Skelanimals Deisgn Contest: Dead animals need love too

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Official Design Contest

It's time to get your bones off the couch-dust the cobwebs off your pencil, or fire up your Mac®. Skelanimals and Design By Humans are on the prowl for some warm bodies to conjure up drop-dead designs featuring the Skelanimals characters-celebrating their 'deadcade' of pop-culture existence.

Skelanimals are adorable animals who have met an untimely end, mostly due to their own reckless and ill-advised behavior. Edgy but lovable, playful and irreverent, dark but not morbid-Skelanimals are so fun and adventurous that you just might forget they are no longer living.

Grand Prizes:

  • 1st Place: $500
  • 2nd Place: $350
  • 3rd Place $250

1st through 3rd will also get each Grand Prize winning t-shirt in a size of their choice.
Non-Grand Prize Winners may be selected to be included in a Skelanimals Store.

Meet The Characters

kit

Kit

(cat)

Kit's favorite scary movie is "Lost at Sea." Whenever she sees water she gets scared and looks for a high place to stay, like a shelf or next to your computer, because she knows you won't have any water there. She's quite clever that way. She can be a little sassy, but she doesn't mean it. It's just part of her nature.

How she died: Tripped and fell into a pool while gazing at her reflection in the water-which she believed to be another cat.

poem

Kit had a head bigger than her body.
The laughs she endured rang all through the lobby.
Looking at the pool she would see her reflection.
Wishful thinking for her water friend connection.
She slipped and fell as she looked nearer.
No more laughter and jokes would she hearrr...
bonita

Bonita

(unicorn)

Bonita's favorite scary movie is "Hornsnatchers." She's heard that unicorns have magic horns capable of curing almost anything, but she's not so sure about that, because she gets the sniffles every winter. Her favorite uses for her horn are spearing appetizers, and helping Pudge turn himself right-side-up. And when one of the other Skelanimals can't quite reach an itchy bit, Bonita's always there to assist.

How she died: She missed the most important boat of all.

poem

Bonita was special, of that there was no doubt
"Always late, but worth the wait!" her friends would shout.
But when it came time to board the Ark
Being tardy wasn't such a lark.
Bonita the unicorn missed the boat
And sadly, unicorns don't float.
maxx

Maxx

(bulldog)

Maxx's favorite scary movie is "The Dog Catcher." He likes to bare his teeth to show his toughness, and tends to bite first if he thinks you're saying something bad about him. He's actually gentle inside, but wants to make sure you don't notice. Maxx is protective of the other Skelanimals, especially Dax, whom he feels is like a little brother.

How he died: Egged on by spectators, Maxx decided to display the awesome power of his vise-like jaw by hanging from an oak tree...forever. Judge if you must, but what would YOU have done in the face of a 'triple-dog dare'?

poem

So proud of his smile and sharp teeth he\d show
The power of its vise - like grip
He proved it to a crowd on a mid summer's trip.
He jumped and bit a branch of an old oak tree
and stayed there hanging for all to see.
More gathered to see how long he would stay
He remains there biting to this very day.
diego

Diego

(bat)

Diego's favorite scary movie is "The Canaries." He loves to tease and make fun of the other Skelanimals, especially Pen because he can't fly. Diego pretends he doesn't want them around, but deep inside he does.

How he died: Entangled in a strategically placed barbed-wire fence, after waking up the other birds one too many times with his nighttime theatrics.

poem

Diego would glide and fly through the night
His sense of vision perfect and bright.
Waking the birds as they tried to rest
Screeching and flapping, he dive-bombed their nest
The birds, so tired, knew it wouldn't end
And hatched plans to get rid of the their pesky friend.
One night as Diego was flying so near,
A buzzard swooped in and made him "disappear."
jack

Jack

(rabbit)

Jack's favorite scary movie is "The Turtle and the Hare." The movie isn't scary at all, but to Jack it is. He's always looking to see if the turtle is around. He can't seem to stay still. Jack may not be where you last left him, because he's always moving around. Jack knows he's lucky because he still has both of his feet. Double the luck for you!

