I haven’t confirmed this, but Italy’s Diego Zucchi typically utilizes Flash and After Effects in his shorts. I suspect the production of this short below, titled Boxes, is no different.
CHF regulars might recall the 2006 Holiday Gift Guide, which, by the way, still includes some great gift ideas. I know a great many of you enjoyed that list, so I’m bringing it back in ‘07. This year its even bigger, and as usual I’ve covered every income bracket – from $5 trinkets to $60 drawing tablets. Many gifts are from Flash animation sites and properties, but I’ve also stretched out to include animation gifts of any size, shape and origin. Happy shopping!
Smack ‘N Yak Plush – Bloo
$8.99
Bloo, otherwise known as Blooregard, the star of Foster’s Home For Imaginary Friends, will say funny phrases if you smack ‘em! Now is that any way to treat our of our favorite characters? Well, he does talk alot….
Ratatouille Figure Cell Phone Charms
$3.48
The set comes with Remy, Emile, Django, Colette, Gusteau, Skinner and Linhuini, all 1″ tall. If you’re a cheap bastard, that’s 6 gifts for your office mates for under $4.
Mr. Hanky Slippers
$9.90
This holiday season, throw some s#!t on your friends’ feet without getting in trouble. Mr. Hanky is one of the more popular characters from South Park.
Building a Flash Character Video Tutorial
$9.99
Ryan Simmons, who has been working in animation for 10 years at studios such as Warner Bros. and Dreamworks, offers Quicktime tutorials on how to build characters in Flash, how animate and even how to complete sound effects and final audio.
Happy Tree Friends Nutty Bobble Head
$8.99
This bobble-head is from the gang at Funko, who make some of the best sculpts in the business. Nutty the squirrel is one of the screwiest cast members of Happy Tree Friends, the Flash-animated series that plays on both TV and the web.
Harvey Birdman – Hell On Wingtips Decal
$2.95
Slap some vinyl onto your monitor, and pretend you were an animator on one of the coolest Flash-animated series out there – Harvey Birdman: Attorney at Law.
Pucca Angry Hanging Swinger Keychain
$9.58
This 1 1/2 inch keychain is imported from Japan, and features a sculpt of Garu, who is always on the run from Pucca, the love-struck star.
Flingable 2-Pack Bloo & Wilt
$5.99
Super-stretchy versions of your favorite Flash-animated stars, Bloo and Wilt – from Foster’s Home For Imaginary Friends. Fling them over 20 feet.
Happy Tree Friends – Season 1, Vol. 4 DVD
$11.19
12 episodes from the Happy Tree Friends TV series, which plays on G4 in the States. This 4th and final volume from the inaugural season also includes heaps of bonus features.
Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends – The Complete Season 2 DVD
$16.99
This 2-disc set came out only months ago, and features almost 300-minutes of animation on 2 DVDs.
Speed Racer Earrings
$16.00
These handmade earrings are sold at Etsy.com, the handmade version of eBay. The earrings are 1 1/2″ long and the earwires are hypo-allergenic.
Joe Cartoon: Greatest Hits 1
$17.99
From Joe Shields, called the godfather of interactive animated content, comes his second DVD – filled with 40 episodes of frog-blending fun and interactivity.
Wonder Showzen – Season Two DVD
$16.99
8 episodes from the 2006 season on 2-discs. This series features Flash-animated shorts brought to life by Augenblick Studios in New York.
Wind-up Homestar T-shirt
Prices start at $15.00
Homestar Runner as a toy… as a shirt! Brilliant! The shirt comes in blue, blue or blue, youth, women’s and men’s sizes and its printed on 100% pre-shrunk cotton.
Happy Tree Friends Cuddles Keychain
$12.99
Perhaps the most-watched Flash-animated series, Happy Tree Friends has revealed all sorts of cool new products this year. Grab a Cuddles keychain, or click here to get 6 for $28.99.
Ratatouille DVD
$12.49
Seems like a great deal at $12.49. Ratatouille was a huge hit this past summer – another big success for Pixar. It follows the culinary adventures of Remy, a rat who sees eye-to-eye with humans.
Bitey Women’s Tee
$18.00 Australian (approx $15.76 US)
Adam Phillips got his new Yahoo store up just in time for the holidays, and now he’s offering women’s shirts. Pick up a Bitey t-shirt and support the indie animator!
