I Loved the Yeti: 2017

I'm opening this blog back up to make one of those blink-and-you'll-miss-it appearances. Seemed appropriate for a yeti blog.

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Here are the yeti highlights of the last year. Enjoy!

FIGURES:

In my learned opinion, this year's biggest Yeti related excitement was in the fabulous field of figurines.

The action figures came out in force, with Ol' Red Eyes, aka Harold the Matterhorn Yeti, leading the pack as an exclusive Funko! release:

Exclusive Harold Funko!

The best Not Yeti Gift of 2014's Yeti Gift Guide was the Fisher-Price Imaginext Saquatch toy, but I'm pleased to report that Fisher-Price put out a whole bunch of their own yetis in the series this year:

Fisher-Price Imaginext Giant Yeti toy

Fisher-Price Imaginext Arctic Catapult

Fisher-Price Imaginext Ice Cannon Sleigh

Fisher Price Imaginext Yeti Trap

WARNING: An additional "Yeti Mountain" playset in the same Imaginext series contains NO YETI. Crazy.

Meanwhile, Playskool has a partnership with Transformers, so put out a Rescue Bot that can disguise itself as a Yeti:

Playskool heroes Rescue Bots - Yeti Robot

Longtime readers might recall that yetis have had little to do with the Transformers universe (they get a brief cameo in a G.I. Joe crossover comic), so this is exciting.

And internationally, one could get a variety of cute little abominable snowmen as a Kinder Egg surprise:

Kinder happy meals

This model kit was available, too:

Shawn Nagle's Model Kit

Now, in the less commercially-available space, the arty designer toys were really rockin' it this year, too:

King Korpse Yeti

Sheepsquatch Cryptorb

Gorgoloid Yeti

DexDexign

Spank the Yeti (by DexDexign)

Speaking of the talented Yeti lover Dex Black of DexDexign Labs, he curated a yeti show called Yetimageddon! at the Mothership Gallery in Philadelphia PA this last winter. Two favs of mine from it:

Hansen Yeti

Yetis & Friends

And speaking of the other amazing Yeti lovers at Yetis & Friends, they got their own show this last spring called "Adventure Awaits" at Flower Pepper Gallery in Pasadena CA.

This is just a sampling, check out the rest of the show here.

PLUSH:

Moving from hard bodies to more soft bodies, there were a few new commercially available yeti plush this year:

Yeti Stuffed Animal by Wild Republic

Carter's Plush Yeti

Candy Crush Yeti

Peek-a-Boo Yeti


comes in various sizes and prices

It looks like this particular guy is available at Playland amusement park in Vancouver BC Canada:

ENDORSEMENTS:

There was a Mentos commercial featured kissing/dapping yeti:

And Polar Seltzer put out a "Yeti Mischief" can:

Beverage labels are popular spots for Yeti sightings. Like this beer:

And this wine label for "Sophisticated Yeti" :

Great Divide has a new Chai Yeti beer:

Starbucks had an online Summer Game:

DISGUISE:

A cursory glance at the last year shows people weren't feeling all that heroic on Halloween. In other words, not a whole lot of folks' chose the Yeti as their costume that night.

But there were a couple of advancements in the field of Yeti Guising that I should make you aware of in the hopes you'll consider the virtous Path of the Hero and assume the Mantle of Champions (i.e. a yeti mask) on the days and/or nights in and around October 31, 2017.

Newsflash! A new technology has been developed! Now your mouth can be opened and closed yourself. Get a new Ani-Motion Mask ! Only $30!

Only $30!

Here it is in action:

Look at that mouth open!

There's also this Yeti Balaclava Snowboard Facemask:

And if nothing else, consider this T-shirt, which features a Yeti on a Jetty, one of my most fervent wishes back in 2014, now fulfilled! :

Artist: Odd Corners

THEATRICAL WORKS:

A Nepalese film about the Yeti called Yeti was released in September.

And the final musical of Michael Friedman, "The Abominables" opened in September. It featured yeti characters.

GAMES:

Looks like the biggest event in video games (re: yeti) was the Yeti Winston Skin for Overwatch which caught the public imagination as most things Overwatch do:

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There were a few other games that had yetis too:

Curious George Train Adventures:

World War Toons:

HIT - Heroes of Incredible Tales:

Alphabear (thanks, Fisherman of the Inland Sea!):

In Disney Emoji Blitz, Harold got a tile:

Code Combat:

Dungeon Defenders II:

Ghost Recon Wildlands:

The game Bigfoot got a yeti upgrade:

And he has two different versions in Royal Revolt II:

Typing Club features yetis vs. ninjas, always welcome:

BOOKS:

Picture book "Goodnight Krampus" came out last month and had this page:

And I got a big kick out of this other picture book, "Henry and the Yeti" as yours truly is actually named Henry.

