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peardian · 6 months

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Here is some behind-the-scenes commentary for my new animation, "Raymond's New (Cat) Groove"! I want to get out all my thoughts here before I forget anything. I'll be covering the entire video, so if you want to avoid spoilers, go watch it first!

First up is The Zoom! Ever since I started planning this animation 2+ years ago, I knew that this would be the first shot. Since zooming in on his eye would produce a mirrored view of the video, a double-zoom-out was necessary.

My original plan was to have the zoom be done purely in 3D. However, when it came time to implement it, I realized the shot did not look good when done realistically. The images distorted due to the curvature of the reflection, and Raymond's glasses got in the way due to how big and round his head is.

Also, even his iris was edited in. I made an HD version of his face texture, which you can see in how smooth the edge of his eye is, but because of the model's texture mapping (UVs), the iris was all distorted. I'm glad I edited in the new iris, though, because I got to make it even higher-resolution.

I already covered all the details on the laptop screen in a separate post, which you can find here.

The first good view of Raymond's room. For the most part, it is a recreation of his default room layout in New Horizons, with a few differences, such as his fax machine being removed. I didn't have all of the furniture models, so all the stuff that isn't shown directly (e.g. safe, water cooler, second desk) are super-low-poly recreations.

The laptop is from Splatoon 2. It is Marina's laptop, with all the stickers removed. If you look closely during the zoom out, you can see that the keys still have the Splatoon language keys.

Also, fun fact, his chair was a Froggy Chair as a placeholder until I got the office chair model. I was planning to keep it, too, if I couldn't get the office chair.

The animation's events really kick off once Raymond begins dreaming. The way his idea lightbulb lights up the room, and how the light persists afterward, is the first sign that things are not normal.

When I first started planning this, I had the New Leaf version of the office wallpaper in mind. While New Horizons has the windows completely obscured by blinds, the New Leaf version has a cityscape visible through the gaps in the blinds. I was originally planning to have the sky change, going from a fake sky to a vibrant real night sky.

Raymond reaches into his desk for the Ocarina of Time, giving the first style shift. This is another scene that I had in mind for years. Originally, I wanted this scene to be super-realistic. Instead of those cartoony leaves from the game, I wanted just a big pile of real-life dried up leaves, with labels written on them. They'd rustle and slide around when the drawer is pulled open just as you'd expect from leaves. I love the idea that, from an outsider's perspective, the villagers are just a bunch of adorably dumb animal children, gathering leaves and pretending they are furniture.

Here are all the leaf types in Raymond's desk. There are two "???" leaves, for a total of 10. Sadly, my favorite ones are completely hidden due to how the physics simulation worked out.

Speaking of physics, I meant to have Raymond pull the Ocarina out. However, every time I ran the simulation, everything freaked out the moment the Ocarina tried to move to his hand, causing the contents to fly out everywhere. Maybe later I'll render out that part for fun.

The Majora's Mask time travel scene. I had the scene ripped from when I was mapping the game, so recreating it was easy. I referenced footage from the game for the animation timing, which is why this and the Ocarina-playing scene are some of the only parts of the video that aren't overly fast-paced. If I had more time, I would have added in the light-blue sparkles that come off the items, just like in the game.

For the anime-esque sequence, the original idea was just to have the hair be flowing smoothly. At some point, I realized that drawing hair on the 3D model would look weird, so I decided to draw the whole thing. I've never really animated like this before, so it was a fun experiment. I posted the raw drawings in another post, here.

For the background, I wanted to reference the time travel scene in the cartoon Samurai Jack. However, the effect there is very intense and hard to look at, so I greatly toned down the flashing effect to the point of being unrecognizable.

Raymond crash-lands in the city from Animal Crossing for the Wii. All the trash that pop up are items from the game, of course. I chose an alleyway so that I didn't have to bother with assembling the city itself. While most of the scene is made from assets from the city, the brick texture is just one of the home wallpaper options.

Did you notice? Before Raymond puts his glasses on, the world is only in 480p, but when he puts them on (stylishly), the screen transitions to full 1080p. The Wii's resolution isn't 480p, but the original Cat Groove's is.

Also, this scene gives a clear example of one of the dream-like effects I used throughout the latter half of the animation. Take a close look at the placement of the bricks relative to the poster. Every time the camera changes, things subtly shift around! It's hard to notice because these are details you normally don't pay much attention to. My favorite use of this effect is in Yoshi's Island, where terrain details are randomized every time you enter a room.

It's not easy to make Raymond look happy when his expressions are normally so serious. Also, did you notice? The floor is entirely different in some shots. It has the same color palette and general design, so it feels the same, but the details and patterns are entirely different.

When the camera points up, you get a brief view of the highly-saturated night sky. Even though it's night, everything is brightly lit, another dream sign. By the way, there's supposed to be a chimney up there, but I guess I didn't put it close enough to the edge to be seen. I completely forgot about it until later.

Here is a closer look at one of the blimps flying in the sky. It's an edit of the Luigi blimp from Mario Kart: Double Dash!!, with Rosie's face added on. This is actually an homage to an anime movie, something I rarely talk about. Specifically, the Madoka Magica movie. Rebellion.

Raymond meets a younger Dr. Shrunk at the club entrance, leading to another style shift. This is another scene I imagined for years. Those hands are actually Pikachu's from Super Smash Bros. for Wii U/Ultimate, with some clothes added on. Also, again, different floor.

While the art style here looks like late-'90s/early 2000s CGI, this wasn't intentional. I didn't realize the resemblance until after I had rendered it. I guess it's just a natural result of using smooth models with super-basic lighting and solid-color materials.

One idea that I'm sad I didn't have time to implement was that the text on the checklist was going to subtly change as Shrunk's hand passed over it. Just like a dream, the text would change every time you read it.

At the bottom there is the rule against allowing OCs in, the explanation for why Raymond can't get in. It continues out of frame, but you can see more of it when he puts the clipboard away. I even included doodles of some YouTuber OCs! Just for clarification, I have nothing against OCs, it just seemed like the funniest option.

The orb appears!

I am not great at special effects, so this was my best attempt at a reality-warping entrance effect. Sure, it's not very dynamic, but I like how it came out. The sound it makes is a distorted, reversed version of one of the Animal Crossing jingles.

I originally had a different ending in mind. Rather than dashing into the door, Raymond would have climbed up on top of the building to look for another way in. There, he would have seen the orb sinking into the roof.

Raymond achieves his dream! For this scene, I originally imagined it ending with that Undertale sound that plays when going through the dramatic exit door to the ruins. You know the one.

Also, darn walk cycles! This was the fifth one I had to animate in a row, using nothing but pure IK. If I wasn't so exhausted by that point, I might have thought to have the camera zoom in or something.

Raymond sleeps soundly while Cat Spin auto-plays. The snoring you hear is a recording of a real cat snoring, which I found on a free sound effect website. The main reason I included it was so that nobody thought Raymond was dead. His tiny arms don't really lend themselves well to a good sleeping pose.

So, why is Rosie there?? Well, originally, my plan was for the camera to look over at the whiteboard, where something like "Happy Anniversary Cat Groove" would be written on it. This is why the whiteboard is at an angle instead of parallel to the wall like normal. However, when I animated the scene, I didn't have the whiteboard yet.

