11.22.2005
Let the Games Begin!
Introduction:
You know those ice-breaking discussions that sometimes crop up at parties where people reminisce about stuff that they have in common from their youth? Cartoons, junk food, video games, whatever. People may have nothing in common at first but be able to bond for hours over what Transformers they owned, or when they cracked the secret of Polk-a-roo.
This site is intended to be the culmination of all those discussions. Of all those "icons" of Pop Culture that have become ironically cool as a result of nostalgia and the investment we have put into them, who is the greatest? Who stands alone as the universal, undisputed champ? Who, in other words, would we love to wear on a tacky t-shirt to a party, knowing that everyone there would get the joke. This is the arena. This is the icon-o-clash.
Nominations:
I will welcome nominations for a non-specified time. I already have an incomplete list which will be published shortly. feel free to comment to this post or the list post with suggestions for additions or deletions. Once we reach the desired number of characters, round 1 will begin.
Rules / Criteria:
1. Source material: Competition shall be limited to characters of imagination. (ie. no Mr. T, no Globetrotters) Source media include cartoons (ie. no Lone Ranger, no Tarzan, but we may make exceptions), marketing (food mascots), videogames, etc.
2. Limitations: We're not looking for the "greatest of all time". Because this is a competition of the ironically cool, we want to exclude icons that would seem to dominate because of their mainstream presence (ie. no Darth Vader, no Kermit, no Ronald McDonald, no Homer Simpson).
3. Timeframe: Again, because of the irony, we want to exclude icons that are still current. A rough year limit could be nothing since 1995, but we may make exceptions (ie. no Spongebob, no Dora, no Stewie Griffin).
4. Individual characters only. (ie. "Thundercats" is not permitted, but "Panthro" or "Mumm-Ra" is permitted)
Competition Guidelines:
The characters will be paired off into head-to-head matches in each round. Each match will take the form of a post on the blog. Place your vote and make your case for why A is better than B, using whatever criteria you like (feel free to argue with other participants, it makes for a healthier competition) by posting a comment. After a set amount of time, the league commissioner (me) will adjudicate the discussion on each post and declare a winner. Winners go on to the next round, losers go to the 3am slot on Teletoon.
Round 1: 128 icons in 64 matches. Length: 8 weeks
Round 2: 64 icons in 32 matches. Length: 8 weeks
Round 3: 32 icons in 16 matches. Length: 4 weeks
Round 4: 16 icons in 8 matches. Length: 4 weeks
Round 5: 8 icons in 4 matches. Length: 2 weeks
Round 6: 4 icons in 2 matches. Length: 2 weeks
Round 7: The final 2 icons battle it out for 1 week.
The following week the winner will be announced, and the fights and incriminations will really begin.
Bring it on!
You know those ice-breaking discussions that sometimes crop up at parties where people reminisce about stuff that they have in common from their youth? Cartoons, junk food, video games, whatever. People may have nothing in common at first but be able to bond for hours over what Transformers they owned, or when they cracked the secret of Polk-a-roo.
This site is intended to be the culmination of all those discussions. Of all those "icons" of Pop Culture that have become ironically cool as a result of nostalgia and the investment we have put into them, who is the greatest? Who stands alone as the universal, undisputed champ? Who, in other words, would we love to wear on a tacky t-shirt to a party, knowing that everyone there would get the joke. This is the arena. This is the icon-o-clash.
Nominations:
I will welcome nominations for a non-specified time. I already have an incomplete list which will be published shortly. feel free to comment to this post or the list post with suggestions for additions or deletions. Once we reach the desired number of characters, round 1 will begin.
Rules / Criteria:
1. Source material: Competition shall be limited to characters of imagination. (ie. no Mr. T, no Globetrotters) Source media include cartoons (ie. no Lone Ranger, no Tarzan, but we may make exceptions), marketing (food mascots), videogames, etc.
2. Limitations: We're not looking for the "greatest of all time". Because this is a competition of the ironically cool, we want to exclude icons that would seem to dominate because of their mainstream presence (ie. no Darth Vader, no Kermit, no Ronald McDonald, no Homer Simpson).
3. Timeframe: Again, because of the irony, we want to exclude icons that are still current. A rough year limit could be nothing since 1995, but we may make exceptions (ie. no Spongebob, no Dora, no Stewie Griffin).
4. Individual characters only. (ie. "Thundercats" is not permitted, but "Panthro" or "Mumm-Ra" is permitted)
Competition Guidelines:
The characters will be paired off into head-to-head matches in each round. Each match will take the form of a post on the blog. Place your vote and make your case for why A is better than B, using whatever criteria you like (feel free to argue with other participants, it makes for a healthier competition) by posting a comment. After a set amount of time, the league commissioner (me) will adjudicate the discussion on each post and declare a winner. Winners go on to the next round, losers go to the 3am slot on Teletoon.
Round 1: 128 icons in 64 matches. Length: 8 weeks
Round 2: 64 icons in 32 matches. Length: 8 weeks
Round 3: 32 icons in 16 matches. Length: 4 weeks
Round 4: 16 icons in 8 matches. Length: 4 weeks
Round 5: 8 icons in 4 matches. Length: 2 weeks
Round 6: 4 icons in 2 matches. Length: 2 weeks
Round 7: The final 2 icons battle it out for 1 week.
The following week the winner will be announced, and the fights and incriminations will really begin.
Bring it on!
# posted on Tuesday, November 22, 2005
Comments:
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Yes you are right.
The irony lies in their "un-cool-ness". In some cases that will come from their obscurity and trivial nature, but not in all cases.
For example, Rocket Robin Hood is ironically cool in that we thought it was the bomb back in the day, but wouldn't actually measure up to today's standards of coolness. But also, Rocket Robin Hood is cool because of it's recognizability. We would recognize the theme song, and remember how their ships were shaped like devilled eggs.
This still seems vague, and it's kind of meant to be. People will use their own criteria when deciding A over B.
So, still waiting for nominations... anytime now...
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The irony lies in their "un-cool-ness". In some cases that will come from their obscurity and trivial nature, but not in all cases.
For example, Rocket Robin Hood is ironically cool in that we thought it was the bomb back in the day, but wouldn't actually measure up to today's standards of coolness. But also, Rocket Robin Hood is cool because of it's recognizability. We would recognize the theme song, and remember how their ships were shaped like devilled eggs.
This still seems vague, and it's kind of meant to be. People will use their own criteria when deciding A over B.
So, still waiting for nominations... anytime now...
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