Rhys Cooper - Of Fur and Felt

“Monsterous Cookiebanditous”

“Oscarvorus Grouchamaximus”

“Animalus Wyldapsychosis”

“The Study of Species in the Field of those Rare, Wonderful, Fur & Felt. by Prof. J. Maury. 1859″

Professor J. Maury was a rare breed of man- a rugged explorer, a learned biologist, and most importantly- an exacting artist. His field studies of the varied fauna that he discovered on his journeys delighted and amazed readers of the scientific journals of the time, and provided fodder for the “Penny Dreadfuls” and children’s books. Professor Maury rose to almost super-star acclaim, though, after his discovery of the Sesame Islands and the completely unique creatures that populated them. These brand new plants and animals appeared to develop completely on their own evolutionary course, isolated from any of the seven continents. In retrospect, one must consider the veracity of some of Maury’s claims- that of a “shaggy, earless, tuskless, mammoth’” that was invisible until believed in, and singing fruits and vegetables that wanted to teach him about local hygiene customs. The scientific establishment would have easily laughed these new discoveries off, if it weren’t for the Professor’s previously unshakable reputation and the curiously colored pelts that he produced upon arriving back from his travels. He returned with pelts of shaggy green, the most unnatural blue, and even an impossibly two-headed purple pelt.

His speech to the Zoological society upon his return ended with this strange statement: “I have traveled NEAR and FAR, gentlemen, NEAR and FAR. And let me tell you, compared to the animals that I have discovered previously, that not one of these…THINGS are quite like the others. For science’s sake, I feel as though I must go back to the islands, but for my safety I feel I must stay. I truly feel in between, if you know what I mean. I must now go home to my family and deal not only with the monsters of my recent memory, but the monster I now see in the mirror.”

The real tragedy of Professor Maury’s story, however, is that the location of the islands was a closely guarded secret, and all records of the exact directions were lost. Many an evolutionary scholar begged him to reveal the coordinates, and even his contemporary, Charles Darwin was overheard visiting Prof. Maury on his deathbed, whispering into his ear: “Can you tell me how to get…how to get to the Sesame Islands?”

Here are three interesting prints of muppets from Sesame Street run through a hideous monster filter by the amazing artist Rhys Cooper. The backstory for these is fantastic, I'd love to see a fully illustrated book for a field guide to the Sesame Islands.

Prints found at Nakatomi Stuff.

Prints are still available and can be found for the ridiculously low price of 30 dollars per print here.