The Bumpkins

The Bumpkins are an Italian punk rock band and they have a great tune called SeaMonkey. Click here to hear the song on their myspace page.

Sea Monkey (lyrics)
I'm a Sea monkey
I Jump into the water
and I grow up quickly for you

I'm a Sea Monkey
I just need something to eat
the chaos can't kill me

I don't know why children play with me
I don't know why children love me

I'm a Sea Monkey
Children will forget me
and my life will change

If I'm a toy
I don't need to eat
even if I'm hungry and tired

I don't know why children play with me
I don't know why children love me
I don't know why children forget me
I don't know why I was born here

The bumpkins contacted the Sea Monkey Geek via my myspace page and I had a chance to ask them some questions:

Sea Monkey Geek: Can you tell me a little about what inspired you to write the song?
Also, I'd love to know, how popular and well known are Sea Monkeys in Italy?

The Bumpkins: "Well, sea monkeys were popular in the 70's and 80's thanks to advertisement on magazines. Now no one knows what sea monkeys are and finding a place which sells them is very difficult. However a friend of mine (that is older than me) talked to me about sea monkeys as a cult toy. He said that when he was a child (in the 80s) all the children wanted to have sea monkeys, in spite of the fact that they were considered trash.

The few that bought them usually forgot to feed them and let them die. So I wanted to write a song about something that was funny and serious at the same time. We are animal rights activist and this is our way to say it (you should know that in Italy every year a lot of pets are abandoned). Our friends find it funny and probably this song will be published on a punk compilation."

They also sent me this very cool Italian Sea Monkey ad. I laughed reading that "they were considered trash." When I was young my grandmother insisted that Sea Monkey were just little bits of paper that floated around in the water. Funny stuff.

Sea Monkey Ornaments

Veruka Dolls Land helps us come through with a Christmas themed post with these very cool Sea Monkey Ornaments.

Of course I'd also love to see some Sea Monkey Christmas photos and illustrations dear reader(s).
There IS a comments section.

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, Glorious Santa Clause Festival, and all applicable greeting and well wishes.

www.verukadollsland.com

Sea Monkey Knife Fight

I'm a HUGE fan of monkey knife fight pictures. Click here to check out this popular genre of art.

Imagine my delight in finding that someone had put two great taste together to create, The Sea Monkey Knife Fight!
The Chung delivers. You can check out more of his awesome art, (which is not always kid friendly or SFW) by visiting
www.chungfortunecookie.blogspot.com

Sea Monkeys On The Beach

I'm assuming these were custom made. I have never seen a Sea Monkey bathing suit hanging on the rack at any of the shops around these parts.

The photo comes from www.tinypic.com but I have been unable to find any information on it at all.

Anybody who has any information, please, leave a comment.

Sea Monkey Specimen

Worth1000.com is a great site that is like the Olympics of photo-shopping. bpkelsey contributed this great image for a surf and turf contest. You can check out more entries here: http://www.worth1000.com/contest.asp?contest_id=6602&display=photoshop

Damn Those Tabloid Gossips!

This picture is sure gonna stir up some trouble in the Sea Monkey household.

Just what is Mama Sea Monkey doing with that hunky playboy Aqua-Man?

I, of course, have no doubt that they're just friends, though it wouldn't surprise me if Mama Sea Monkey had to spend quite a bit of energy fighting off this sea-dawg's advances.

This threatens to be the worst scandal to plague the world of fictional aquatic characters since Papa Sea Monkey was caught in the Octopus' Garden with the Little Mermaid.

This photo found at;
http://occasionalsuperheroine.blogspot.com

Do Not Drink The Sea Monkeys

I'd say that is an important thing to do every day.
This was just a silly picture that made me laugh. I found it here: http://blogs.nitobi.com/dave/

Fantastic Sea Monkey Art by Dulemba

I can't believe I didn't find this piece earlier. What a wonderful new addition to my Sea Monkey Art Gallery.

Elizabeth D. Dulemba is a very talented children's book author and illustrator. Unfortunately I don't think her playful, fish riding Sea Monkeys are featured in a book, but wouldn't that be fun?
Check her out at www.dulemba.com.

Sea Monkeys Shall Save The Planet

Sea Monkeys Shall Save The Planet?!!!

I know what you're saying:

"That is one nonsensical headline SMG."

Oh, you think so do you?

