Polterguests

 

Most people know that a poltergeist is a type of ghost or supernatural entity that basically messes with you. It is a German word that translates to "noisy ghost." 

There was a movie called Poltergeist that came out in 1982 (which was coincidentally the year I graduated from college).  It was about a family living in a modern (1980s modern) subdivision. The family's home becomes haunted by some really nasty poltergeists. The haunting begins when the 5-year Carol Anne starts seeing the ghosts in the static that used to show up on old televisions when the broadcast went off the air or you turned the channel to a channel that wasn't broadcast on.  Carol Anne's famous line from the movie comes from her sitting in front of the television and then saying in a creepy voice, "They're hereeeeeeee."

So that in a nutshell was the inspiration for this design. I just thought that poltergeists and polterguests were pretty much the same thing. This design would probably be more appealing during the holidays when most people have a influx of unwanted noisy guests (usually family).

It took a few tries going back and forth with my Art AI program, but eventually I think it nailed it. I was kind of picture Cousin Eddie and his family from National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. 

Though I do wonder if anyone under 60 will remember the movie Poltergeist or Christmas Vacation. I think they should make movie trivia from the 80s and 90s a requirement in high school so these generation gaps in popular culture knowledge don't slip through the cracks.

Which reminds me of a conversation that came up at work today. This young man said something about someone named Geraldine. I commented that who would name anyone Geraldine. The young man said he liked the name. I responded that he must not have heard of Flip Wilson. He stared at me blankly.

For the youth-impaired who may read this, Flip Wilson has television variety show in the early 1970s. He was a comedian. One of his characters was Geraldine Jones whose catchphrase was, "The devil made me do it." 

Ironically there were t-shirts at the time with the phrase, "The devil made me do it."

Today the MAGA freaks would think such t-shirts were signs of devil worship.

If you don't know popular cultural trivia from generations before you are born, you are doomed to repeat those popular culture mistakes.

Sigh.