Two Years Since Their Musical Christmas Debut

 Wow, it's pretty hard to believe that it was already a couple of years ago that their first-ever "singing" video came out.  And making this moment even more special, was that their song was a very unique Christmas carol!

See the original post here

I was slightly nervous, as my hubby Rob & I embarked on voicing these animals (my "babies!") for the first time.  But it was sure a LOT of fun to put together this project... I still recall a really nice compliment from a waitress a couple years ago when I was drawing the "Pandaroo scene" in a restaurant 😁

Here are some pictures from the project:

Do you recognize the characters??  Take another listen to this video to find out:

  

The New Theme Song!

Hi everyone (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧

In early July, I announced on Patreon that the Zoo'd Animal Hybrid Friends were getting a theme song!

Now, after a few short weeks of creating on the keyboard, writing lyrics, practicing, recording and editing - I've gained a lot of respect for the efforts of music professionals. 

And with my audiophile husband Rob's help, I've released a home-made theme song! Ｏ(≧▽≦)Ｏ


🎵  🎵  🎵  🎵  🎵  🎵  🎵  🎵  🎵  🎵  🎵  🎵  🎵  🎵  🎵  🎵  🎵  🎵


The above video (and song, of course!) was inspired by the cutesy 1980s themes, like The Never Ending Story, Care Bears, My Little Pony, and others that have captured hearts for generations!

Exciting News

Wow, I just... wow.  

That was the feeling that washed over me the other evening when Rob brought in the mail and handed me a large envelope from the federal government.  It was official.... my application to have the Zoo'd Animal Hybrid Friends copyrighted under my name, was approved!

APPROVED!!  I felt like I was floating for a moment, and then when I snapped back to my unique form of reality, I jumped around & squealed for a few minutes. Maybe not the best choice, considering it was late evening and we live in a condo. Anyway...

Now that the Zoo'd Animal Hybrid Friends have been declared mine by Intellectual Property law, I have some pretty big plans for them.  There were some things I was holding back on, since I didn't want a run-in with someone stealing my work, or accusing me of stealing theirs.  Now that these characters are legally in my name, watch for things like children's books and even plushies! 




They will all still be available as coloring books and a trivia quiz on Etsy, as well as Tshirt designs, stickers and more on RedBubble! 

And of course, nothing has changed for Patrons - you'll still get your monthly thank you rewards.

Stay tuned to our YouTube channel for more voiced videos coming soon! 

Anyway, it just really blows my mind that now these cute and goofy animals I've been creating now for a couple of years, are legal. Wow. Thank you to everyone who has been on this journey with me 🧡

We Have a Channel on YouTube!

Hi everyone! 😍 We're celebrating at the Zoo'd Animal Hybrid Friends franchise, because we now have a YouTube channel 🎥

The animals started out as illustrations, and then this blog began in 2017 upon the finish-up of the #Kawaii365 project.  As I developed the characters, they became very diverse and complex - and eventually, this led to doing a Buzzfeed quiz (with 12 possible answers), and I took a cartooning course at Red Deer College in 2018, so I could improve my skills enough to start their web comic.

In the middle, I've drawn TWO coloring books of them and a calendar of them for Etsy. They are just so darn fun to draw ❤

In the meantime, these characters also appear on several items available on RedBubble, and have a Patreon page as well (for those who support the arts). For Christmas 2018, my husband Rob & I voiced them singing their own unique(ly specific) rendition of "The Twelve Days of Christmas"...


...And that's what eventually led us to developing a YouTube channel for these 12 zany animals - we'll be doing some more voicing videos soon 😎

Enjoy!

Jungian Archetypes in The Animals

If you'd like to see these kawaii creatures from a new perspective, then you may be pleased to know that there's more to them than meets the eye.

You may be familiar with the Swiss psychologist (and founder of psychoanalysis) Carl Jung.

