Foaming at the mouth to find new ground in Internet entertainment

(Author's Note: I know this post is late. I was going to post Thursday night, but my video card burned out on me and I couldn't replace the card until Saturday and I've been busy with my work at The Daily Cougar. Instead of doing two different posts - one about newgrounds.com and the other about Neurotically Yours, I am just going to combine the posts into one and go from there.)

Newgrounds.com - the name strikes nostalgia in anyone into anything Flash - be it animation or games. Created by Tom Fulp as a Neo Geo newsletter in 1991 and hit the web in the late-'90s as two sites: New Ground Remix and New Ground Atomix. The sites were originally used as means to host Fulp's pet projects during the early days of the Internet, and soon gained a cult following. A year later Fulp combined the two sites in to one, renamed the combined website Newgrounds, and started hosting new content based on a relatively new style of animation - Flash. As the 2000s rolled along, Newgrounds only got bigger as flash artists from all over the web used the site to show off their talents, and among the rather amateurish animation came artists of exceptional quality. One of them debuted on Newgrounds in January 2003.

His name: Johnathan Ian Mathers; the series: Neurotically Yours.

(Author's Note: the video above contains vulgar language, hand gestures, and is of a controversial nature. Viewer discretion is advised.)

Mathers originally started his cartoon about a Goth girl and her pet squirrel as a comic book, but by 2003, he started to transform his creation into a webtoon series. Over 10 years later, Mathers's creation is still going strong, complete with his own website, illwillpress.com, as well as hosting his work on Newgrounds and, as of 2009, YouTube.

The original concept behind Neurotically Yours followed the antics of the aforementioned Goth girl, Germaine as she deals with everyday life, with her hyperactive pet squirrel Foamy providing occasional commentary. As the series transitioned to the web, the starring roles switched, as Foamy became an instant hit with fans as Germaine slid into the role of eye candy/comic foil for the vulgar, cult-leading squirrel.

As Foamy's popularity grew, his voice was slowed (though still high-pitched) and his movements became less erratic, letting his eye expressions and hand gestures (obscene and not) tell more of a story. Then came Foamy's rants. The video above is a prime example of a Foamy rant, though it's not one of the originals. Never long rants, but all the same potent with striking social commentaries ranging from the silly to the controversial, these rants became a thing of legend on Newgrounds and launched the series into Internet stardom.

Later this week I'll post more examples of Mathers's work, but only the Foamy rants as this blog focuses on reviewers and critics, and Foamy's rants can be considered a critique on society and Foamy the Squirrel himself can arguably claim the title of the Internet's first comedic critic.

Look for My 12 Recommended Foamy Rants later this week. You'll find examples of Foamy rants in the video bar on the main page.