I sometimes wonder what Larson’s childhood was like.
Maurice Sendak, author of Where the Wild Things Are wrote about childhood, saying:
People say “Oh Mr Sendak! I wish I were in touch with my childhood self, like you” as if it were all quaint and succulent, like Peter Pan. Childhood is cannibals and psychopaths vomiting in your mouth.
I don’t really know if it has much to do with Gary Larson’s childhood, but I just love finding an opportunity to bring up that quote.
That is an excellent quote! Thank you for sharing.
Just a guess: Dark.
The Far Side, by Junji Ito
I have a 4 year old who we struggle to get in bed at night. And he sleeps on the 2nd floor. It’s just too perfect.
Well I guess this is one way to ensure childhood trauma and create the next great Gary Larson.
My parents used to threaten me with being sold to the gypsies. I had no idea what they were, but I was moderately afraid of them. One night they broke out Coconut Face, and he chased me up the stairs. I still have sleep issues.
Coconut Face was a face carved into a coconut husk. My father got it when he was in the navy. It used to scare the shit out of us. One of my cousins still talks about it the better part of 40 years later, and he was never deliberately scared with it.
I used to have weird dreams about the gypsies too. The details are tough to conjur at the moment.
Just FYI that’s considered a slur nowadays