inksPIRATE, a Threadless t-shirt by Brian Nur Afandi.

image by Susan Robb

photo via Seattle Center

“Parking Squid” by artist Susan Robb is a tentacular squid sculpture and bike rack. The squid is currently installed at the Seattle Center. In October it will be moved to a permanent home on a Seattle street.

via Dan Sneddon & Schneier on Security

Sean and Amanda Siska of Portland-based Bread and Badger have created these great etched Squid Pint Glasses. They are available to purchase at their Etsy shop.

My cousin Lisa’s husband Troy Tuckey, who is a Research Scientist at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science, sent me these photos of beautiful squid he collected during a recent trawl survey in the Chesapeake Bay.

The color patterns are amazing and the melanophores can change size from dilute colors to focused, bright spots.

photos by Troy Tuckey

Artist Chad Person creates beautiful collage art from cut American banknotes. His first cut banknote series “Worshipping Mammon” features objects he purchased using a car insurance payout. The ongoing “TaxCut” series focuses on military weapons. The series title refers to the fact that the artist writes off his material expenditures—including the value of the destroyed money.

As a professional artist, I deduct my material expenditures as a write off. If I slice up a hundred dollars to make an image, or a thousand, or just five, I am taking it out of the IRS coffers. Imaging the weaponry that I’m not buying with those dollars is a reminder for me that a little creativity can be quite empowering.

via Colossal

This tentacular 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea poster is by Australian illustrator Ken Taylor.

via OMG Posters!

Hiné Mizushima created this wonderful Squid Hat costume for Halloween 2011 using a cheap knit hat, thick felt, an “Amu-amu Pokemon” toy and yarn. (Personally, I would like to see this one in green to match the Laughing Squid logo.) Also, check out her recent interview for Things To Do In LA.

Illustrator and author Adam Rex painted Giant Squid vs Pirates mural in his backyard. It is based on an illustration he did for the children’s book Billy Twitters and his Blue Whale Problem by Mac Barnett.

Thanks to David for the tip!

The soft design and creepy-crawly locomotion of this air-powered robot are inspired in part by squid tentacles. The robot was created by researchers at the Whiteside Research Group at Harvard. They’ve also developed a soft robotic gripper using the same technology:

via Etre

The Scalp Squid Head Massager from Archie McPhee is a big-eyed squid-shaped device that features “tentacle sensation that relieves stress and improves circulation.”

Experts agree, there’s nothing more relaxing than a head massage from a squid. This hard vinyl 7-1/4” x 3-1/2” pink Scalp Squid massager has rounded tip tentacles that rub your head in just the right spot for maximum stress relief.

Phineas X. Jones of Octophant has created Squid in Morning Dress, an illustration of a squid looking rather dapper. The art’s screenprints were created in collaboration with Nevermind Gallery who have made two versions available to purchase. Last year, we posted an earlier version of this illustration.

“Dapper, you say? Sir, you insult me. I can respect your plainly keen eye for the finest bespoke haberdashery and your appreciation of the same. But to imply that my manner of dress is self-consciously beyond that of any proper gentleman is pure effrontery! Do you take me for a preening dandy, Sir? A foppish twit? I am simply attired in a style suitable and fitting to a squid of my social station and I certainly do not have time for your knavery. Good day to you!”

“I said ‘good day,’ sir!”

California-based print-maker and ceramics artist Kristina Ayala of Pufferfish Press creates all kinds of great art pieces featuring squids. Her squid artwork will be shown starting on January 29, 2012 at women-owned tattoo studio and gallery, Mermaids Tattoo in San Francisco, California. Also check out her Etsy shop, Pufferfish Press.

Squid vs. Wienermobile is a great t-shirt design from artist Jonathan Rosenberg (Goats and Scenes From A Multiverse). Considering that I recently took a ride on RELSHME, a touring Wienermobile, the shirt almost seems custom-made for me! The t-shirt is available at Topatoco.

Recent studies show that giant squid feed almost exclusively on food-shaped vehicles that accidentally fall into the ocean. This is true! You can trust me.

Thanks to Tim Holt for the tip!

huladollsquidgirlrides

Huladollsquidgirl is a series of retro-styled art pieces from Florida-based artist Erika Taguchi-Newton where the grass skirts on sweet hula doll-like girls are lightly covering their squid parts. Prints are available at her Etsy shop, Raven Girl.