"Yes. Yes I do."

Well, fine then smart guy look at THIS:
http://www.upstatetoday.com/news/2008/nov/29/shrimp-solving-energy-crisis/

So, too lazy to read the full article eh? Okay, let me give you the long and short of it then. Algae has high concentrations of great oil, suitable for bio-diesel but it is very difficult to harvest. Our Sea Monkey friends eat algae. Their waste is easy to harvest and it too is high in the oil, providing they've been well fed. The Sea Monkeys get lots of good eats, we get bio-diesel, all is happy.

Not really as bio-diesel is still a combustion based fuel but give it time. I'm sure the Sea Monkeys are working on it.

Over Heard in Minneapolis

I love these "Overheard In" sites.

Most of them are modeled after Overheard in New York which was started by Michael Malice.

Michael Malice's life story is chronicled in the brilliant graphic novel Ego and Hubris by Harvey Pekar of American Splendor fame.

So, we've taken it back to graphic novels, which are really just inflated comic books and comic books are where Sea Monkeys were first popularized.

Overheard to Malice to Pekar to Comics to Sea Monkeys; That is one flimsy connection. Is the Sea Monkey Geek getting that desperate for content? Of course not:
www.overheardinminneapolis.com/2008/12/sea-monkeys.html

Some Fun from London

Sea Monkey headquarters apparently stumbled across this very cool post: Click here to read.

It seems this avid comic fan had lost his aquatic friends after over feeding them.

The best part was the reply sent to the comic book loving blogger from Sea Monkey Central:

Dear Dom: Read your sad blog about the passing over of your Sea-Monkeys®.

They do not actually die but they time travel in a non-corporeal state, leaving their empty ectoderm behind.

As you know, they are telepathic and come into our world to beam images and seminal thoughts into our minds regarding the state of the world environment and the oceans.

They probably felt that you were receiving the messages so they left and returned to the vast & secret undersea world where they rule.

Please send me your mailing address and phone number and I will send you a new set for you to start another band of telepaths.

Deal?

Loved the little shrine and thank you for the kind words about Sea-Monkeys®

Adios, G

That George. He is the best. I love that he DOES NOT, ever write the word Sea Monkeys without the ® to protect the trademark. Very cool.

German Sea Monkey Ad

Click the pic for full size.
Later, when I have time, I'll run the text through a translator because the highly inaccurate translations are always good for a a laugh.

Sorry So Quiet Around Here

You Sea Monkey Geek is insanely busy booking a totally non-sea monkey related comedy tour at the moment and so the blogging has slowed to a crawl. But hey, now is a great time to comb through the archives. My goodness there is a-lot of stuff on this site now. Enjoy and I'll try to get back to you and to Sea Monkey fun soon.

Cool Sea Monkey Poster

When illustrator Sean Causley was commissioned to do a poster for the band 311 he brought in some Sea Monkeys to help.

The result is one darn cool poster. Visit Sean's website here to dig more cool illustration.

Sea Monkey Face Paint

Click on the image to see a cool mini movie of this sea monkey family come to life.

Mrs. B Illustrations

Mrs. B created this delightful scene of three Sea Monkeys at play near their transparent underwater castle. Check out more of Mrs. B's illustrations at her website HERE.

Baby Sea Monkeys Not Surving?

Q "My baby sea monkeys are dying. they have mated, the females were pregnant, and have given birth to dozens of babies, they were alive and well last week. but today, i only see a couple, and they are moving around slowly. :( what am i doing wrong? tips, suggestions, comments are all welcomed. thanks!"

I've had this problem myself. My Sea Monkeys mate and of course there is the constant influx of new eggs, I see babies, but the babies don't seem to become adults? Are the adults that are already in the tank cannibalizing the babies? I asked our top Sea Monkey expert George Atamian for his take on this:

A "There are several possible explanations for the disappearance of the babies.

One of the causes is NOT cannibalism because adults don’t eat the young.

The most critical factor is the availability of food for the babies after they hatch.

The food has to be algae that will grow in an optimally acclimatized tank or there has to be sufficient food from #3 pouch.

I suspect that the babies are starving.

Also, if there are more than 15-20 adults in the tank, the babies may have a tough time.

That naturalist in West Virginia who kept his tribe going for 12 years used to keep the populations low by transferring family members to new tanks.

Hope that this helps….G"

It does indeed George. Thanks.