When I finally got the whiteboard model, I realized I had overestimated its size, and sizing it up didn't look good. So, I had to find a way to fill the empty space above the board. I considered a banner or Rosie-shaped balloons, but I eventually settled on the most ridiculous option: having Rosie herself.

The End!

For the credits music, I chose the Smash remix of Bubblegum K.K., not just because of how many people associate it with Raymond (because of those singing videos people made), but because I just really like it. Other songs I considered were K.K. Disco and the Jimmy T. stage intro from WarioWare: Smooth Moves.

You may have noticed that I used very little of the song Catgroove in the video. Back when I made the original Cat Groove video, the video got a copyright claim, blocking it from being viewed by my European friends. I don't know if the company making the claim was legitimate or not, but I appealed and they removed the block.

Fast-forward a number of years, and Cat Groove was at hundrends of thousands of views, eclipsing everything else I've ever made. I decided that, as much as I enjoy his music, I didn't want to be mooching off of Parov Stelar's work. That's part of why I made Cat Spin, using only Nintendo music, to show the direction I wanted to go. Besides, if the video gets claimed, then I can't show it to all my friends. Otherwise, I might have chosen something like Jimmy's Gang for the credits music.

Anyway, that's all I had to say! The end result may be a bit rough, but I'm glad I finally got to bring this idea to life and share it with the world after years of tossing it around in my mind.

A big "Thank you!" to everyone who watched the video from start to finish! I don't know if/when I'll make another big animation like this, but I hope you'll look forward to whatever I make next.

#Animal Crossing #Catgroove #Raymond #cat

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thehyperrequiem · 1 year

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You know what? It's Froggy time!

Disco boi gets turned into a smol humanoid critter, can't have the groove in Diamond City.

🐸

Bonus Jimmy P.

#warioware #warioware jimmy #jimmy t #jimmy p #amphibians

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crystalitezyt · 2 years

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Where do you get your CC!?

Hiya, I get my cc from different creators, I'll try my best and link them all:

Top:

https://aharris00britney.tumblr.com/post/644838061729103872/axa-paris

Jeans:

Shoes:

Hat:

Hairstyle

Glasses

Bag

Chocker

These are the main stuff, I don't remember where I got the make up so sorry. Hope this helps!!!

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summergreys · 2 years

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Firewatch speedrun

Firewatch speedrun full version#

Firewatch speedrun Pc#

Download Feeding Frenzy Free for PC Torrent.

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Play the full version with no time limits thanks to our generous free games sponsors. That would be the My Pillow Animals Friendly Frog, a vintage stuffed animal with a modern day twist. Feeding Frenzy is an arcade-style aquatic video game written by Sprout Games, and published by PopCap Games. With an initial debut on February 11, 2004, it saw re-release on the Xbox Live Arcade service, with versions for both the original Xbox and the Xbox 360. To play without ads, join iWin All Access and enjoy unlimited, ad-free play of over 2500 games User Reviews Specs. Home Windows Games Arcade Games Frog Frenzy. This arcade game is as fun as it is challenging. Pleasant Frog – My Pillow Pets Overview Frogs are a enjoyable animal, and with their lengthy legs, significant job in children’s culture, and their skill to soar, you can see why they are so popular with children. With frogs becoming so common to little ones many stuffed animal companies have tried using to capture the pleasurable attributes associated with frogs, and make them into stuffed animals that young children adore. Games downloads - 3D Frog Frenzy by Webfoot Technologies, Inc. Controls are relatively easy once you realize to tap on the sides or on top of Froggy to guide where you want him to go. My Pillow Animals Frog is a huge… 3D Frog Frenzy (Windows) The Leap Frog Understand And Groove Musical Desk – Should This Make Your List Or Not? The Leap Frog Master & Groove Musical Table continues to be loved for a extended time as a excellent Xmas present for infants. and many more programs are available for instant and freeload. Not as touchy moving forward as the PC version. Great job with developing, slowing down cars in fast lanes to allow to realistically use on an app without keyboard keys. This toy is developed for very little ones all-around 6 months even so they will keep entertained till they’re a couple of many years more mature. This suggests your infant is not likely to shed desire immediately. Thinking of that as your child grows he or she will understand to use unique features of this toy. 3D Effect Print Paint Plastic Picture – Jesus (Size 13′ X 9.ģD Frog Frenzy (Windows) Relate Post to 3D Frog Frenzy (Windows) This is a welcome aid to mother and father as you know it can be pretty high priced to maintain acquiring new clothes and toys that the little types outgrow in no time.

#Firewatch speedrun

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goodbaby18 · 3 years

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✨Froggy ✨☺️💙

#not my art #not mine #cute #babyboy #little #little space #little one #daddyboy #daddy #mommy #mommysbaby #froggy #froggy groove #froggie #sfw little blog #sfw littlespace #im shy #caregiver

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fan-art-ic · 3 years

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Don't Stop Here

She's back. Anne is really back on Earth. She can hardly believe it.

(Picks up immediately after the episode ends) (ao3 link in reblog)

Anne can hardly believe it. Cars honked around her and every breath is heavy with unnatural smog. She meets eyes with a human stranger, who lifts a phone very quickly and stares bug-eyed at her. Not at her, no, at her family. She turns to Hop-pop, Sprig, and Polly, all scratched, bruised, tired, afraid, and looking at her with trust in their eyes. Hop-pop croaks and coughs and Anne notices her frog family's skin is graying. She has to get them out of here. Off the hood of the car, over five lanes of traffic, hopped over the guardrail, down the hill, through a sparse copse of trees, to the sidewalk under the bridge and-

"Anne?" A pink hand tugs on her wrist. "Anne, stop. Please." Her feet stumble to a stop and her socked foot lands on something sharp and cutting and she gasps.

"Anne!"

Two sets of hands catch her torso, and she faintly feels a wet touch pulling at her ankle. Her family carefully let her down, so she lands heavily on her butt instead of her nose. Anne's next breath is a punch of air and her lungs brighten with pain as she loses control of her inhales and exhales. Her eyes hurt and burn. When she wipes a dirty hand across her face, she winces as hot tears and snot sting her injuries. A light weight settles onto her back and rubs in a circular motion. Anne clings to the sensation. Between sputtering breaths, she begins to hear. "-in...and out...in...and out," Hop-pop's soothing, raspy voice repeats and then she can hear Sprig humming. It's a song Wally wrote about a silly snail getting lost and he had sung it at her Frog of the Year party. A laugh bubbles up into a sob and Anne reaches out her arms to pull all three of them close.

"I love you guys," she chokes out, and Polly pats her cheek.

"We love you too, Anne," says the polliwog, normally so energetic now wrung out and too bright-eyed. She needs to pull herself together. Anne releases her grip and her family takes a step back. She runs her hands through her hair and shakes her head, dust and dirt and surprisingly long twigs falling to the broken concrete.

"Alright, froggy fam," she begins, "I'm going to take you to meet my human fam." Sprig whoops, but he's clearly flagging.

"Yay!..."

Anne grimaces and looks at Hop-pop. The old, orange frog meets her gaze steadily, but she can tell how much he is missing his cane. "Hop-pop, you got Polly, I got Sprig?" He nods. "Alright. Let's make our way to the highway, follow along till we hit an exit, follow that till we hit town, figure out where we are, call my parents. Sound good?" No one protests and Anne helps Sprig up to her shoulder as Hop-pop collects Polly.

