Alas, poor monkeys
Yes, we actually did it and, yes, Jamie really does have a mannequin factory to fall back on when his Art Directing career inevitably goes in the toilet (subject to the caprice of fashion, he once spent an entire weekend sanding off nipples after they went out of vogue). No, we didn't really let it get in the way of our work.
As with most things that go wrong, I blame the account people for this one. Jamie and I weren't doing anything for Halloween, but an Account Coordinator who hasn't been around long enough to have his spirit crushed threw down the gauntlet when he single-handedly decorated his team's corner of the office. Cobwebs, balloons, a huge spider with black streamers for legs – it looks fantastic. And every time I saw it I knew I'd been upstaged creatively by a suit. A junior suit. Something popped in my head and this was what bled out.
Here's a fun fact that might not be apparent from the comic: despite his connections, Jamie couldn't get adult mannequins. Too tough to fit in his car, perhaps. So we were forced to disembowel and lynch the likeness of a child. I say “lynch” because an African-Canadian colleague said “lynch” when he saw what we'd done. And if you think that made me worry, you should have seen my face when someone pointed out that the blood-splattered children were technically naked.
Let's review. A junior account person goes out of his way to add a little joy to the workplace and our response is an orgy of sadosexual child violence with racist overtones.
In your face, suit!
Most amazing of all, everybody seems to love it. What can I say? People are sick bastards. Or possibly just too frightened of the minds that created this atrocity to show dissent.
-Graham
