Customer Reviews

Happy Kitty Bunny Pony: A Saccharine Mouthful of Super Cute

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This book is filled with odd, quirky and overly cute images apparently used in advertising in days gone by. The commentary by Michael J. Nelson (former head writer and performer on Mystery Science Theater 3000) ranges from thoughtful to hilarious and sometimes both, but it is spread fairly thin throughout, and not all images have comments associated with them. The pictures range from odd to funny and not all of them are cute even though they all seem to be going for that, and Mike Nelson's comments do at times point out their shortcomings in typically humorous fashion. This book is not nearly as consistently laugh-out-loud funny as Mike Nelson's Movie Megacheese or the Mystery Science Theater 3000 Episode Guide, but it is amusing and a very quick read given the brevity of the text. If you enjoy looking at quirky advertising art from the past, reading Mr. Nelson's humor, or both, then you will find this book at times hilarious and at worst moderately enjoyable and amusing. Recommended.

The previous reviewer, B. Daley, seems to have missed the spirit in which this book was written, so allow me to clarify...it's funny! In "Happy Kitty Bunny Pony", Mike Nelson has written text designed to mock the ridiculous obsession world culture has with adorable animals. His insightful text joyously exposes the dark side of fuzzy-wuzzy, cutesy-wootsy little animals. I personally loved the paint by number images. Brought back wonderful memories of my youth. Perhaps it takes a certain cynical attitude to truly appreciate the work of Mike Nelson. If so, then I am glad to be cynical, for Mike is genius!

I picked this book up as a reference source for my work. As a graphic artist who's a bit girly I bought it compleatly for the crude/funny/scary tribute to all that is cute. I was really surprised when I got to the back of the book to see it was Michael J. Nelson's brand of humour I was half-reading.

For reference or for reading, this is a good tool for someone trying to deconstruct cute simple graphics. Not to mention good reference for someone creating their own super cute flat/vector art. The humour in this book is like finding a five dollar bill in an old jacket, unexpected and nice!

A family with a sense of humor, or even a touch of quirkiness, will enjoy this book. Example: when the book arrived at my house, the kids all asked who it was for. I told them to figure that out. They glanced at the cover and declared it must be for the 2 year old. She certainly enjoyed many of the pictures, but was unnerved by others. Her brothers, ages 8 & 11, laughed heartily at the disconcerting pics. This drew in sisters ages 14 & 15, who took the book and declared it their own. They spent weeks with it, drawing their own pictures, and even creating BOOKS for their friends and little sister.

Then the teenagers, 17, 19 & 20 got hold of it and read Mike Nelson's too brief contributions. They loved it. So I found this to be a fun book for everyone. When my Mom came to visit, we told her to sit with the toddler and read it, and enjoyed the shocked look on her face at the reading material we had for the baby of the family. (Really, most of her books are more of the "Goodnight Moon" venue, I swear!) What a great gag though!

Definitely worthwhile, a book you'll find yourself picking up again and again.

To tide you over until the next "Movie Megacheese" or whatever. Very funny captions, worth a look. A nice book in its own right, but not very much to it other than the very brief captions by Nelson. The pictures reminded me of my 1970s childhood in a creepy, uncomfortable way. I recommend buying it used (sorry!)

I loved this darn book so much as well as the other 2 books. I have bought two of each, One to save and one for crafting with. They are silly stupid fun books ,sure to make you smile

Ok, I just have to say that this book is by far the cutest thing I have ever seen. It is very funny and a good converstaion piece for your coffee table. Lots of pictures to keep those "non-readers" happy and plenty of comedy throughout. Keep it up Pop Ink!

The Charles S. Anderson Design Co. and Mike Nelson, Happy Kitty Bunny Pony: A Saccharine Mouthful of Super Cute (Harry N. Abrams, 2005)

Within the first five pages of Happy Kitty Bunny Pony, I was laughing harder than I had at any book I've read so far in 2006 (and we're only three weeks away from the end of the year as I write this). It just got better from there.

I was never a fan of Mystery Science Theater 3000, but I have discovered in the years since its cancellation that Mike Nelson, when he's putting pen to paper, is a very, very funny guy. Happy Kitty Bunny Pony continues on in this grand tradition; Nelson takes existing images from commissioned work from Anderson's archives and attaches captions or little stories to them, and the result is hilarious. There's always a dark, ominous side to these sickly-cute abominations that populate the weird and wacky world of greeting cards, Saturday morning cartoons, and the like, and Nelson plays it to the hilt. This is awesome, awesome stuff. One for the permanent collection, without a doubt. ****

Any fan of Mystery Science Theater 3000 will instantly recognize the very funny writing style of Mike Nelson. Paried up with page after page of disturbingly cute kitties-ponies-even bunnies, this book will make you laugh and cringe at the same time. Charles Popink has assembled a wide variety of "cute" things, which Mike Nelson comments on with a biting satirical edge. The "Cat Facts" are especially funny given that they are, in fact, not facts. Classic Nelson at his funniest.
The only drawback is not not every page has Nelson commentary on it. But overall: a very funny book!

This is a funny book, but the humour for me is a bonus, I really bought the book to use for reference and inspiration.
It's super kitch photos are mixed up with some other cool & crazy pages of graphic design.