The Dethalbum CD (Deluxe Edition)
$12.99
The original soundtrack from the Flash-animated series Metalocalypse – which airs on Adult Swim. This 2-CD set includes such family-friendly hits as Duncan Hills Coffee Jingle, Bloodrocuted and Briefcase Full of Guts.
F8-Convert to Symbol T-shirt (Cold Hard Flash)
$18.00
To begin your very own Flash animation revolution: 1) buy shirt 2) wear shirt 3) and wave your fists around like an angry, animating ape. This CHF exclusive is printed on soft American Apparel shirts.
Prophet Buddy T-shirt
$17.99
This weekly Flash-animated series by Eric Pringle has spawned a new t-shirt. This American Apparel shirt comes in a variety of sizes and colors.
Harvey Birdman Ladies T-Shirt
$17.99
A 100% cotton ladies ringer t-shirt with a two-tone Harvey Birdman logo on the front. Don’t eat too much at the holiday party, ‘cuz these shirts fit snuggly and run small.
Pixar Short Films Collection – Volume 1 DVD
$19.99
This recently-released DVD set includes 13 shorts and almost 1-hour of animation. Many of these films served as training grounds for artists. I love the fact that this is only Volume One!
Schoolhouse Rock! – Special 30th Anniversary Edition DVD
$14.99
This 2-disc DVD set includes dozens of shorts that teach multiplication tables, science, grammar, American history, and economics. Also includes an homage Nike commercial – Three Is A Magic Number.
Smack ‘N Yak – Eduardo
$19.95
Give Eduardo a smack in the jaw and he’ll throw some smack back-atcha. These plush toys repeat funny phrases when you hit them. Eduardo stars in the Flash-animated series Foster’s Home For Imaginary Friends.
Trogdor Zip Hoodie
$32.50
Trogdor was a man, I mean, he was a dragon man. Or maybe he was just a dragon, but he was still TROGDOR! The famous Flash-animated dragon-man can be emblazoned upon your friend or relative’s chest this holiday season, and you need not burninate a single peasant to get your hands on one. This black zip hoodie is a 50/50 poly-cotton blend made by Jerzees.
Socketts – Handmade Cat Sock Puppet
$30.00
Choose from one of four handmade designs over at etsy.com – the handmade online superstore. Made with an American Knit cotton sock, New Hampshire felt, foam, lush faux fur.
Blooregard Remote Control Figure
$24.99
The Trouble Makin’ Blooregard Remote Control Figure says 15 phrases and can be maneuvered with a six-function paddle-ball controller. Bloo, if you didn’t already know, is the star of the Flash-animated hit Foster’s Home For Imaginary Friends.
Magical Trevor Plushie
$24.18
Magical Trevor is one of the more brilliant musical Weebls Stuff series (c’mon – “beans, lots of beans”?), and now you can own your own plush version of this cow lover.
efrontier Anime Studio 5 Software
$34.99
For those not willing to plunk down hundreds to get the latest Adobe Flash version, Anime Studio offers bone-rigging, vector-based graphics, and layer-based workflow for the budding or professional animator.
The Art of Ratatouille Book
$26.40
This “art of” book from this summers Pixar hit Ratatouille is aimed at the adults and features storyboards, full-color pastels, digital and pencil sketches, character studies, maquettes, and more.
TrickOrScript Thumbnail Plugin
$34.99
Flash plug-ins allow animators to customize the software to fit our exact needs. With the Thumbnail Plugin, artists can view thumbnails of frames inside a nested symbol. Works great for lip sync.
Amazing Adrendalini Brothers Flaming ‘A’ Shirt
£16.00 (approx $32.92 US)
YAHZAA! Buy official merchandise from this Flash-animated series that’s recently made the death-defying jump to television.
Metalocalypse – Season One DVD
$22.99
This Flash-animated series on Adult Swim has spawned its first DVD set – Season One. This 2-disc collection features 230-minutes of face-melting, guitar smashing animation and all things METAL!
Squidbillies, Vol. 1 DVD
$23.99
The third season of Squidbillies is only weeks away, but in the meantime, enjoy the Flash-animated goodness from season 1. The set includes almost 230 minutes of animation including the original rough-cut pilot.
The Complete Peanuts 1963-1966 Box Set
$32.97
Peanuts is the most successful comic strip of all time, and this box set contains over 1,500 strips. If you like this set, there’s four more of equal size.
Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law, Vol. 3 DVD
$23.49
Last holiday season, we tipped you off on the 2nd season, and now the third has arrived. While Harvey Birdman may have gone into the giant briefcase in the sky, you can relive the joy with this 160-minute DVD set.
Homestar Runner: Strongbad_email.exe DVD
$25.99
Support the independent animator – and buy this 3-disc set from one of the more popular online series in history, Homestar Runner. With over 100 minutes of animation, the Brothers Chaps managed to keep all of the hidden easter eggs in the episodes intact.
Wacom Bamboo Pen Tablet
$59.99
What seems like an extremely good deal for a new Wacom tablet. Sure it’s small (5.8w x 3.7d), but for $59.99, you could get 2 and put ‘em next to eachother.
Big Badger Plushie
£19.99 (About $41.00)
If you’ve ever had an email account, you’ve likely been sent Badgers, Badgers, Badgers, Badgers, Badgers, Badgers, Badgers, Badgers. Now own this internet classic from Weebl in plush form. Will be shipped from the UK, but they offer free postage.
Once Upon a Time: Walt Disney Book
$47.25
Feeling uninspired? This 353 page book catalogs the various inspirations found at Disney Studios between 1937 and 1967.
Happy Tree Friends – Collage Throw Blanket
$59.94
Stay warm this holiday season with a Happy Tree Friends blanket. I believe this is the same blanket the creators of the show use to shield themselves from the blood flow.
Popeye the Sailor: 1933-1938, Vol. 1 DVD Boxset
$42.99
This box set from Warner Home Video contains over 400 minutes of animation, all remastered. That’s 58 theatrical black-and-white shorts, and a two 20-minute color cartoons.
Lucas Gonzaga has set out to make a new Flash-animated short film, and he’s rendered out the first scene for us to enjoy.
As some of you may have spotted, a few new t-shirts are in the works for the CHF Store. I’ve teamed up with Flash animation pioneer, John Kricfalusi (the creator of The Ren & Stimpy Show and The Goddamn George Liquor Program), and we’re nearly ready to start printing.
But before we make our orders, we want to do one last check with our faithful readers. If you have a second, take a look at the shirts below, and “vote” for your favorites. This will make sure we order the right amounts (or don’t order some of them).
In my quest to buy each and every one of my holiday gifts online, I’ve managed to put together a mighty-good list of gift ideas. Below, I’m sharing my favorites, sorted by wallet thickness. Some fit the Flash-animator’s wish list, others work for anyone with animation in their hearts. Awwww…..
FlipClips flipbooks
Prices start at $8.99
Take a digital video, upload it and FlipClips will create a custom-made flipbook out of lignin-free, heavy bond digital paper. What’s lingin?
Homestar Runner Figurines – Series #2
$10.00
Five of the more popular Homestar Runner characters all done up as collectable figurines.
Happy Tree Friends – Mole Trexi Figurine
$9.99
One of the latest designs added to the Trexi line of canvas art toys. Or just download the Trexi template and design your own.
Walking Robot Pencil Sharpener
$5.99
Any of your co-workers still use a pencil (snicker)? Well, we understand, and the Walking Robot Penicl Sharpener does too. Graphite just smells good, and if you stuff your favorite lead-based beauty in Mr. Robot, he’ll start walking.
Homestar Runner Assorted Patch Set
$5.00
Five 3″ patches for sewing pleasure. Includes The Official Seal of The Cheat and a Membership Patch for the Trogdor Game Hi-Score Club.
Comic Blocks – Week @ Work
$12.99
Two-inch square, wooden blocks, one for each day of the work week, each with 6 different work-related cartoon comics.
Dodge ‘Ems Bowling Game
$16.00
A desktop bowling game re-imagined as a dodgeball outing. Cool character designs on 8 screenprinted, hardwood blocks.
i am 8-bit: Art Inspired by Classic Videogames of the ’80s
$15.61
A book featuring art inspired by video games from days of yore. Lots of artists who do Flash work joined Jon Gibson, the author, including Jorge Gutierrez, the co-creator of Nickelodeon’s upcoming Flash series El Tigre.
Homestar Runner – Everything Else, Volume 2
$12.00
The latest Homestar Runner DVD (their 5th release!) contains all of the Cheat Commandos Cartoons and, just in time, the entire collection of Holiday Cartoons.
The Animator’s Survival Kit
$19.80
There’s perhaps no better-selling animation book in the last few decades. Richard Williams just got it right, and this paired with some thick skin should set you on your way to a long and fruitful career in animation.