They're maybe ten minutes into their walk, and every step is a jolt to her nervous system. Her skin feels prickly, her jaw too tight, her muscles ache like never before. The pressure of her Newtopian breastplate, once reassuring, weighs her every step like a lodestone. The heron-leather straps pinch at the underside of her arms. Sprig's cool, damp skin is refreshing against the back of her neck, but it's not slimy enough and it concerns Anne. She bites her lip and tries to time her steps so that her sneaker hits the rocks and roots, while her socked-foot hits bare earth. She isn't always successful, and everything is starting to throb. Her temples pulse loudly in her head and her knees are weak and her mouth is parched.

"Shh, shh, it's okay, Polly..." Hop-pop murmurs behind her. She can't see him, but she hears the dragging footsteps crunch the dry grass and the low comfortings of the grandfather to the polliwog. A stabbing pain shoots through her chest, and Anne forces her legs into a march. Focuses on the act of raising her thigh, swinging her calf forward, shifting her weight, repeat ad infinitum.

In seventh grade health class, there had been only one day dedicated to 'mental health issues' and something mentioned was meditative breathing. In multiple P.E. classes, Anne heard the teachers talk about making sure to breath while exercising. One, two, three. In. One, two, three. Out. Anne can do this.

The clouds parted a bit as they walked and the sun is nearly blinding Anne, as she squints at the sign. DALY STREET EXIT, it read in giant white text on green. Okay, so now they can get out of the weird in-between highway area they've been hiking. She points at it. "This way."

Something is mumbled behind her back.

"Huh?" She stops to turn and looks at Hop-pop. "What's up?" The elderly frog's face is twisted in a very non-confidence inspiring way.

"Well...Anne, I can't help but notice you don't have your backpack. Or...or your phone. So-" All Anne could hear was a piercing, ringing sound. Her hands clenched and unclenched.

"Right," says Anne, interrupting whatever the old frog had been saying. "Right. I don't have my backpack or phone." She blinks rapidly and Hop-pop's brow furrows deeper grooves. Her fingernails dig grooves of equal depth into her palms. "Okay, so," she claps her hands and ignores Sprig and Polly startle, "we will keep going. We will find someone kind and nice who will be willing to call my parents. End of plan."

"Great plan," Sprig yawns in her ear, and she can't help the yawn in return. It stretches her neck muscles and she yawns again for good measure. Polly yawns, then Hop-pop, then her and Polly at the same time. They all smile and the moment of brevity gets the family going again, the plan -no matter how little Anne believes in it herself- solidly in mind and the goal spurring them on. Not too much further now.

The sign for 7-11 flickers and there is a closed down Redbox sitting stoutly next to a ash-tray/trash can. The ad in the window advertises Berry Glam Blitz Bomb and a two for four hotdogs sale. Her stomach rumbles.

Her family is crowded together outside the storefront, and Anne doesn't know what to do. She's loathe to leave the Plantars by themselves, but maybe the cashier won't be the most cynical soul in Los Angeles. Then the frogs won't go under the risk of wandering the streets, talking to strangers. She can't bring them in though, what if the employee freaks out (like...any reasonable person confronted by talking frog people would). A clammy, orange hand taps her arm twice. She looks down.

"We'll be okay for five minutes, Anne," reassures Hop-pop. "Hand me Sprig." She doesn't hand him Sprig so much as the pink frog melts off her back and flops down next to his grandfather, but either way transfer successful. Okay now it's just time to interact with a human who isn't one of her two childhood best friends. She can't be totally out of practice right?

Marcy's eyes had been so wide when she died. Her pretty, dark brown eyes glittering from the light of Andrias' sword. From the flashing blue of the portal home. From tears.

Anne swallows roughly and steps toward the entrance. She scolds herself when the self-automated doors startle her, and she glances around the store. Someone tall and bald by the coolers, someone on the phone in the back, besides them and Anne the place is empty. Well, and the cashier. She approaches the register before she can one-eighty out the stupid doors, and she clears her throat. The cashier, a young guy with bright green and black hair and a name tag reading 'Jared', looks up from his phone.

"Hey-o, ready to check out?"

"Um, no actually," Anne starts and stops. What is she supposed to say? "I...dropped my phone and it cracked badly," she lies. "I was supposed to meet up with my mom but I can't get the dang thing to turn on." She laughs, short and high-pitched, rubbing her neck. "Is there like, a store phone I could borrow to call her?"

Jared raises his eyebrows. "No, there isn't a store phone. If you buy something I could exchange dollars for quarters, I think there's a phone booth near here." The lights are buzzing really loudly, Anne notices. She takes a deep breath.

"Sorry, that doesn't work. Could I borrow your phone?" She sees how the older guy assesses her. She sees her dirty torn school skirt, her scorched copper armor, the twigs that she can't stop finding in her hair. "Or could I give you her number? Please, I just want to get back to my mom." Jared's frown softens and his mouth opens to speak, but is cut off by a voice behind Anne.

"Annie Bone-choy?" Her neck complains at the speed she turns to look. The bald person she saw earlier. Face contorted in open surprise, finger pointed in her direction, he says in a nasally SoCal accent, "Your parents have been looking everywhere for you."

"Do I know you?" Anne asks. Bald guy shakes his head. "No. I like your parents restaurant, amazing noodles by the way, and they have your missing posters all over the front. Yours and two other girls."

"I thought you lost your phone and were meeting up with your mom," Jared unhelpful interjects. Anne looks between both of them.

"Can I please use someone's phone to call my mom?" The two adults look at each other.

"Tell me your mom's number," says Jared tentatively. Anne rattles off the ten digit code with ease. She remembers sitting in the kitchen and her mom helping her arrange plastic magnet numbers in the order of her cell phone number. Jared puts the phone on speaker and the dialing tone begins to ring. Once, twice, three times, four...

"Hi! This is Madee Boonchuy. Not here right now, please leave a message!" The messaging system beeps and Anne just shakes her head at Jared. He ends the call.

"Can you please try again?" She pleads. Jared frowns, but does as requested. The dialing rings again. And gets voice-mail, again.

"I could call the restaurant," the bald guy offers. "It's not exactly rush hour but they are open right now, right?" Anne blinks away the stinging in her eyes. She has no idea what time it is, no idea what day or month or even if it's the same year. Who knows how Amphibia time lines up with Earth time?

"Can you? Please?" He nods and pulls out his phone. A minute while he finds the contact, and now for the third time, the phone rings on speaker. Anne knows what they say about third tries, and she crosses her fingers tightly.

"Hello? Delivery or pick-up?" Familiar, accented English, and Anne has to resist falling to the floor.

"Mom," Anne whispers in Thai, and the voice on the line speaks rapidly.

"Anne? Sweetheart? Oh my god, Anne? Anne?"

"It's me Mom. It's Anne," Anne sniffs and hiccups.

Some sharp, unintelligible yelling comes out the receiver, and there is a rustling and slamming sound before Anne's mom replies, "Where are you?"

Anne blue screens for a second. "I'm..." She struggles to remember. "I'm at a 7-11."

"What? Where? What street?"

"Daly Street," Jared pipes up.

"Who is that?" Her mother says sharply.

"That's just the cashier, he was, he was helping me. Well and another guy who comes to the restaurant apparently? I uh, he says he recognized me from my posters, huh, I didn't realize I'd have any," Anne rambles.