In this case, you probably already recognize the concept of "archetypes" - various personas that come together and create the psyche of a whole person. This is something that is discussed in many dream dictionaries or books on the psychology of dreaming.

Even when I started creating these cartoon cuties in the Summer of 2017, I was already realizing that they're all archetypes of me in a way. Read on for an explanation.

Dogosaur is "The Child". He's not overly self-aware (of how he comes across to others), but thrives more on his current wants & needs. Despite his size and aggressive appearance, Dogosaur's got a vulnerable streak and can be prone to random tantrums. Overall, he's innocently playful.

Pandaroo is "The Wise Old Man". Often quiet and thought to be pessimistic, he is just quite realistic because he's learned from experience that life is far from perfect. He's also quite knowledgeable and the other animals come to him for advice like he's a Google speaker!

Parrofly is "The Trickster", but not in the typical way of trying to deceive. Rather, he rarely takes a situation seriously, often trying to divert his role by using humor. Even his Mr. Bean-like voice screams "I'm a comedian!"

Slowan is "The Self". That is, he's incredibly aware of both his conscious and subconscious minds, and perhaps this has to do with his love of sleeping and dreaming. After all, dreams are mind-expanding! This is also why he 'clicks' so well with everyone else, as he sees the 'wholeness' of friends coming together and is the connector of all the other archetypes.

Elefox is "The Animus", the masculine personality. Although he's nice and by no means "macho" (ick), he is large & loud, has a phallic facial feature and LOVES to eat tons of food! Plus, he is outwardly energetic, much like Dogosaur. 

Beever is "The Hero". Despite his tiny size, he's the hardest-worker of them all. He also grows, nourishes and nurtures flowers. He proves that even the very small can also be very strong & helpful.

Rabbird is "The Maiden". She is soft (literally and figuratively), feminine and innocent. Often sweetly quiet and shy, she's got a pure heart full of poetry.

Froogle is "The Shadow". Though she's not malicious or 'dark' per se, she is painfully aware (much like Pandaroo) of an underlying darkness in life. She is aware that we all have moral choices to make, and not everyone makes selfless ones. Because of this, she's not over-the-top friendly because she has trouble trusting others' true motives.

Unicat is "The Mother". She is strong, proud, kind, confident and always there when her friends need some support. Although she does act like a diva sometimes, she is always quick to apologize.

Penguana is "The Father". Though he's smaller than most of them, he is still quietly supportive of everyone. He's also honest enough to be a great help to friends in need. He is mostly mature, but with a "dad joke" sense of humor. (I could've drawn him with a pipe, newspaper, thick glasses and a sweater-vest).

Zebat is "The Anima". She carries the ultimate feminine energy, with a flirty and 'womanly' vibe about her. She blows kisses, giggles, winks, has a sweet voice and a heart-shaped mark on her chest. She is also very friendly and supportive.

Octomouse is "The Persona". She basically represents the 'better version of self' that we all desire to show to others in social situations. Quite frankly, she is terrified of the others because they seem so big and threatening! So to appease them - and protect herself - she puts on her very best behavior.

Do you recognize anything there about yourself? Which one is your personal strongest archetype?

It's also hard to believe that we're already in our 3rd day of the new year! I spent December 31 drawing this for you to enjoy. Learn more about the project at https://www.patreon.com/helpakawaiiartist

The Twelve Days of Christmas as sung by The Animals

Bet you didn't think the lyrics to this song could get any more confusing. And now, the Zoo'd Animal Hybrid Friends have put their own twist on it ^_^

What you hear, is what they want. Whaaat?

The short version: 

Rabbird is a bunny in a tree, because she's part dove and enjoys nesting in soft, fluffy stuff.

Penguana just loves banana splits!

Froogle is of course, a jumper (that's a pun in English-speak, because in the UK she could be considered to look like she's wearing one). So she loves leaping across lily pads.

Pandaroo loves math and other "nerdy" stuff.

