Saturday, September 1, 2018

I met the Gorilla of my dreams...

My life long love of Movie Gorillas and real gorillas



As far back as I can remember I was fascinated with apes. I'm sure the movie apes lured me in first but i do remember coming face to face with a real King Kong..well at least to a small boys eyes.

It was the early 70's a time when traveling Circus, Sideshows and Carnivals seemed to land in every open field or parking lot throughout my childhood and one landed in my neighborhood.  I remember the tent and the marquee of a Monster just like in the movies...my movies...King Kong, Mighty Joe Young and The Son of Kong ..one of them can be behind this curtain. I walked in and was taken back by this enormous beast looking at him from a far then a little closer then closer till I locked eyes and although I grew to learn how peaceful, gentle and special these primates are for a moment I was looking at royalty for he had to be related to King Kong. 

I left that tent loving the real Gorilla as much as the movie ones he wasn't a blood thirsty man eating beast and I couldn't tell at the time I'm sure he was probably frightened of the side show life. 

Growing up gaga for gorillas

I grew up in the best time for movie monster love. Famous Monsters of Filmland in my hand, an ongoing series of monster and ape movies on the TV with the 4:30 movie Ape Week showing all the planet of the apes, the new King Kong remake in the works,  an ongoing obsession with Make up Artist Rick Baker and his love of gorillas this was a time of great opportunities to watch, play and collect Gorilla toys and collectibles. 

And I collected and collected from gumball machine rubber gorillas to full size gorilla suits till I built quite a collection I even had a newspaper article written about my and the collection. Oh that little gumball machine Kong is still my favorite.



Going Ape for Apes

As I got older I eventually became an Artist and I took every chance to add some Gorillas into my art.
even sculpting a life size Gorilla out of snow with my little guy.



Unfortunately like so many tales of great collections I sold most of it off when moving and downsizing but I still have a handful  and I still have my first little rubber Kong and I am still  Illustrating as many Gorillas as I can.