10 years from now?

HCTH- I hope to have a line of toys in stores. I want to write some children’s adventure story books. I plan to continue working on my illustration and art. I may explore the notion of opening my own toy store.

S- What is your favorite kind of monster and why?

HCTH- Um, I don’t know. I like cute monsters. Like Gizmo, ET, or Ewoks…er, well, those are aliens but you know what I mean. I can’t stand scary movies, my imagination is to active and I scare myself to easily. I don’t know that I have a real favorite. I have a few monster characters that I want to write stories for but no one will know; Zog, Grum Grum or Krazzug Jr. If I have to pick, I’m gonna say Mer-man from the original 80’s cartoon He-man and the Masters of the Universe.

"Introducing Imhotep representing the "Undead Nation''. --Insert Applause Here---

Imhotep will be competing in the "Extreme Sleigh Riding" competition. He's using his sarcophagus lid for his sleigh, and also has his handy killer snowball to help annihilate the competition and win the gold. Imhotep may appear to be young but don't let this 14" little cutie fool you, his killer snow ball has some fangs on it! Also that sled barely passed qualification being that it's 20"X15" and has Vipers for reigns. Go for the Gold!" By Kim Monroe

"Maniacal Moose Wrestling – In the backwoods of Canada, there was a hidden radiation spring that innocent young moose stumbled upon. They mutated into maniacal wrestling moose. The locals found them wandering around the woods trying to wrestle each other and trees… lost without a direction in their young moose lives. Instead of locking them up, they have been given a new start in this newly formed Olympic Sport. Wrestlers must wrangle with a moose in the snow until one of the opponents submits by tapping out or is pinned for a count of 3." By Knot by Gran'ma

My made up sport is the High Cliff Huck & Hurl! The HCHH consists of a tall run, much like ski jump- only with more snow. Stuffies tumble down with gusto (sort of Buttercup from The Princess Bride style) gathering steam and snow until they are launched off the edge and somehow make an attempt to hit closest to the bullseye. Stuffy landing is marked on the target and then the opposing team sends down a member. Scoring is similar to Bocce or Curling- points are awarded for your team being closer to the innermost circle. By Lizzy Palmer

"The great art of Cupcake Throwing was just discovered this year and it all started innocently! Teddy the Love Bot Bot was just about to enjoy her cupcake when someone rudely bumped into her. Accidentally getting caught up in her anger - she threw her cupcake. It missed the rude offender, but it hit right in the middle of the bakery sign. Somewhere from in the restaurant someone shouted, "nice cupcake shot!" and that is the day Cupcake Throwing was discovered! By Samaria Project

My made up sport is an all you can make and throw snowball fight. Each team consists of three members. Two team members are the "throwers" and one is the "snowballer". Representing this sport is Eddie "8 arms" Octo. Eddie is the teams "snowballer". His job is to make as many snowballs as possible for his team mates. Lucky for his team, Eddie uses all eight of his arms at once and rolls and shapes the perfect snowballs for throwing! In this sport, the only thing more important than the snow is the snowball. Each game has three rounds lasting five minutes each. Two teams play against each other and whichever team can hit the other team with the most snowballs wins. By Jessica Anderson

Combat Sledding

In combat sledding, athletes must steer their sleds down a bumpy hill, while at the same time scooping up and throwing snowballs at their opponents. Final scores are determined by a combination of place upon completing the course, how many hits made on opponents, and how well the athlete avoid opponents' attacks. By Jessie Mae Petrick

freestyle snow scooter!

the rules:

1 - first one down the slope wins

2 -jumps on moguls are a must

3 - three figures are required - backflips, somersaults, etc By Gigi Wenger

" Trying to keep with a Canadian theme I decided that my bear would be designated the long forgotton sport of "Rollerskating while balancing a plate of perogies." Let the games begin!" By Cowboy Bunny

" Meet TIATE HIIN, born in 1985 to a local tribe of Inuit Natives from Kodiak, on Kodiak Island, Alaska. Tiate proudly plans to compete in the time-honored sport of the Sitting Snow-Ball Balance.

Earlier today TIATE excelled in the first round - Squatting Snow-Ball Balance, and hopes to win gold (or at least finish in time for lunch) at the 'Plush You' Olympic Challenge, 2010 Winter Games!

• Current time to beat: 4 hrs. 23 min.
• Hours prior to lunch: 3 hrs. 10 min."