Very Cool T-shirt Surgery

Check out the cool post at live journal by clicking here.

She did a great redux of the classic sea monkey t-shirt.

I love it and I also dig the John and Yoko pic on the wall behind her.

Sea Monkeys On Mars Blogger

I stumbled across another Sea Monkey blogger who has hatched a Sea Monkeys on Mars set and endeavors to keep his colony of critters going until May 18, 2010. I don't know how he settled on this date but you can follow his adventures by clicking here.

CASTROPHE STRIKES

I left my office Friday having to drive up the hill to pick up some plans. I got back after 4pm, meaning the office was all locked up.
When I came back on Monday I found that I'd left my Sea Monkeys on the windowsill where I often put them for a few hours of indirect sun. The problem is the sun isn't so indirect in the mornings and there they were Saturday and Sunday Morning.
The whole tank, wiped out.

I am bummed.

X-Ray Specs

Amazing X-Ray Specs. Wow. So Much coolness for only ONE DOLLAR!
It's amazing and it came from the same mind that brought us Sea Monkeys.

Harold Von Braunhut, a wild character to be sure, marketed these little novelties through comic book ads just like his "Instant Life" and like instant life, once you got over the disappointment and embarrassment of being had you might discover how fun these items really were, even if they didn't let you see through the neighbor girl's clothes or lord over your own aquatic anthropomorphic simian civilization.

If you could believe in the possibility of x-ray vision enough to spend a dollar (and wait 6-8 weeks) then perhaps the girls at school would believe it enough to be a bit nervous or a-lot nervous around you. The more convincing your acting as you ooed and awed while leering at them and wearing the specs the better the response. And looking at the schoolyard bully's crotch while laughing hysterically was almost worth the beating you'd eventually receive.

Ah the bizarre mind of Harold Von Braunhut. I'm currently putting together funding for a documentary film on this amazing man to be completed in the Summer of 2009. Sea Monkeys (and Sea Monkey fans) will of course receive serious coverage in my documentary.

Click the image below for a full page of comic book ads including Sea Monkeys and X-Ray Specs.

Sea Monkey Day is THIS WEEK

This Friday, May 16th, is National Sea Monkey Day.
How will YOU celebrate.
I had a party for a bunch of neighborhood kids last year using the Sea Monkey Birthday Party Kit.
Maybe this year I'll take my Sea Monkeys out dancing after treating them to a gourmet dinner; a mixture of GRO-QUICKLY, Banana Treat, Red-Magic and Cupid's Arrow. Just to be safe I'd better get some Sea-Medic to use as a Sea Monkey hangover cure.

Disney's "Fun"

Terry Zwigoff to have Fun
Disney is in pre-production on a film tentatively titled FUN which may feature some great Sea Monkey action. The premise is that two friends buy all manner of Comic book advertised goodies, X-Ray Specs, Sea-Monkeys etc. and thirty years later the products magically start living up to the advertising claims. The two friends then must deal with the ensuing chaos.
I'm thinking we may see some CGI Sea Monkey families.
The most exciting thing for me is that Terry Zwigoff (Crumb, Ghost World, Bad Santa) has already been attached as the director. Zwigoff has a deep love of comics and I think he'll bring an understanding to the film that just might make it work if Disney stays out of his way.

If this film happens, it could be the best thing to happen to Sea Monkeys in decades. Disney can at times live up to their evil-empire image but they also have the power to quite effectively plug in to the mass consciousness. You can't go to an aquarium now without hearing kids name off the characters from Finding Nemo as they pass the blue tangs and the clown fish, etc.
My hope is that we get anthropomorphic Sea Monkeys that are mischievous and prolific.

I'm crossing my fingers and making a wish that we see this project move from pre-production to production.

Married and Back From Rome

Yep, I'm a whole new geek, a Married Geek. Shocked? You thought we all lived in our parents basement and didn't talk to members of the opposite sex except online when its probably another geek pretending to be a member of the opposite sex? Well, yeah, that is mostly true, but I found a lovely young lady to tolerate my geekiness and after 14 wonderful years of courtship we were married. We honeymooned in Rome and now I'm back and will be putting up new Sea Monkey goodness right quick. I thank you for your patience.

South Park post updated

I updated my post about South Park's Sea-Monkey episode adding a video clip and a link to view the whole episode online. Click Here to visit the post.