"I'm coming to you, Anne," Her mom promises. "I'm going to hug you so much. I'm coming to you. I have to hang up now, to get in the car, but do not go. Please."

"I promise," says Anne, and when her mom ends the call, she starts crying.

She exits the 7-11 once she gets the bald guy and Jared to distract each other (i.e. purchasing a bottled soda), and she spots the Plantars immediately. They're on top of a parked USPS truck. When Anne peers around the vehicle to see the other side of the street, she spies the mailman making his way towards the truck. Crap.

"Guys!" She hisses through clenched teeth. She raps her knuckles against the truck's side and hear Polly yelp. "Guys, get off the truck!" A moment later, Hop-pop and Sprig land beside her, Polly in her brother's arms. Anne pulls them over to the Redbox and huddles on the side opposite to the store entrance. She steps in front of them, hoping her body will shield enough of the frogs so nobody looks closer.

"Your mom is gonna be here soon?" Sprig asks. Anne nods.

"Yep, she'll...she'll be here soon." There's no response, and there is a take-a-tab paper taped to the trash can advertising singing lessons, and it's all Anne can do to not remember the time Sasha threw a karaoke party and they all started singing badly and together, and Anne blinks and keeps talking.

"My mom will come, and she's probably in her mini-van, oh man she's gonna tear through like twenty stop signs and scare other drivers so bad," she snorts, "and maybe there'll be a loose water bottle or a chip bag in the car, and oh man, you guys don't know what sour cream and onion chips are I can't wait to show you-"

"Anne," Hop-pop cuts her off. "Don't forget to breathe." She sucks in a deep breath and feels bile creeping up her throat. She tries to swallow but her mouth is so dry it just hurts. She can't imagine how her frog family's is feeling compared to her, they must be feeling so much worse than her, and they haven't said anything yet. Anne exhales forcefully. When a hand squeezes around her own, she squeezes back reassuringly.

They all jump as a dark red mini-van screeches to a halt in front of the 7-11. The driver exits the car, not wasting time to even park, and runs towards them. "Anne!"

"Mom!!!" Anne cries and she takes only a few steps before she's barreled over.

"Anne, oh my god, thank the heavens it's you! Anne, Anne, oh my baby," Anne's mom sobs into her shoulder before pulling back. Anne stares at her mother. Lets her eyes trace the deepened wrinkles, notice the shining, brown eyes the same shade as her own, the beauty mark on her chin. Her mom's glasses are new. Anne can't remember what they'd been, but now her mom wears tortoiseshell frames.

"I like your glasses," is the first thing to tumble out of Anne's mouth, and she nearly slaps herself. Her mom laughs wetly.

"Oh, Anne, oh, I've missed you so much." Her mother folds her back into her arms. Anne hugs back as tightly as she can for a second before her mom stiffens with a surprised grunt. "And you're so much stronger, when did that happen?"

Anne smiles. "I'll tell you about it." She steps back and grabs her mom by the shoulders. They're the same height now. "I'll tell you all about it." And that means... "Mom, let me introduce you to the Plantars," Anne steps to her mom's side and reveals her froggy family.

Her mother gasps and says something in Thai that Anne doesn't know. She would bet it's one of the worse swear words. "I know it's a shock, cuz, well, two foot tall talking frogs," says Anne and motions for the trio to come a bit closer. "But they protected me, fed me, and loved me while I was stranded in their world." Hop-pop shuffles the closes with Sprig and Polly poking their heads out behind him.

Hop-pop extends his hand. "My name is Hopadiah Plantar, it's an honor to meet you Mrs. Boonchuy." Her mom looks down at the wrinkly, orange hand and then back at Anne. She nods encouragingly and her mom steels herself before meeting the hand with her own.

She gingerly shakes it. "Pleasure to meet you...Hopadiah," Anne's mom says his name carefully. "My daughter says you kept her safe?" Hop-pop nods.

"To the best of my ability," and his face gains a wry look and he rubs the back of his neck. "When she and my grandkids weren't off chasing trouble."

Anne's mom smiles tentatively. "I'm sure. Are these your grandkids here?" Sprig comes out behind Hop-pop's back and puts out his hand.

"I'm Sprig Plantar! And this is-" A loud honk interrupts him and everyone in the group startles, moving to look at the source. A silver BMW is stuck behind her mom's mini-van and the one-way street doesn't give any wiggle around room. A shout filters out of the sports car. "MOVE YOUR CAR!" Except with a lot more swears. Anne's mom sighs.

"Introductions later, let's get in the car," she instructs and everyone moves.

All the frogs hesitate as they get closer, Sprig even flinching when Anne hauls open the back seat door with a slam. She gestures inside. "C'mon guys, it's just like a wagon," Anne says. Polly hops in first and settles into the closest middle row seat. She bounces a couple times.

"It's comfy," the polliwog reports. The jerk in the BMW honks again, even longer. Sprig and Hop-pop pile in and Anne closes the door behind them. She gets into the passenger seat and the feeling of air conditioning against her skin is like. Magic wind. Super relaxing. Like insane luxury. Oh, Anne missed technology.

"Buckle up." Her mom clicks her seat belt into the lock and starts pulling away immediately. Leaving Anne to explain what 'buckle up' means, and what a seat belt is, and no she doesn't know when they were invented. The questions continue as the mini-van pulls onto the highway, but the group soon quiets down. Anne blinks slowly and looks outside the window. The trees and billboards and other cars pass by her so quickly, so much quicker than Bessie could ever go. A pang strikes her heart as Anne realizes Bessie will be all alone. She hopes the Plantar's family snail is taken care of while they're gone. Anne looks away from the window as nausea grips her throat. She's almost home. She can hold off on falling apart for just a little longer.

"Anne, honey, are you awake? We're home."

Anne blinks and she squeezes her eyes tight and yawns loudly and long. She hadn't realized she dozed off. "I'm...home." She opens the door and doesn't let her twinging feet deter her from getting a good look at her home. The small bushes that lined the driveway, the slightly dented mailbox, the umbrella her dad always left outside the red door. Anne drinks it all in.

For the past several months she had been in a world with fantastical flora and fauna and shocking experiences every day, but Anne feels dizzy at the sight of her home. Her eyes catch on every detail, the once too-familiar not familiar enough. The bristly door mat; the unpolished brass numbers: 301; the creaky porch step; the small, pink, clay owl figurine Anne had given to her mom for Mother's Day in fifth grade and sat tucked in the corner. Her eyelashes are sticky with tears.

"Your house is SOOOOOOOOO BIG!" Anne snorts and is grateful for Sprig. She turns around to look at the small, pink frog.

"It's pretty nice! I've loved growing up here. Three-oh-one Silver Spring Lane." A gobsmacked look.

"You have springs made of silver?" Sprig's jaw drops. Hop-pop's head pokes out of the van.

"What's this I hear of silver springs?"

Surprisingly, it's Anne's mom who answers. She laughs, and it soothes Anne, before saying, "No, Hopadiah. It's just a nice name for a road." Anne tunes out what Hop-pop replies in favor of turning back to the door.

The metal door handle is hot to touch, searing from the oppressive California heat. She breathes out in a harsh whoosh and forces herself to yank the door open. It slams against the wall and the hinges squeak. Anne hears a sound of protest from her mom, but she can't acknowledge it when there's a bullet of fluff running towards the door.