Description: "Henry is sure yetis do exist, and he sets off on an expedition to find one. He has packed everything he needs, including a camera to take photos for evidence. But can he find a yeti? And will anyone believe him when he returns home"

But my big fav was picture book "Don't Wake the Yeti" by Claudia Kanucci:

In the world of comic books, the series "Dark" features robotic dinos fighting werewolves, and at least on one occasion, yeti. A wish come true, even if I never articulated it.

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And here's a comic called "Bug! The Adventures of Forager" (great title) by the talented Alreds that had a yeticorn on its cover:

Finally, Deathklok comic featured one:

TELEVISION:

So Yeti made yeti 'nother appearance on the Simpsons this year (December 11, 2016) as part of a dream sequence in the episode "The Nightmare After Krustmas":

And there was nice horned one in the kids show Kazoops!

The anime Schoolgirl Strikers featured yeti merch:

Little Witch Academia had a character:

This is pretty close to fulfilling my Wish for Yetis and Witches back in 2013.

There was also Ralph from We Bare Bears. I had posted about this show before, but not its yeti.

Finally, a little more obscure, there's the side-kick in Ranger Rob:

And in Yeti Tales, a yeti puppet reads stories.

ART:

A few of the artistic works that caught my fancy:

Bex Bloomfield

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OOPS I MISSED THIS:

Inevitably, stuff on the World Wide Web washes ashore and is found on a beach long after I've gone trawling for Yeti Fishes.

Like this comic of the Electric Company Spidey Meets the Yeti:

Turns out there was another Hammer Film with an abominable snowman. Horror Express (1972) which featured a thawed-out yeti wreaking havoc on a train:

And a whole comic about Lois Lane and a yeti:

There were two fire-breathing yetis I missed:

1) Kids cartoon: Birdman and the Galaxy Trio - "Monster on the Mountains", Alex Toth designs. Air date: 12/23/1967

2): Kids chapter book: The Secrets of Droon: In the Ice Caves of Krong (2003):

And another kids cartoon with a yeti, trying to capitalize on the King Kong craze in 1976:

Tarzan, Lord of the Jungle: "Tarzan and the Ice Creature" (December 4, 1976)

His name is Glakor the Ice Creature.

NOT YETI:

And here are a few Not Yetis...

No, Not Yeti. In this case: Hulk.

Storm King, the main villain of the My Little Pony movie that comes out tomorrow, is so yeti, but apparently isn't one.

Booba, has his own preschool kids cartoon and sure looks like a yeti, but he ain't.

A playable character in Agents of Mayhem is named Yeti but isn't actually one.

YETI CRAB:

And here's what I found this year regarding the real actual living creature called a yeti crab:

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Baddie from animated movie "Deep"

New Sonic the Hedgehog comic character "Mr. Bristles": http://archiesonic.wikia.com/wiki/Mr._Bristles_the_Yeti_Crab

Commission by Maria Twist: http://sketchydean.tumblr.com/post/156290473131/a-commission-for-justanothersaltandburn-castiel

Etsy totes bag by Kelsey Wailes: https://www.etsy.com/listing/523054748/deep-sea-creatures-tote-bag

Adult coloring page by Millie Marotta: http://milliemarotta.co.uk/creaturecuriosities/yeti-crab/

Fine art by Rachelle Vasquez: http://www.rachellevasquez.com/those-that-feel-the-influence-of-the-stars/

Fine art by Kat Elagina: http://www.kat-elagina.com/paintings-animals/

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Fine art by Jeffrey Vallance: https://www.artsy.net/artwork/jeffrey-vallance-yeti-crab-kiwa-hirsuta

PREVIEW OF NEXT YEAR:

Check out this theatrical puppetry performance of Yana And the Yeti touring in the UK and Europe in the next year:

And a new animated adventure film is coming soon:

It's called "Mission Yeti"!

(Although it looks like in English countries it will be released as "Mission Kathmandu" instead, which is disappointing. Not sure why they think Kathmandu is a better title. Some other copyright issue?)

Here's the trailer:

Description:

Quebec City, 1955. Nelly Maloye, an ebullient novice detective, accidentally crosses paths with Simon Picard, an ambitious research assistant in anthropology at the local university. Backed by a glory-seeking philanthropist, the intuitive but disorganized Nelly and the methodical, obsessive Simon set off on a wild adventure, determined to prove the existence of the Abominable Snowman. To achieve this goal, Simon relies on the coded diary of a missing explorer - a diary that should lead them to the mythic creature's lair. Accompanied by Tenzig Gombu, a clever and enigmatic young Sherpa guide, and Jazzmin, a talkative myna bird, our heroes confront a host of dangers in the heart of the Himalayas as they seek that legendary beast: the Yeti.