How he died: Slammed head-first into a tree while racing a turtle.

poem

Jack was nimble, Jack was quick.
He was so fast, it made you sick.
Showing off his speed, he challenged a turtle.
The race then started, he shot like a missile.
As he ran so far, he turned around to see
Where he left the turtle, and then hit a tree.
chungkee

Chungkee

(panda)

ChungKee's favorite scary movie is "Attack of the Bamboo Forest." He loves to chew on bamboo, but he doesn't want it chewing on him. Sometimes, after watching the movie, he'll stare at the bamboo in his hand to make sure it doesn't move. He may be slow compared to the other Skelanimals, but when he says something, the others listen.

How he died: Shot in the butt by a zookeeper, during a misguided attempt to free a stuffed panda dangling from a child's backpack.

poem

ChungKee was eating bamboo quietly in his cage
Until he saw something that made him rage
A girl had a backpack, stuffed panda on the back.
ChungKee thought it was his friend, cuffed to a rack.
He tried to pull his friend free and cut
The zookeeper misunderstood, and shot him in the butt.
jae

Jae

(wolf)

Jae's favorite scary movie is "Running with Wolves." Jae is always around you or the other Skelanimals. He needs to be part of a group or a pack. His keen sense of smell alerts him whenever something unfamiliar comes close so he stands guard with Maxx at your bedside. He tries to get along with Diego but for some reason it's generally awkward. Jae loves to pounce, so if you're not paying attention he'll pounce on you, then run off.

How he died: Your mother was right when she told you to watch where you were going.

poem

And would always run past him, when they were on the go. To prove he was quick Jae sprinted ahead
But missed a curve in the path, and sped straight instead.
Hurtling and spinning, he fell toward the light
With wings and a smile, he later took flight.
dee

Dee

(deer)

Dee's favorite scary movie is "The Deer Hunt." Dee tends to be shy. She doesn't want to offend anybody and is careful about what she says. She'll go with whatever everybody wants to do as long as it's fun.

How she died: Tired of eating weeds, Dee took one step too far while trying to obtain a gloriously red apple from a tree on the other side of a canyon.

poem

Dee was always up for a dare
She would try anything and wouldn't care
How difficult it was to do
She would find a way and make it through
Complained she did of her daily meal
"Vegetables and weeds, how would you feel?!"
An apple tree was across the gorge
So her friends dared her to forge
Ahead with great speed and a leap
No sound, no step, not even a peep.
That apple tree still stands bearing fruit
For all who would dare to give pursuit.

Guidelines

  • Remember what the brand is all about: Edgy and fun. Skelanimals may be dead, but they aren't macabre, frightening, morbid, bratty, offensive, evil, or undead zombies. And they never bleed. 'Cuz they're dead.
  • Your design must include at least one character.
  • The color palette (Theme) for this contest is red, black, white, and grey. Go nuts!
  • Artwork Size Limit: DTG Standard 14.8 x 18.8 Inches. No All-Overs
  • No personal signatures on artwork.
  • Your own creative interpretation of Skelanimals characters and accompanying design assets (within the guidelines above) is allowed, encouraged, and heck, is kinda the point of this contest.
  • Your artwork cannot contain Skelanimals characters other than those that have been provided for use in this contest. Any such designs will be DOA.
  • You have the option of incorporating the Skelanimals brand logo into your design, but can not reinterpret the logo in any way other than change the colors. The colors used must be within the specified color palette ONLY. The logo must not be the main focus of the graphic.
  • You have the option of incorporating the character name, poem and saying, but it must be a supporting element and not the main focus of the design.
  • Use the Download Assets button to get the Skelanimals Logo, Poems, and Sayings and visit www.skelanimals.com for more inspiration.

Deadlines

  • Feb 9th
    Contest Starts
  • Feb 27th
    Submissions Close
    (Midnight PST)
  • March 2nd
    Voting Begins
  • March 25th
    Winners Announced
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