"DOMINO!" The cat jumps into Anne's arms and she catches her, swinging Domino around and around and gosh, will Anne ever stop crying today? She hides her tears in Domino's soft, white belly, and laughs as the cat wiggles around to climb up her shoulders. Domino wraps around her neck and rubs Anne's check with her cute, little face.

Anne collapses to her knees and she pulls her cat around and holds her so carefully and so, so close. Domino allows this longer than ever before, but soon she does squirm and fall to the carpet on all four feet. She chirps and purrs vacuum-like. Anne's hands move on their own accord, stroking down Domino's back, scratching all her sweet spots, reacquainting herself with her Domino, her beautiful angel baby.

"Anne, could you move your reunion a few feet more into the hallway? So we can come in?" Her mom says, her tone telling Anne she's smiling. Anne kisses her baby's head one more time before standing up and moves to the side. Ugh, her knees hurt from carpet burn. That's one thing she hadn't missed.

"Sprig, Polly, Hop-pop! Remember the killapillar?" Anne scoops up Domino and holds her out. "This is Domino One!" Sprig steps closer, squinting. He pokes at Domino's paw and she mrrps! at him. He flinches back for a second before staring deep into her eyes. Anne watches this stare-off with no small amount of amusement.

Eventually, Sprig asks, "So this Domino won't kill us for dinner?" Anne shakes her head and a leaf drifts from her hair.

"Nope!"

Sprig oh so slowly reaches a finger to Domino's long-haired back. "Oh!" He says, curling his fingers through the fur. "She's even softer than peatmoss."

Polly joins her brother and jumps up and down on her new, little legs. "Let me pet her!" Anne leans back down, but Domino wriggles out her grip and runs down the hallway, disappearing around the kitchen corner. Polly pouts. "Aw! I wanted to touch Domino One."

Anne pats her yellow bow. "Don't worry. There's plenty of time for that later."

"I believe a good use of time right now," Anne's mom says, still lingering in the open door, "would be for you to change out of your dirty clothes. Go take a shower."

Anne stares at her mom stunned. "Oh my god...," she whispers. "I shall finally be clean." Sprig laughs.

"Are there no showers where you come from?" Anne's mom asks Hop-pop as Anne still revels in the very idea of pressurized water.

"I can't say I know what a shower-whatsit is, but we did bathe," Hop-pop says archly, half at Anne's mom and half at her. Her mom nods understandingly. Then frowns.

"Do you have any spare clothes with you?" She asks and all the Plantars go wide-eyed.

"We..." Hop-pop can't finish his sentence hands twisting his ascot. Sprig looks morose and he's holding onto his slingshot tightly. Polly is similar, tugging at her frayed and dirty yellow bow. Anne's heart twinges, and she cuts in.

"We didn't exactly have time to pack our wardrobes when we came, Mom," she says. "I have piggy bank money, we can go shopping guys! You guys have to see the mall. This time, my treat," she tries to cheer up the little frogs.

Sprig and Polly perk up at the mention of visiting the mall, but Hop-pop and her mom both protest at once.

"Anne, that's mighty kind of you, but-"

"Anne, that's very generous, but-"

Both stop and her mom motions for the frog to continue. Hop-pop waits a second more before saying, "Anne, you don't need to spend your savings on us. We can make do if you just show us to a wash bucket and a needle with thread. When these get worn out, we'll cross that river when we come to it." Anne's mom then lays a hand on Hop-pop's shoulder, slightly crouching to reach. Hop-pop nods at her.

Her mom smiles before saying to him, "I can certainly show you the washing machine, but we'll figure out another set of clothes for you." Her gaze casts over Sprig, Polly, and Anne. "For all of you. And Anne," her mom walks up to her and she smiles with glistening eyes, "when did you grow up so much?" She brings Anne into a tight hug before releasing her. And boops her nose. Anne squeals. Her mom smiles. "I will pay for the shopping. Now!" She claps. "Shoes off."

Everyone looked down at their feet and noticed the frogs didn't have any. "Ah well, shoes and...shoe off. Anne, what happened to your shoe?"

Anne waves it off. "Lost it a few months ago." Her mother grumbles and Anne suspects she'll be getting a new pair of sneakers in the near future. Then it occurs to her, "Where's Dad?"

"He had to stay to make sure the delivery went smoothly since Jackson quit and everyone else messes it up," her mom explains while running her hands through Anne's hair.

Anne gasps. "No! Not Jackson."

"Yes, Jackson," replies her mom. Her fingers tug painfully through Anne's hair and come away holding a handful of leaves and twigs. "Is there an entire forest in your head? Now off you go, shower. Get the dirt off," she commands. Anne rolls her eyes.

"Yes, Mom," Anne says in Thai and kisses her cheek. She looks to the Plantars. "You guys okay with my mom showing you around the house? Show you somewhere to sit and some water?"

Hop-pop nods and Polly wiggles. "I have a mighty THIRST," she yells. Anne giggles.

"Well, alright froggy fam. See you on the flip side," and she starts to head up the steps, her fingers trailing the railing, when a cough causes her to pause. She glances back.

"Anne..." Sprig says, "welcome home."

Tears spill over her cheeks and Anne half-falls down the stairs to give him a tight hug. Quickly, other froggy arms surround the two and are joined by a pair of human arms. All together, all safe, all alive. Anne takes a deep breath, and exhales heavily. She's back home.

#amphibia fic #amphibia #anne boonchuy #hopadiah plantar #sprig plantar #polly plantar #mrs. boonchuy #amphibia season three #my writing #if you enjoyed reading this as much as i enjoyed writing this pls consider reblogging

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patriciamccarthy · 2 years

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In the depths beyond reach - a frogs playful tale by Patricia Mc Carthy~ (poetry).

In the depths beyond reach

One may see it's webbed feet,

And it's protruding eyes

Gaze across the misty isles,

On the search for a snail,

Or a slug for a treat.

This carnivorous creature sets out a croak of delight,

When it spots a mound of earthworms,

Rather close in sight.

With a hop and a leap,

The prey is swept off its own feet,

And with a munch and a crunch this frog has had his own lunch.

I decided to create this poem after finishing my experimental drawing of a hunched frog posed sitting down on a coffee cup I got in college. I wanted to use various media and media to challenge myself in my artwork and experiment with various processes and varieties of art forms and techniques. I used the drawing technique of observing from reality/ using a frog mould as my model for this artwork. This poem explores animals playing with food (frog playing with earthworms). As I live near a forest it is common to see frogs hopping and leaping out of the ponds of marshy water typically when it’s raining, I got to learn more about my surroundings and demonstrate other various aspects of play demonstrated by frogs such as: locomotor play (hopping and jumping) as depicted in the illustrations below🐸✨🌟

I took inspiration from a little froggy visitor in my garden and also from a frog statue my nanny gave to my family a few years ago!

Monday seminar focus: Donald Teskey - Fractured shoreline IV PIECE

Born in Co. Limerick in 1956, Donald Teskey graduated from Limerick College of Art & Design with a diploma in Fine Art in 1978.

Since 1992 he has crafted out a substantial body of work as a painter of the landscape and more recently the ruggedness of the western seaboard.

Teskey’s works interpret the connection between prehistory and the land and man’s emergence from the sea.

