I must admit that the older i get, the more i love animated gifs. This Totoro one spotted here. I’ve been saving a few. At some point soon i’ll do an animated gif special ;) There’s something a bit cheeky about a gif. They are having a bit of a renaissance - and i’m enjoying it.

Lots more great finds, articles, thoughts and commentary over at Nathan’s Rubbish Corp. Always a good read.

Well. That went quick didn’t it! Meat Monster and Bob ( above ) say hi. And promise to keep up the posting, bringing you interesting things, nice ideas, visual goodness, and handmade stuff they spot as they rummage through the internets.

A massive thank you to you ( Yes you! ) for coming and reading the blog. It’s always a pleasure to have you! It’s been fascinating to chat to you all in the comments bit, and hear your thoughts and ideas. And many thanks to everyone who thinks of me when they see something cool, or has something wicked to they’ve made, and shoots a mail over. You’re all awesome ;)

I’m thinking of giving Monster-Munch a make over. If you have anything you want to see more of, less of, or have any cunning plans you think i should get involved in then please get in touch :D @nickygibson on Twitter is the best way.

So - cheers you wonderful bunch, and nighty night … for now :)

We got a new juicer through today as an advance birthday present for Cookie from Cookie Snr. And it’s amazing! We’ve been down to the market and stuffed a rucksack full to the brim of fruit and veg, and been madly whazzing it through the machine all day. Turns out grapefruit goes with just about everything.

If you have kids i would imagine a juicer being a great way of getting them to eat carrots and beetroot. So much fun ramming carrots in the tube of doom to be loudly grated to death… Monsters above spotted on Ffffound :)

Oh no wait, it’s just a cat. Here he is here.

Lovely work here from Sans Gil just flooded in through my inbox. Red and Blue monsters. Lots of character for such a simple shape. I once learned to knit in order to learn to make my first knitted monkey. Then when i realised i could make them quicker out of socks, the knitting went a little out the window ;) But these have so much charm because of their completely handmade nature. Great colours too.

Dare they say they even look cute? Certainly like they’re fairly jolly fellows at any rate! I’m imagining Creature Comforts type voices on them :) Thanks to Meachin for sending this one over. Love it. If you know who’s responsible then drop me a line.

Getting in the Christmas spirit here in Monster Munch watching Yann le Coroller’s Xmas Monster Animation. You can watch the video here and check out the rest of his fantastic monster illustration here.

Update: Yann got in contact and apparently you can get hold of this little fella in ticklable iPhone App format! He does a bit of shouting and screaming when you accost him. Lovely :)

Brilliantly made mini Where The Wild Things Are characters here. Made in the japanese character crochet style, Amigurumi. Very technical stuff! And impressive likenesses. Big thanks to the Beddard who sent me this. You can see more details and buy the patterns on CraftyisCool’s Etsy here. Can’t wait to see this Monster movie!

Bottle opener family featuring “Uuuuh?” “Waaaaa!” and “Yeeeeeey” responses, depending on what you think of the beer. Simple and cute. From Poketo spotted over at HoveringCat. Cool tshirt here too.

I want to hug him and run away screaming all at the same time.

What a fine example of a proper old school City Rampaging monster. Big teeth and wide eyes - he’s a beauty! This cute, yet fangy, furry friend is the creation of Mate Steinforth - designer, illustration, animator, and creative director. He was due to pop into Poke today to do a little talk, but hopefully he can make it in another day. I’m excited to get the lowdown on the 3D modeling work below, and see what else he has up his sleeve. I will report back if i hear more …

Here’s a couple of cheeky chappies i’ve been making recently. Their temporary names are Elliott and Joseph until their new owners are old enough to speak, and give them their proper names :) These Cat Monsters are twins, similar but not the same. Their eyes are slightly different to tell them apart ;) I’m sure over time they’ll develop their own unique characters much like their owners, twins Eleanor and Josie ( who are themselves the fantastic creations of Iain & Sophie ). A couple of soft, button free, squishy friends to keep them company.

I was browsing through Hylton Warburton’s latest flickr uploads when i spotted this piece of brilliance. I shall be customising my mac forthwith!

A couple of things i’ve added to my Ffffound page recently. Great colours and line work in the Ant Eater illustration by Jörn Kaspuhl. Love the screen print offset, and the slight green tint to the ink rather than a darker black. And the second astonishing image of what looks like a Victorian era fella up to his chest in squirming crocodiles! Is this some kind of circus or crocodile transportation ? Is he taking them out or putting them in ? NO idea. It’s hard to tell what he’s trying to do. But after being quite close to a crocodile myself once, i have to say he’s got balls. For more oddness, captured moments, and cartoons pop over to HeyOkay.

Spotted this Ghostly Monster fella over on Ffffound and i just had to show you. Traced it back to an article on the consistently excellent Kitsune Noir and here’s the link to the band in question’s site so you can have a little listen. I don’t know for sure but this looks a little like the work of Supermundane ? Had a rummage and indeed it is. Check out his other lovely stuff here. I think i’m quite liking that band too. What a nice double find.

And it’s at this point i break away to tell you about my new jumper. Yes! It’s all hot news down here at Monster-Munch ;) It’s cold and drizzly today and happily my jumper arrived bang in time from Lazy Oaf. There is a questionable fella wearing it in the demo shot so i have removed his head so as not to scare you off. It’s reversible, and suits two moods both joyous and grumpy, or sober vs drunk perhaps, or time for bed vs time to get up. Whatever suits you. Anyway. I am very much looking forward to utilizing this double sided messaging. Watch out for grumpy face - if you see it, a cup of tea wouldn’t go a miss ;)