Unicat is a fancy girl, who enjoys her showcase of fancy horn accessories.

Zebat loves strawberries - zey are tres sweet! Ooh la la!

If you know Slowan, then you know his perfect "gift" would be sleeping all day.

Elefox enjoys 8 large scoops of his favorite treat, chocolate ice cream.

Octomouse lives in a sandcastle on Brown Sugar Beach, so now she has lots!

Parrofly just loooooves him some jelly beans!

Beever is a gentle florist, so this was fitting for him.

And last but not least, Dogosaur loves snacking on candy almonds. Given his size, 1,200 of them seemed fitting.

The Long Version (Lyrics):

"On the first day of Christmas my true love sent to me
A bunny in a tree 

On the second day of Christmas my true love sent to me
Two banana splits, and
A bunny in a tree 

On the third day of Christmas my true love sent to me
Three lily pads
Two banana splits, and 

A bunny in a tree 

On the fourth day of Christmas my true love sent to me
Four math equations
Three lily pads 
Two banana splits, and 
A bunny in a tree  

On the fifth day of Christmas my true love sent to me
Five golden horns!
Four math equations 
Three lily pads 
Two banana splits, and 
A bunny in a tree  

On the sixth day of Christmas my true love sent to me
Six juicy berries
Five golden horns 
Four math equations 
Three lily pads

Two banana splits, and 
A bunny in a tree  

On the seventh day of Christmas my true love sent to me
Seven sleeps a-snoring
Six juicy berries 
Five golden horns 
Four math equations 
Three lily pads 
Two banana splits, and 
A bunny in a tree 

 

On the eighth day of Christmas my true love sent to me
Eight scoops of ice cream
Seven sleeps a-snoring
Six juicy berries
Five golden horns 
Four math equations 
Three lily pads 
Two banana splits, and 
A bunny in a tree  

On the ninth day of Christmas my true love sent to me
Nine sandy castles
Eight scoops of ice cream 
Seven sleeps a-snoring 
Six juicy berries 
Five golden horns 
Four math equations 
Three lily pads 
Two banana splits, and 
A bunny in a tree  

 

On the tenth day of Christmas my true love sent to me
Ten beans of jelly
Nine sandy castles
Eight scoops of ice cream 

Seven sleeps a-snoring 
Six juicy berries 
Five golden horns 
Four math equations
Three lily pads 
Two banana splits, and 
A bunny in a tree  

On the eleventh day of Christmas my true love sent to me
Eleven flowers growing

Ten beans of jelly 
Nine sandy castles
Eight scoops of ice cream 
Seven sleeps a-snoring 
Six juicy berries 
Five golden horns 
Four math equations 
Three lily pads 
Two banana splits, and 
A bunny in a tree 

On the twelfth day of Christmas my true love sent to me
Twelve hundred candy almonds
Eleven flowers growing 
Ten beans of jelly 
Nine sandy castles 

Eight scoops of ice cream 
Seven sleeps a-snoring 
Six juicy berries 
Five golden horns 
Four math equations 
Three lily pads 
Two banana splits, and 
A bunny in a tree."

Lyrics and illustrations by Daryl Januszewski. Voices by Rob Januszewski & Daryl Januszewski.

More About Planet Zurbpod

In August 2017, I introduced to you, a little purple planet, which inhabits 12 zany hybrid animals. They range from a red-haired elephant to an industrious insect with an accent. And though this original description was well-received, I learned there are still some questions - which is awesome! Keep them coming 😊


Things to know about Zurbpod

1. The name is basically an anagram, made from the first letters of some of the characters' names. They are Z from Zebat, U from Unicat, R from Rabbird, B from Beever, P from Parrofly, O from Octomouse, and D from Dogosaur. It's pronounced exactly as it looks; "zurb-pod".

2. It's climate is similar to Earth's, only with basically no winter. No blizzards, no slippery ice, no frost bite or hypothermia... just warm days! Yay!



