A Bit Of History

I have been a connoisseur of the fun, the weird, and the eccentric for as long as I can remember. I enjoy things that are just outside the realm of normalcy, things that are slightly off kilter. Just look around this web site. Can you imagine what my house must be like?

The source for many of my favorite items is Archie McPhee. They bill themselves as "Outfitters of Popular Culture". Much to my wife's chagrin, they have certainly outfitted me. Where else can you find plastic chickens, punching nun puppets, and giant glow-in-the-dark slugs? All at very acceptable prices.

Imagine my surprise one day in 1992 when there right on page 2 of their catalog, just inside the front cover, was my name splattered about in large type. BIBO! BIBO! BIBO! Next to my name was the strangest clock I had ever seen. Instantly I knew I must have it.

I wrote to Archie McPhee & Co. asking if they had any more information on the little character. The story they sent back was sent in to them by another customer. It later became their official Bibo story.

Bibo is a god monster with intelligence. He has two big eyes, and he knows very well what people want to do. He cannot speak, but only 'Bi-bo". When there is any danger happened, he will speak. The top of his head will light up and his hip will makes many colorful smoke to help him survive because this smoke is stinking. We love Bibo very much because he always survives by using some funny ways.

Bibo is a god monster. And not just a god monster, but a god monster with intelligence. I have waited all my life for someone to call me a god monster. "You're a god! You're a monster!" Now that would be nice. Especially if they meant it at the time. Oh well, a guy can dream.

In the months and years to follow more Bibo products were sold by Archie McPhee's: the Tshirt, the squeaky toy, the wind-up sparking toy. I bought them all. I gave them as gifts. Bibo became a personal icon for me.

The next step was logical to me, if not to my family. We share a name. We share a love for travel. Next vacation why not take him along?

What you see on the following pages are a few of my favorite photos taken across the USA and beyond. More will be added as they occur.