For Teskey much of the motivation to capture the sense of what he sees is the search to represent the illusory.

He finds that gaining a sense of place improves your painting style, and I took inspiration from this quote as I decided to explore my own surroundings in nature and sketch from reality.

He uses Carborundum & Intaglio - as his media which is a printmaking format

Intaglio process:

Depressions are engraved or etched into a flat printing plate. Likely not to scale: grooves can be less than a millimetre wide.

The plate is covered in ink.

The ink is wiped off the surface of the plate, but remains in the grooves.

Paper is placed on the plate and compressed, such as by a heavy roller.

The paper is removed, and the ink has been transferred from the plate to the paper.

Intaglio is the family of printing and printmaking techniques in which the image is incised into a surface and the incised line or sunken area holds the ink.[2] It is the direct opposite of a relief print where the parts of the matrix that make the image stand above the main surface.

Carborundum mezzotint:

a printmaking technique in which the image is created by adding light passages to a dark field.

I used markers as my form of media for my frog drawing, however I have experimented with the printing process as seen in my earlier post of my printed fox.

#ireland #art college #artist on tumblr #fun #frog #froggy #play #animal play #animals #poetry #poems #Donald teskey #art research #printing #intaglio

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miyuki-fenn · 9 months

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"No no.. He's got a point" I did a meme redraw of my Kronk OC, Koka, and his inner conscience manifested through a silly angel and devil on his shoulder. I did my best to replicate the twst style.

#twisted wonderland #twst oc #twisted wonderland oc #kronk #emporers new groove #twst kronk #twst fanart #original character #froggy's silly lil drawings

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thatonesakudere · 3 years

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(cynet for either or both) ⭐️x2, 👂, 👤 + santiago

@malgatillo

⭐️ (or multiple) for a headcanon about our muses

⭐️ Dancing on your own is cool n' beans but- Dancing with someone else? Now, it's twice the fun! Cynet would 100% try and get Vaas to dance with her (and not just once). Any dance, any moves, any genre — it doesn't matter, as long as they be grooving 🕺 She'll likely try her luck whenever there's some time to spare and music to dance, AND when Vaas is in a good mood; especially if he's tipsy. Or she is 🤭 Though, to be fair, if Cyn's tipsy, then nobody (even Santiago) is safe from her "dancing advances".

⭐️ Listen; that baby loves to sew and makes stuff for others. And the mo-ment Cyn learns that Santiago likes spiders and has any spare fabric on her hands you KNOW, she gonna make him like... A spider related shirt, or bandana or whatever. Sew on a lil' spider or a spider's web (she's not the best at embroidery — not enough patience — but she can embroider very simple things). Vaas is gonna get something with (*cough*edgy*cough*) a skull or a knife 🤣 Don't want him to feel left out.

⭐️ Also, in general she'd... Try to help out at the compound? Her brain would go like "oo, they let me stay, so I can't leech off of them!". Watch her haul crates n' fix random stuff that needs fixing (her field of expertise might be cars, but she's good at tinkering/handiwork in general). But please, for everyone's sake never let her inside a kitchen.

👂 to overhear my muse talking about yours.

👂 [Santiago] 👂

"No, no, no-! Ah, no, you are goin' the wrong way! Just.. The other one, up on that leaf-- Don't get me wrong Mr Spider, I ain't squashin you but I don't think I'm ready to put chu on my hand either.”

"..."

“Gosh, I wish Santiago was here! He'd pick you up no-problem, put you somewhere safe, give you a fat fly for a breakfast- Everyone says he's like mean 'n gruff-looking, and yeah, I guess so? He do be big as a mountain n’ always looks like he just ate a lemon buuuuut- I dunno. I don't really... Notice it? Like, I've seen him help a few of your 8-legged friends before! Or just look at them with admiration. And... A guy like that can't be that bad, right?"

"..."

"Right! Hmm.. Maybe I should go find him--? He'll totes know what to do with you~!"

👂 [Vaas] 👂

"Loves me, loves me not, loves me, loves me not- Aw, it's like the third "not"! Those flowers are busted! Well, I mean I know this probs ain't no big romance, but he must at least like me, no?"

"..."

"Yeah, yeah, I know, I know, I get crushes like suuuuper easily, and I don't even know his name, but it's not my fault he's Just.My.Type‐-! Purr-fectly fun to talk to AND to look at? What are the chances! Strong too, and tall, and a total bad-boy, and ohhh-! Those smoochable lips.. Piercing blue eyes~ Like the ocean. Ugh, I SOOO adore swimmimg!"

"Ribbit."

"Yeah, I bet you do too, Mr Froggie! Aww, you are such s god listener; lemme pet you~! ...Wait. Maybe I shouldn't-? What if you are poisonous??? Mmmmm--- Oh, I know-! Ribbit twice if you are poisonous!"

👤+ a muse name for my muse’s opinion on that muse

"You know Santiago, you kinda remind me of my pa- But like, not in a weird way-! He's just.. On the quieter side too, and a lot of people find him intimidating, aaaaand he likes animals and you like spiders-- I think he's taller though. Not that you aren't! He's just... Even more tall! Sometimes bonks his head on the lamp in my RV." she chuckles at the memory.

"But you win in the scary department, that's for sure! I don't think pa Nick has ever made a face quite as grumpy as you sometimes do~!"

#malgatillo #[♡Cynet♡]#[♡ask♡]#[♡au: fc3♡]#//Cyn be like 'aight imma go talk with inanimate objct/an animal now' (:#//and we love her for that!#//i wasnt sure how many hcs to write so have 3 coz i like the number 3

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jiynnsleeps · 3 years

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Sometimes you need 1 (one) froggy groove to keep you mentally and emotionally stable

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generalthirstclub · 5 years

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what your smash main says about you, written by an obsessive smash fan who doesn't know anything about half of the characters on the roster

mario: you sleep well every night. How

donkey kong: you don't really know much about this game but you're trying your best

link: i don't know man you just like legend of zelda

samus: you're a lesbian

dark samus: you're a really sexy lesbian

yoshi: you think dinosaurs are really cool

kirby: you're a fucking baby!!!

fox: you don't know anything about star fox but it intrigues you cause you're a furry

pikachu: you're just here for the pokemon rep

luigi: you're perfect in every way here's my credit card number

ness: whenever you lose a stock you make a joke about sans undertale getting killed

captain falcon: you parrot his lines, accent included, whenever he says anything

jigglypuff: actually i've got nothing on this one sorry

peach: i diagnose you with femme lesbian

daisy: same as peach but daisier

bowser: monsterfucker

ice climbers: you have a really strong opinion on whether nana and popo are siblings or lovers or what and you get into arguments with people about it

sheik: youre a trans icon

zelda: you just think shes pretty

dr mario: you have a medical kink

pichu: you like beating the shit out of people with the objectively worst character in the game cause it makes you very epic.

falco: uhhhh bird

marth: i dunno man. i don't know shit about fire emblem

lucina: youd main marth but youre too busy thinking girls are pretty

young link: why do you main young link

ganondorf: you like to Whack

mewtwo: you like pokemon but youre a little more familiar with the other franchises in smash than the pikachu main

roy: listen i have no fucking idea

chrom: EVERYTHING is chrome in the future!