3. It's not as big as Earth, though. There are also no humans - just the 12 hybrid animals. Because of her small population, she is approximately the size of Pluto (which is of course, no longer a planet as of 2006; though it was then declared a "dwarf planet").

4. Zurbpod has interesting locales, such as Brown Sugar Beach - home to Unicat, Penguana, Octomouse, and Elefox. She also has a healthy place called Veggie Forest, where the trees are made of broccoli and other natural food. This forest is home to Rabbird, Pandaroo, Zebat and Parrofly. And this friendly planet has a refreshingly cool lake, where some of the aquatic hybrid friends live, such as Beever, Slowan, Froogle, and the biggest of them all - Dogosaur!

*To get more information on their homes, get the 'Where We Live' coloring book from Etsy - it shows each of their homes in better detail! 

5. She (yes, Zurbpod chooses to identify as female) is purple, because that's just the way she is. Her clouds are made of cotton candy - so the sky is a light bluish-purple with a sweet scent. Though Rabbird, Zebat, Beever, Slowan and Parrofly would have to go pretty high to taste the sweet clouds!

🦎🐧🦄🐭🐙🐘🦊🦇🐰🐱🐼🐦🦋🐶🐸

Thank you for your interest in this planet and it's kawaii-cute residents!

Why Do They Have Elements?

It has recently been pondered about why each character's description page shows an 'element'. 

As you've noticed, each of the 12 characters has a zodiac sign (none of them are duplicated). This is because - as an astrology fan - in a way each character embodies traits from their sign. 

For instance: like me, Octomouse is a gentle and timid Pisces. That means she is a 'water sign' (which is why she is part sea creature and can swim). 

The zodiac signs we know in the Western world, each have one of 4 elements. Fire, Earth, Air, and Water.  I'd like to try a little experiment here. First I'll list the general traits affiliated with each element (in Western and Eastern practices). Then I'll list each Zoo'd friend and their element, and then you can tell us where you see similarities 😊

Fire:

🔥Passionate about life

🔥Very confident, high self-esteem

🔥Never afraid to have a good time (the first ones out on the dance floor)

🔥Impulsive temper, large tantrums

🔥Genuinely care about others and will do grand gestures to express that

🔥Love their freedom and won't be tied down

Earth:

🌍Crave security at all times

🌍Are often quiet and thoughtful, intellectual

🌍Incredibly hard workers and very dutiful

🌍Highly critical and a bit picky, high standards

🌍Very sensual and love to indulge in pleasures

🌍Grounded in reality and unlikely to dream big

Air:

⛅Very intellectual and quick-thinking

⛅Highly talkative and 'chatty'

⛅Highly intelligent and difficult to fool

⛅Great at 'reading people' (body language, etc.)

⛅Also great at reading, and loves learning

⛅Not comfortable with emotions and prefer thought processes

Water:

🌊Deeply emotional and very sensitive

🌊Which leads to empathy and compassion

🌊Though sweet-natured, water personalities can have wild tantrums

🌊Usually quiet and dreamy in demeanor, mysterious

🌊Often lost in deep thoughts, has vivid dreams

🌊Very creative and romantic, a true 'dream weaver'

And now, let's look at our sweet Zoo'd friends...

1. Dogosaur - Fire (Aries)
2. Pandaroo - Earth (Taurus)
3. Parrofly - Air (Gemini)
4. Slowan - Water (Cancer)
5. Elefox - Fire (Leo)
6. Beever - Earth (Virgo)
7. Rabbird - Air (Libra)
8. Froogle - Water (Scorpio)
9. Unicat - Fire (Sagittarius)
10. Penguana - Earth (Capricorn)
11. Zebat - Air (Aquarius)
12. Octomouse - Water (Pisces)

So go ahead, check out your favorite characters and compare their personality traits to the ones described in their elements!  Now have a great day 😊