October
31st , 2005
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