Work-in-progress of huladollsquidgirl

Work-in-progress of huladollsquidgirllovestiki

via Super Punch and Tiki Talk

images via Erika Taguchi-Newton

Archie McPhee has designed and created the world’s first Inflatable Tentacle Arm. This vinyl 3-foot long tentacle “fits snugly over your own hand” to provide a unique tentacular experience. It could easily be coupled with their stylish Tentacle Mustache for a truly unique cephalopod-like look.

Your plain old human arms are so humdrum and commonplace. Why not replace one of them with a tentacle? This…vinyl Inflatable Tentacle fits snugly over your hand and lets you pretend you’re slowly turning into a squid. Adds a bit of zing to any boring, traditional costume. Instead of dressing like a hobo, you’re a tentacle hobo!

San Francisco-based illustrator Bill Robinson created Palace of Fine Squids in appreciation of the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco. Prints of this friendly pink squid are available at Bill’s Etsy shop, Flimflammery.

Crafter Bethany Hockenberry has created Squidtivity, a series of nativity scenes using handcrafted felt squids instead of the traditional people and animals. Bethany has been making the squid-filled nativity scenes since 2006 and sells them at her Etsy shop, Cleo Dee. Her animator husband, Scott Benson, created a quirky short video about Squidtivity called The Fifth Annual Squidtivity. We lasted posted about this husband and wife team in the post, The Adventures of Tadly Waldorfington, A Mimic Octopus.

Bethany on her inspiration for Squidtivity:

The squidtivity is a tribute to the nativity plays in the church I grew up in. It was a very small Methodist church with an organist that would fall asleep during hymns and at least one choir singer who was always off-key. Our nativity plays consisted of a fake baby snagged from the nursery and swaddled in a towel.

Scott describes Squidtivity in his own words:

For a half-decade now, my wife has been making handmade plush squid. No machines are involved – it’s all cut, embroidered and sewn by hand. Every holiday season, she rolls out the annual Squidtivity set. I remember the first year she made it, both of us worried that no one in their right minds would buy one. We were very, very wrong. The response we get every year is incredible, ranging from audible delight to absolute horror. Atheists love it. Devout believers love it (most of the time). Unaffiliated fans of squid love it. It certainly makes shows interesting.

Hine Mizushima created a wonderful pair of Dress-Up Squid and Dress-Up Octopus for the Luv-able Hug-able 2011, a plush art show that opens on December 1 at Gallery Hanahou in New York City.

The 2010 short film, The Anachronism, is a well-crafted steampunk adventure that follows two budding Victorian-era scientists as they discover a giant futuristic robot squid. The film was written and directed by Matthew Gordon Long of Anachronism Pictures.

Thanks to Joel Betancourt for the tip!

The Squidulus line of skateboards from Stimulus Skateboards features superb squid designs. The Squidulus artwork was designed by Joe Scordo.

images via thingsfrommyface

Hungry Squid Bag by Archie McPhee

The gigantic, man-eating squid featured on this bag has snared a scuba diver with his chopsticks. If you think it’s hard to use chopsticks with your fingers, try doing it with tentacles! Each 16-1/2″ x 18″ x 3-3/4″ reusable bag is made of a rayon material created from bamboo. We only mention it because bamboo just happens to be one of the most abundant and renewable natural resources in the world.

Dr. Who Squid by Meg Lyman

via Bonnie Burton & Jeff Carlisle

Baby Squid, a wonderful new sculpture by Nemo Gould. This is a follow-up to Nemo’s beautiful Giant Squid sculpture.

Fight The Vampire Squid, an Occupy Wall Street illustration by Molly Crabapple (large download, stencil art & vector art).

Mother Jones recently wrote about the “mixing economic populism with cephalopods” in their post Octopi Wall Street.

Joe Cardella of ART/LIFE, a limited edition fine art magazine, has hand-carved these marvelous surfboards with seaworthy images of squid, god of the sea, Neptune (check out his codpiece), a mermaid, and a bare-breasted blonde woman.

He calls his California surfboard carving shop: “Squid Studios”.

photo by David Pu’u

images via Joe Cardella