I'm not much for merchandising, but...

I was just checking in on one of the most intriguing fantasy artists I know of, and came across this picture, which I had to share.



If you don't recognize these lil' fellas, they are straight out of the pages of Froud's collaboration with a colleague of mine at CMU, Ari Berk, which is entitled, appropriately, Goblins!. You really should check it out if you haven't already. I have actually had two professors in my career who were acquainted with the Devonshire artist. The first was Valiant Norman, at Lexington Community College. He apparently did a stint as a shepherd near Froud's home, and they became pals--this was long before The Labyrinth and The Dark Crystal brought Froud to international attention. Val also worked as a stage hand on Bewitched--who says college professors are stuffy?

Anyway, check out Ari's periodic "Folkroots" column in Realms of Fantasy, as well as his many other fine writings, which include a couple more collaborations with the Devonshire Dervish. He's also a member of Endicott Studios which is in my blog list to the left. Check out Brian Froud and his wife Wendy (and their son Toby, who was the bald little baby of the same name in The Labyrinth, and who is now a man -- which makes me feel quite old) at his website World of Froud. I may be trying to wrangle an interview with Ari Berk before too long, so keep checking in. That is all for now.