mr game and watch: you're gay and also you're kin with me cos that's my main

meta knight: you adore kirby games and you may or may not have a thing for spanish accents

pit: you've never played a kid icarus game in your life but you think the concept is cool

dark pit: you're edgy

zero suit samus: no offense but you're probably a straight man. if not then you're the coolest person ever

wario: you are so brave.

snake: i don't know man

ike: which one is ike again??? i don't fuckjn know. all the animesy boys blend together. send help

pokémon trainer: youve been playing pokemon since you were in diapers and you know every single move and ability

diddy kong: you are here for blood

lucas: listen i don't know earthbound. i

sonic: uh.... meow?

dedede: every day you wake up and you look in the mirror and you softly whisper "ah need a monster to clobber dat dere kirby."

olimar: you think pikmin are cute and you cry when any of them die

lucario: ah. the age old furry pokémon fan

rob: you really like chunky 90s computers

toon link: you're the gay legend of zelda fan

wolf: you eat your cereal dry

villager: you're tired of the murderous villager meme but you still partake in it whenever you land a good hit

mega man: you like clicking the chip over and over to make the announcer say MEGAMEGAMEGAMEGAMEGAMAAAN

wii fit trainer: either you're nostalgic for wii fit or you're an antivaxxer

rosalina: you always liked rosalina better than peach or daisy growing up and now you are physically transforming into her

little mac: you own a small apple computer. :0)

greninja: you think his froggy sounds are funny

palutena: You Gotta Have Green Hair

pac-man: you are trans and you like peanut butter

robin: robin

shulk: you just like his accent

bowser jr: you love the way the announcer goes BOWSER! ...JUNIOR?

duck hunt: either you think the dog is cute or you like making da cunt jokes

ryu: youre gay

ken: youre gayer

cloud: your motivation to win is knowing what a groove your victory jingle is.

corrin: ????????

bayonetta: youre either a really kinky lesbian desperately searching for a purpose in life or you just think she's neat

inkling: you have never gone a day in your life without playing splatoon

ridley: you have a monsterfucker problem. you and the bowser main can bond over this you see

simon: your name really is simon. im sorry.

richter: you don't sleep

k rool: you think that lord licorice from candyland is sexy

isabelle: you just really like animal crossing!! you're a good wholesome person have a nice day

incineroar: you were a pro wrestler in a past life. he's trying to escape your body. you need an exorcist

piranha plant: you always let kirby swallow you cause he looks so adorable in his little plant outfit

joker: i diagnose you with HORNY

mii: chaotic neutral

#long post

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reebokonlineblog · 4 years

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3 Factors That Make or Break Cross-Training Shoes

When you’re in the gym, you don’t hold still, so when you find that your cramped, bulky, or flat-footed shoes are dictating what lifts and movements you can do in a workout, it’s frustrating. It’s also all the more reason you need quality cross-training or CrossFit shoes.

Cross-training shoes are meant to be the jack of all trades of workout shoes. They combine the best of what running shoes and weightlifting shoes have to offer in a complete, comfortable package to keep you on your game no matter what the WOD calls for. In essence, they should be the perfect gym shoes for any and everything. As you can tell, like any fitness footwear choice, there’s a bit of a science and art that goes into designing the perfect pair.

So, how do you know you’ve found the right pair for you? As you shop around, consider the following three factors that can make or break the perfect cross-training shoes.

Flexibility

Just like your favorite running shoes, your cross-training sneaks need to be able to move and bend with your movements—but not too much. Because you might plan to do lunges, box jumps and squats in your cross-training shoes, they shouldn’t feel too bendy—like they can’t support you with 135 pounds on your back. In the same vein, if you like to warm up on the treadmill before you lift or feel froggy on HIIT day, they can’t hold you back. Look for shoes made with a flexible upper and grooved sole for added flexibility when you need it without too much movement during your lifts.

Support Where You Need It

One of the primary reasons to have a designated pair of weightlifting shoes or running shoes is the featured support. For lifting shoes, that support comes in the heel. For running shoes, it’s in the midsole to help absorb impact and protect your arches. The perfect pair of cross-training shoes will balance these two areas for an overall comfortable workout experience.

It’s best to try on or test out cross-training shoes beforehand so you can get a feel for them, but when that’s not possible, you can turn to friendly people on the internet or in your CrossFit gym to find the best tried and true cross-training shoes. For example, it’s hard to go wrong with a CrossFit shoe designed with input from the CrossFit community like the Reebok CrossFit Nano. These shoes are heralded for their durability, versatility and uncompromising support.

Styled for Your Workouts

We all want shoes that perform and look great too, right? When your shoes feel good and look even better, you’ll feel on top of your game, ready to strut, lunge, or jump your stuff all through the weight room. Style is subjective, so there isn’t a clear-cut way to determine what you should look for. You might be a big fan of covert black shoes while someone else wants bright neon gym shoes.

All in all, choose shoes from a brand known for not only innovating in the cross-training and CrossFit space but also for their forward-thinking, heritage-inspired designs and colorways. Rock a brand with a legacy, and you’ll carry (or lift) on the tradition like cross-trainers before you.

About Reebok From the start, Reebok has produced footwear and apparel for those who perform, move, inspire and innovate. Whatever your sport, Reebok has the athletic gear you need to propel yourself forward. From their CrossFit Nano series to basketball shoes, weightlifting shoes, running shoes and more, when you lace up a pair of Reeboks, anything is possible. Reebok also has all of your athletic apparel needs covered, offering a wide selection of performance shirts, sports bras, athletic leggings, gloves, hats and so much more. Couple their selection with their innovative technology, and Reebok is your clear choice for all athletic wear.

Shop Reebok’s entire selection of fitness essentials at Reebok.com

Original Source: https://bit.ly/38ZQPIH

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papermoonloveslucy · 5 years

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Lucy’s Toy Chest!

Even when Little Ricky wasn’t on screen, you knew there was a child in the Ricardo home by the toys! Toys also found their way into the Carmichael and Barker houses, both of which had children living there. Even Lucy Carter, mother of teenagers, managed to play with toys once in a while. Here’s a look inside Lucy’s toy chest!

The most amazing collection of toys (circa 1953) was seen in “The Ricardos Change Apartments” (ILL S2;E26).

In the hutch (which usually holds cartons of Philip Morris cigarettes), Lucy has stored Little Ricky’s Tricky Trolley (a Mattel toy), and his metal Fire Chief Action Pull Toy #34.

Above Ricky’s head is a the box from Lionel Trains (conspicuously place and turned toward the camera), which Lucy calls “the Super Chief” as it circles the room! And there’s that Teddy Bear - it will show up time and time again until 1959!

This inflatable punch toy has yet to be accurately identified. Any guesses?

Buzzy Bee, a pull toy, was made by Fisher-Price from 1950 to 1985. At the time, it sold for sixty cents!

A bath toy, Cleo was the goldfish from the Disney film Pinocchio (1940). When Ricky squeezes her, Cleo spits in his face!

This was actually a TV tie-in (one of the first) called Froggy the Gremlin. The character made its debut on radio’s “Buster Brown Gang” in 1944, which was brought to television in 1951 as “Smilin’ Ed’s Gang” with Froggy as a puppet and – occasionally – a life-sized costume character. The program was seen on CBS from 1951 to 1953.

Tricky Trolley turns up again in “Face to Face” aka “The Ricardos are Interviewed” (ILL S5;E7), and...

