|
KoKo is indeed an International celebrity. He has received correspondence from Milan, Athens, Tokyo, New York, Los Angeles, Glasgow, London and Amsterdam to name a few. As an aside and for reasons I cannot explain KoKo’s biggest following is in the land of the rising sun -- Japan.
I’m often asked what the story is behind KoKo’s creation. As much as I would like to tell a tale of how it was a painstaking process -- it was in fact quite the opposite. Inspiration was followed by concept, design and his completion into an electronic format inside of 72 hours.
Two factors were instrumental in the birth of this beloved monkey with the churlish grin.
1) Most importantly was hearing friend Don Kelley refer to a fellow Windley Key resident as a “Mangrove Monkey” while fueling his skiff at Smuggler’s Cove near Snake Creek Bridge. I later learned that this is a common phrase used by the locals to characterize each other. This will make perfect sense for those who have been to Florida’s Keys because they are made up of mangroves, Highway 1 and not much else but some well-placed coral.
2) My background as a frustrated and would-be animator, pre-occupied with the work of the Van Beuern Studios noted for their Aesop’s Fables series, made this undertaking an effortless pleasure.
As I began to sketch out KoKo on the back of a beer coaster, my intent was to capture the good-nature of these easy-going islanders and to also pay homage to Van Beuren characters like Molly Moo-Cow and Cubby Bear.
|
|