30 Second Bunnies – Bun-dolph T-Shirt
$17.99
If you’ve ever watched one of Jennifer Shiman’s 30 Second Bunnies Theatre shorts, you know she can put a funny, bunny twist on anything familiar. Well, Bun-dolph is Jennifer Shiman’s answer to Rudolph the Red-Nose Reindeer.
The Animation Book
$17.13
Kit Laybourne & John Canemaker, who took home an Oscar last year, offer a broad perspective on all things animated. Perfect for someone just starting out in the field.
Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law, Vol. 2 DVD
$17.99
Not originally animated in Flash, but this hysterical show about a third-rate lawyer who used to be a third-rate superhero, is now animated vector-style. Extras include a “Clothes-less Animation Pass,” so we can see scenes “all naked all the time!”
Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends – Season 1
$14.99
Pre-order this first of what surely will be many season sets from the Flash TV series that helped put the medium on the map.
Happy Tree Friends: Season 1, Vol. 1
$17.99
Just released – this DVD features episodes from the new Flash-animated TV series airing on G4TV.
Salad Fingers Tshirt
$19.99
If you watch a lot of David Firth’s Salad Fingers episodes, you may have noticed that skin will begin to crawl. Lightweight, organic cotton is the solution! Suit up in a new Salad Fingers Tshirt and your skin will never crawl again!
The Animation Show (Vol. 1 & 2 Boxed Set)
$18.99
Pre-order (Jan 2007) this DVD double-set that features 3-hours of animation and related materials. Volume 1 is already out, but Volume 2 is new and has Plympton’s Guard Dog and a 2004 film by PES titled Fireworks.
Joe Cartoon Gerbil Plush Toy
$19.99
One of the more famous Joe Cartoon characters, The Gerbil will say 7 different phrases when you squeeze his hand.
Shelf Space: Modern Package Design 1945-1965
$17.95
A pop-culture overload that sports shelf-siting designs from the mid-1940s to mid-1960s – an era that’s had an immense influence on modern animation.
Boinx iStopMotion 1.10 DV
$39.95
Hook up your DV-cam or Webcam, and you can quickly build a professional-looking stop-motion or time-lapse animated film.
Adam Philips – Bracken Bitey T-shirt
$27.00
They’re selling out fast, so snap ‘em up while you can.
The Illusion of Life: Disney Animation
$37.80
Two of Disney’s famous 9 Old Men deliver the essential animation knowledge dump along with a fascinating peek into the history of the Walt Disney Company.
Hollywood 2D Digital Animation
$26.39
Sandro Corsaro and Clifford J. Parrott, two men deeply involved in the Flash-animation revolution, drop down a hefty block of knowledge. Interviews with plenty of industry vets, including yours truly.
Juxtapoz Magazine
35.00 for 12 issues
Juxtapoz magazine presents a gallery of underground artists who influence much of the fashion, graphics, and new art we see today.
Giant Robot Magazine
$34.00 for 6 issues (12 months)
From movie stars, musicians, and skateboarders to toys, technology, and history, Giant Robot magazine covers cool aspects of Asian and Asian-American pop culture.
Insanity Prawn Boy Plushie
$20.80
A 7-inch weighted-beanie version of one of the great characters from Weebl’s Flash-animated On the Moon series.
The Toast King Tshirt
$24.50
The Toast King is one of the many classic characters emanating on a regular basis from Weebls-stuff.com, a site jam-packed with Flash-animated goodness.
Cartoon Modern: Style and Design in 1950s Animation
$26.40
Amid Amidi, one half of Cartoonbrew.com, looks at the beginning of a highly-graphical, shape-based animation revolution that began in the 40s, the influences of which resonate loudly today.
12 issues of Animation Magazine
$50.00
For over 20 years, Animation Magazine has been reporting on our favorite topic – animation. Animation Magazine’s slate for 2007 lists features on Charlotte’s Web, Meet the Robinsons, Ratatouille, The Simpsons Movie, and Seineld’s The Bee Movie. Comes with 12 months of online access.
Wacom Graphire4 6×8 USB Tablet
$171.99
Not sure tablet-based drawing is for you? Well, ease in with minimal investment, then work your way up to the $2,500 Cintiq.
Swift 3D v4.5
$219.99
This is the standalone version (also offer plug-ins for 3DSMax and Lightwave) of this popular software that helps you create 3D vector and raster animation.
