Wednesday 27 November 2019

Abstract moment of the week #12


It’s a dark, doomy, gloomy world out there isn’t it, and a little light relief can sometimes come in the most unexpected of forms.  But... in the form of dog shit?!  Surely not, I hear you say.  Then let me introduce you to Puppy Poo.

Some years ago I was lucky enough to visit the Bologna Children’s Book Fair, it’s full of wonderful books and the work of some fabulously talented illustrators from around the world as you might imagine.  A brilliant experience, but overwhelming.  When it comes to artwork, it’s particularly interesting to see what’s being produced in countries with cultures very different to our own – I remember being fascinated by Middle Eastern and Asian approaches to illustration in particular, and the subjects tackled in their children’s stories, so I picked up a load of their publishers’ catalogues to peruse more sedately on my return.

Well, you know, I went through them of course, but then they get put away in the back of a drawer like so many things one collects on one’s travels, and it was only when I started having a good old clearout earlier this week that I decided to take a proper look.  This was when I found the Korean children’s book ‘Puppy Poo’.

Here’s the description, and you’ll notice the delightful illustration of a puppy actually doing its doings on the cover, if you’ll excuse the way I’ve phrased that.  Click to enlarge (if you want, they're fresh from my scanner;  I did wash my hands.)









This publisher's catalogue is going back many years so, being curious of mind (that's all...), I wondered if there was anything about this unusual book to be found online.   There is.  In searching for it I discovered that Puppy Poo, or more precisely here, 'Doggy Poo', is actually quite a celebrated character in Korean animation. A role model, one might say, the hero of a fable, an example to all.

So, my treat to you today - the trailer for the absolutely genuine short film for children, ‘Doggy Poo’.




Even turds contemplate the meaning of life... 

From Wikipedia:  After being "created" by a dog, Doggy Poo meets various living and inanimate things.  No-one wants to be his friend, and Doggy Poo becomes sad because he believes he is worthless and has no purpose.  Eventually a plant grows out of the ground and tells Doggy Poo that she needs him so she can grow into a flower.  Doggy Poo discovers his life purpose and he becomes absorbed by the flower.  After being absorbed by the flower, Doggy Poo lives "a happy life".

8 comments:

  1. Replies
    1. It's certainly different, isn't it? I'm not sure I'm ready for anthropomorphic faeces and thankful I've never been asked to illustrate one, although that little one in the first book illustration is quite...erm...cute...?!

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  2. Replies
    1. It really highlights our cultural differences, doesn't it? To me the film looks like a Fast Show parody but in Korea it's a tale about nature and philosophy for children. I wonder if there was any spin-off merchandise?

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  3. Only you C, could find such a cute "Little Poo" cartoon character! I'm not sure whether the guy doing the voice-over in the film is being serious though, as he sounds just a little bit too earnest.

    As for poo, I remember well having a trailer of manure delivered every year by a local farmer so that my dad could mix it in to the soil in the garden for growing the years crops. All mixed in with straw I think so I wasn't really thinking about it's origins but made for some very tasty fruit and vege - yum, yum!

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    Replies
    1. Haha, I'm not sure if that's a good thing or not - might have to ensure future discoveries are a little "classier"! But the cultural difference particularly intrigued me. As you say, the voice seems OTT and overly earnest - it really makes it sound like a parody. Perhaps because it's for the Korean market the nuances we hear in his voice as they're in our native language weren't picked up in the same way by the audience?

      Manure (doesn't that sound so much better than "poo" too?!) is a rather wondrous thing, it has to be said. Also horse manure has a rather lovely smell, must be to do with the original diet, no 'Pedigree Pal Chunky Beef, now with extra marrowbone' in there! I know what you mean about the goodness - I used to help out at some stables when I was a kid, mucking out and all that, and brought some home for my mum's roses which thrived on it too.

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  4. I have spent some time in South Korea, and perhaps that's the reason, but I have fallen for Poo.

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    Replies
    1. Ah, Brian, a true fan!

      Would love to hear more about your time in S Korea some day too.

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