Monkeys on the Bottom of The Tank

On Monday I noticed that my tank of Sea-Monkeys looked empty of Sea-Monkeys. On closer inspection I spotted my pets at the bottom of the tank. They were all furiously swimming downward, not a single one of them swimming about.

They looked healthy and active. The water was clear. I oxygenated, moved them to better light, and always they went right back to the bottom. I wrote George Atamian at Sea Monkey central and after asking if today was feeding day, it was, he gave it his best guess:

"I think what happened is that the more insoluble & denser food components head straight for the bottom, while other components either float on top or dissolve.

The particles that went to the bottom gradually break up and that is what the little folks are grubbing for on the bottom.

Watch for this the next time that you feed them, OK?"

Yesterday, Wednesday, was feeding day again and George was right. While the reaction was less extreme this time, the Sea-Monkeys did mostly gather at the bottom of the tanks. Mystery solved. Thanks George.

A Sea Monkey Movie?

I found this article claiming a Sea-Monkey movie was in pre-production with Jim Carrey slated to play the lead. Could this be true? I checked Carrey's page at IMDB and also did and IMDB search for Sea-Monkeys but found no mention of the film.
A Google News search only turned up the one site I'd already found. Hmmm?
I then took one more look at the original article and noticed a link labeled "Source: Get the FULL story HERE!"
Go ahead click it. :)
Today is my favorite holiday.

Sea Monkey Costume

This almost disturbing Sea Monkey costume was shared with me via my myspace page. I'm trying to get some more details on it, so check back soon.

Q and A, Sea-Monkey Emergency

"hello-- i am a new sea monkey owner... and i am afraid that my sea monkeys will not be alive much longer. they are moving around slowly, and i see those 'white cottonball things' in the tank which is apparently a bacteria that sea medic can kill. i will be putting my envelope in the mail tomorrow, but i am afraid they will die before i receive sea medic. is there anything i can do to help them out? any home remedies?

how long does it usually take to receive an order from the Sea Monkey company? (Transcience)

Thanks!

Rosemary"

Rosemary,
My advice for a quick solution is to mix up a new batch of water with the water conditioner (packet 1) and then move your guys into the new container. Some of their old water will come with, and that is fine. Actually the more the better so it's a less extreme move. But it will still be a move, and a reduction in pollutants that they're swimming about in.
This has worked for me and I make these kind of water changes something I do once in a while when I think the water has gotten really bad.
Keep in mind packet 1 does have some eggs in it, so you'll also be adding some new monkeys to the picture.
Do still use the Sea-Medic when it arrives, and consider ordering some extra to have around for such emergencies.
Good luck to you.

Under The Microscope

Be sure to click on the above image to see it in all its glory. What an amazing photo. I found it a great site for microscope photography: www.microimaging.ca

Sea-Monkey Orgies

George at Sea-Monkey HQ shared this inquiry with me:

Hey, my name is Nancy, and I recently got some sea-monkeys. They started mating. Which I turned red face after about a week and a half....noticing they were still attached. My question to you is can they mate with multiples???? The two that was attached...or I say is attached is now adding the 2nd male to the mix. Now I have three attached to each other!!!! Is this normal?? If not what do I do? Thanks in advance for letting me know.

and my reply:

Nancy,
Ha ha. Great letter.
I won't pass judgement as to whether it's "normal" or not, but I see it in my Sea-Monkey tanks, every time.
My curiosity got the better of me and a bit of regrettable research on google (yes, with images) revealed that deer, dogs, and just about every other critter on the planet end up in similar predicaments. When you consider that the male who gets the female has often "earned" that right by kicking a few butts it is quite amusing that another male should jump in just as soon as the alpha male is in a vulnerable position.
On the bright side, your Sea-Monkeys are happy and healthy enough to be doing what healthy, happy animals do. Congratulations.
Sincerely,
Keith

Sea Monkey Diary: A Well Balanced Diet

Here my tank sits on my desk at work, ready to have a bit of water added. In front of it you can see the products that I've used so far (after packets one and two of course) .

On day five I fed my newest batch of Monkeys with Packet #3, good old "Sea-Monkey Growth Food." It doesn't smell yummy to me but this powdered green algae seems to do the monkeys just fine.