By Stacey Holland

"Eskimo Panic
Monster olympians participating in the popular Eskimo Panic sport must get the best scare out of an unsuspecting Eskimo going about their daily routine. Athletes are awarded up to 10 points in the following categories: element of surprise, Eskimo response, originality, and overall scare. Each monster must participate in two rounds, with the winner having the highest averaged score. Note: Any Eskimo getting harmed will result in immediate disqualification!" By Skizzarah

To be read in your best announcer voice: "And for those of you just joining us, we are watching the spectacular run of Bunny McLumperson through this year's cross-country gauntlet. She has already made it through the Hall of Dragons, over the Lake of Frozen Horrors, and across the Bridge of Certain Doom! If she can safely pass this next challenge, she may be the first ever Lump Bunny to take home the Gold! Can she do it? Will she be able to make it past this next terror: Stewart, the Grouchy Polar Bear? Stay tuned and see if she will be the first athlete in this winter's gauntlet to successfully make it to the finish!" By Cotton Candy Girl

Welcome to the Snowbirding Biathlon!

To qualify for the Snowbirding Biathlon the participants must:

1.       Reside at least six months of the year in the New England Coastal area.
2.       Reside in the winter months in the coastal areas of sunny Florida!
3.       Wear a penguin suit.

Snowbirding Biathlon Regulations:

Round 1- Carving on the Water

Participants must complete a round of carving on their surfboards, with at least three turns before hitting the beach. The more turns before reaching the beach will reside in higher points. The participant will be wearing the penguin suit to add difficulty for balance and turns on the board. If the participant falls off their board, they are disqualified for the round!

Round 2 – 50 yd Waddle Dash

Once participants reach the beach, they must sand their boards and race in a 50 yd penguin waddle across the beach. The waddle winner will be competing against the time runs of the other participants. Runners will continue to compete in the penguin suit, adding difficulty to the waddle. Deductions will be made for falling over during the waddle.

The participant with the best score of water carves and waddle time will be the winner!

Bonus points awarded for the following:

1.       Squawking like a penguin during the race.
2.       Oldest Snowbirding competitor.
3.       Dismounting from the surfboard in a penguin dive.

By Ellen Ault

"mini self snow sculptures" where you have to make mini sculptures of yourself. In the sport it goes basically as the name. Make a mini sculpture from snow, best sculpture wins! By Oanhderbread

Meet Quincy the XIII! The luckiest of the Quincy clan. Born with the family good looks as well as an exceptionally athetic physique, "Quinn" is the ideal candidate for the Schmancy Olympic Challenge. 

His sport, you ask? Why it's the Competitive Snowball Throwing event. For those unfamiliar with the sport, it combines the fine art of snowball throwing with guerilla tactics. Contestants are matched, in head to head competition, and are placed in snow-clad outdoor arenas. They are provided an unlimited supply of snowballs; premade and placed throughout the grounds. This sport requires stealth, accuracy and agility from its athletes.

Focused on his goal of winning a medal, Quinn has prepared for this event with an intense training regimen, which included daily Wii Fit routines and carb-loading. That, along with his love for yoga and limber arms allow him to dodge and throw with ninja-like speed. To add even more of an advantage, sponsors have also provided him with a specially designed uniform--reflective and lightweight, that camouflages him in the icy terrain.

Quinn welcomes all challengers! Let the games begin!  By Vera Paras

 Yummy Pancake

the Meme-athalon! Consisting of events such as 1500m All your base race, The Rick barrel roll, 50m Leeroy Jenkins dash, Cheezeburger competitive eating, I like turtles hurl, and star wars kid fencing, the meme-athalon is sure to delight one and all! It is run both at the summer and winter olympics, and the events are as dynamic as the memes themselves!

Icicle Jousting

Pictured here is Meinhard Wolf, jouster for the German team, with his trusty nordic "tuk-a-luk" Kamilla. The sport is played by the jouster riding on the back of his tuk-a-luk with an icicle stick in hand while charging his/her competitor, another jouster riding his/her own tuk-a-luk. Tuk-a-luks are the only animals that you can ride (sorry horses!). In case you aren't familiar with the tuk-a-luk, they are a hearty, nordic animal found primarily in Scandinavia. Descended from eurasian lynxes and mountain hares, they are docile creatures often used for transportation. By Johannah Genett