“Lucy and Superman” (ILL S6;E13).

Having invested in such a stockpile of toys, the props department re-used them time and time again. Cleo the Goldfish turned up again in “Ethel’s Birthday” (ILL S4;E9), along with Hi-Lo Safety Blocks with inter-locking grooves made by Halsam Products Company.

The same blocks keep babysitter Fred busy in “Ricky’s European Booking” (S5;E10).

On the coffee table in “Ricky Minds the Baby” (ILL S3;E14) is not only Cleo, but the “I Love Lucy” Teddy Bear. Also on the coffee table is a roly poly panda toy made by Softskin.

In the same episode, Fred tries to entertain Little Ricky with Mr. Squawker, a rubber duck squeeze toy manufactured by Rempel Manufacturing of Akron, Ohio, that also turns up when “Lucy Tells the Truth” (ILL S3;E6).Little Ricky is teething on a rubber bunny toy.

In “Little Ricky Gets Stage Fright” (ILL S6;E4) we go inside Little Ricky’s room (formerly his nursery), where there are lots of toys!

Little Ricky is discovered playing with his Keystone Tot Railroad, a wooden train set made by the Keystone Manufacturing Company. The box is tucked under the bed.

A key prop in the episode, the wind-up drummer bear toy was made in Japan and was sold with both brown and white fur. Fred says he bought it for 49 cents!

A similar drumming bear turns up in a toy-filled episode of “Here’s Lucy” in 1972, but Lucy Carter is more amused by the mechanical dog.

In “Bonus Bucks” (ILL S3;E21), Ricky discovers this odd little squeeze toy cat while searching through Lucy’s well-stocked handbag! He doesn’t quite know what to make of it!

In “Tennessee Ernie Hangs On” (ILL S3;E29) Ethel makes her entrance wearing Little Ricky’s Bubble-O-Bill Bubble Hat! The flying saucer-themed toy was made by Mattel.

A Mattel Jolly Jack-in-the-Box Music Box is a prop in “Nursery School” (ILL S5;E9). Had the toy been facing the camera, the product’s name would have shown and American would have seen the hideous face of one of the most nightmarish clowns in toy history! Maybe that’s why Lucy is crying!

That same episode includes Little Ricky’s teddy bear, although later bears would be a darker shade of brown, this one is closer in appearance to the “I Love Lucy” bear sold commercially.

The darker bear makes many appearances, all the way into “The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hours.”

Long before Little Ricky was born, the show featured a toy snare drum in “The Young Fans” (ILL S1;E20). It was made by Ohio Art especially for children.

The drum came out of the prop closet again when “Ricky Sells The Car” (ILL S5;E4) and Lucy is packing up Little Ricky’s toys. Lucy also holds the aforementioned Teddy Bear and a toy ray gun.

The ray gun could be the same toy used by Lucy when threatening tourists atop the Empire State Building. If you notice, Ethel does not have a ray gun. Vivian Vance dropped hers while scaling the fence and it stayed on the floor for the entire scene!

Also in “Lucy is Envious” (ILL S3;E23), Little Ricky’s toy telephone is left on the mantle. The toy rotary telephone was also a savings bank! It was made by Amerline of Chicago, IL, in 1945. Lucy no-doubt emptied the bank looking to fulfill her pledge to Cynthia Harcourt. The same toy telephone earlier showed up in the collection of toys in “The Ricardos Change Apartments”

Before “Lucy Goes to Scotland” (ILL S5;E17) in her dreams, the Mertzes have bought Little Ricky a toy dragon stick puppet. This plants the seed for her dream that Fred and Ethel are a two-headed dragon. In fact, the toy is not Scottish or English, but Chinese in origin!

Bunnies are the theme for Little Ricky in “Ricky’s Old Girlfriend” (ILL S3;E20). In addition to his rabbit toy, Cleo the Goldfish can be seen on the left! The bunny motif helps viewers identify Little Ricky in the dream sequences, even though he is played by two different actors!

When preparing for Little Ricky’s birth, a doll was used for Lucy and Ricky to practice their parenting skills. The doll was also sold commercially. It was called “The Lucy Baby” and wasn’t assigned a sex in order to keep sales going after the Ricardo / Arnaz baby was born.

This infant toy was designed with a suction cup to adhere to the baby’s playtable or highchair. The molded plastic top was in the shape of a mouse. Mickey?

Toys were also an integral part of “Lucy and the Efficiency Expert” (TLS S5;E13) in which Lucy Carmichael works the assembly line at the Grantland Toy Factory

She is under close supervision by an efficiency expert (Phil Silvers).

The shelves are stocked with toys like Nutty Mad Indian, and yellow Pluto dogs! The battery operated toy was manufactured in the 1960s by Marx but would definitely not be “PC” today.

The Pluto dogs can also be spotted again when Lucy Carmichael babysits three chimpanzees in a 1967 episode.

In a 1966 episode starring famous child star Jay North (”Dennis the Menace”), Lucy Carmichael takes the place of a life-sized toy soldier!

In the background a toy Ferris Wheel was previously seen on the series when it was set in Danfield and in black and white!

Lucy and Viv’s boys Sherman Bagley (Ralph Hart) and Jerry Carmichael (Jimmy Garrett) were big fans of submarines - and took this toy out on a rainy day!

Dracula (Jimmy Garrett) fights Frankenstein (Ralph Hart) with a deadly ray gun in this 1965 episode of “The Lucy Show.”

When Paul Winchell guest starred as himself on “The Lucy Show” in 1966 he brought his cast of characters, including Ozwald, half doll / half magic trick! Many of Winchell’s figures were available in stores.

An Austrian therapist (Elliot Reid) conducted an age regression experiment on Lucy Carmichael, Viv Bagley, and Mr. Mooney in “Lucy the Stockholder” (TLS S3;E25). Being “big kids” they played with some large-sized toys!

Much to the dismay of Uncle Harry, Lucy Carter sublets the Unique Employment Agency to a toy maker (Wally Cox), who fills the office with every toy imaginable on a 1972 episode of “Here’s Lucy”.

In an earlier “Here’s Lucy” episode featuring Wally Cox (1970), Lucy becomes a security guard and the warehouse is stocked with children’s toys and games. A wagon, a tricycle, several toy ducks. and the Ideal board game Seven Keys can be seen on the table near the door.

When Lucy Carter forms a community advocacy group to get manufacturers to honor their warranties, a defective doll squirts water from every orifice but the expected one(s). Getting Gale Gordon wet was the goal of many episodes of “Here’s Lucy.”

Unboxing items for a garage sale in “Lucy and Aladdin’s Lamp” (HL S3;E21), Kim Carter (Lucie Arnaz) finds her favorite doll, Clarabelle. Clarabelle also made an appearance in “Lucy, the Part-Time Wife” (HL S3;14), although she has on a different frock.

On a March 1970 episode of “Here’s Lucy,” Ma Parker’s criminal gang includes ‘Little Mildred’ aka ‘Milton’ played by Jerry Maren. ‘Mildred’s’ doll looks as disheveled as he/she does!

Although the cast of “Life With Lucy” featured two pre-teens kids (Lucy Barker’s grandchildren), it was Lucy and her brother-in-law Curtis (Gale Gordon) who played with this bear-shaped bubble-blower!

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