Two days later things got exciting! I used some Red-Magic Sea-Monkey Vitamins. Can't ya feel the excitement? The envelope boasts a combination of Vitamins A-B1-B6-B12 and C. Oddly enough, nowhere on the packet does it mention that it will turn your Sea-Monkeys red, but this promise is made on the website and in the handbook. The packet does encourage the use of another product: "Now, with all that extra health, put them in the mood for love and breeding with 'Cupids Arrow' It can turn a Sea-Monkey aquarium into a regular "love boat"!
We'll soon find out.

On day nine I fed the gang some Gro-Kwikly Sea-Monkey Growth Stimulator. My guys may not be professional athletes but that doesn't mean they don't deserve steroids. Maybe someday when I have more time I'll run two tanks, one with and one without the Growth Stimulator.

Day Ten, the Sea Monkeys get Plasma III. This product sometimes labeled as "Packet 4" claims to be "...formulated so that 50% more young Sea Monkeys will grow and thrive in any 'Ocean-Zoo' aquarium." Again, would love to try two tanks. I think I'll hit the Sea Monkey folks up for more information about Plasma III. For now though, I added three scoops (using the big end of the feeding spoon) and will add another scoop every two weeks.

All that I have left is Banana Treat and Cupid's Arrow. Check back to see how I fare with these. I do not have Sea Medic, for sick Sea Monkeys, but will try to get some.

Q and A, My Sea Monkeys have not appeared?

Melissa left the following comment on my last blog post:

Um Hi... My name is Melissa and I just bought sea monkeys... I'm not sure if it worked or not I waiting 24 hours and put the eggs in but nothing's there.... does it take a while to see them??

I replied by e-mail: After 24 hours the Sea Monkeys can be hard to see, but they also can take longer than 14 hours to appear when it's cold out. I've attached a chart that will advise you on how long you might have to wait. If you follow the instructions, wait the time recommended on the chart, and they still don't appear let me know.

Click image to enlarge

Sea Monkey Diary

I've started a new batch of Monkeys at work. This time I have just about every packet you can buy; Packets 1, 2 and 3 as well as Red-Magic Sea-Monkey Vitamins, Gro-Quickly Growth Stimulator, Banana Treat, Plasma III, (which used to be Packet 4) and Cupid's Arrow Sea-Monkey Mating Powder (yes, you read that right) so this should be the best batch ever and I'll have plenty to blog about.

I started today with Packet 1, Water Purifier. I skipped the 24 hour waiting period. (Consider this a BIG spoiler alert) After reading the official patent for Sea Monkeys I realized that the wait is part of the "magic" trick. Now, I love a good magic trick SO if I'm hatchin' a batch with kids I'll wait the 24 hours, but for now, I gave the water purifier a few minutes and then dumped in packet two. It's still a bit cold here so we didn't actually see any little white dots twirling about until about 48 hours later.

I'm aerating the tank every day and my little white dots are growing. I'll feed them for the first time on Monday March 10th.

The Terwiliger Family

Click image to enlarge

Kamala Dolphin-Kingsley is one of my fiancée and I's favorite artists. She is yet another amazing member of the awesome group of artists who go by the name, The Seven Deadly Sinners. The majority of the art in our online gallery here comes from these sinners. Check them out at www.7deadlysinners.typepad.com.

Vintage Sea Monkey Commericals!

Visit Sea Monkey Uncle's youtube page for more fun.

Sea Monkey Queens

Travis Louie created these two beautiful paintings. First we have Amelia Queen of The Sea Monkeys, and the second painting is Ophelia Queen of The Sea Monkeys.

Apparently Ophelia was the second painting but was based on the original sketch for Sea Monkey Queen.

I can't decide which I like better. Be sure to visit Mr. Louie's website where you'll find no more Sea Monkeys, but many more amazing paintings; www.TravisLouie.com

Red Meat

Click image to enlarge

Red Meat has long been one of my favorite comics. Of course I have no way of knowing if this fine Sea Monkey strip is a Max Cannon original or if one of his fans made it. You see, there is a beautiful thing known as the "Build Your Own Meat" construction set with which you can almost instantly create your own Red Meat comic. Check it out by clicking here.

Land of Loops "How To Feed a Sea Monkey"

Land of The Loops 2000 album Puttering About a Small Land includes a great song called "How To Feed A Sea Monkey."

Click here to listen to it.

And click here to visit CD Universe where you can hear more Land of The Loops and maybe even buy their CD.