Help an autistic out: is Joe Quick's "teddy bear" supposed to be creepy?
wiz
Posts: 1,100
I don't read facial expressions or body language the same way as most people, so occasionally figures, poses, body structures, facial structures, markings, and expressions strike me in ways very different from most people, and many things that y'all see as friendly (like Mickey Mouse) confuse me. It may be trivial things (I'm fine with someone covered in facial piercings, except for simple nose studs, which freak me for some reason) or it may be more major.
In that context, I don't know what to make of a character like this. Is it something that neurotypical people see as "cuddly" or "friendly" and only I see as "disturbing"? Or am I reading the expressions right for a change?
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Neurotypicality or otherwise notwithstanding, I find it over in the red zone of my Creep-O-Meter[TM].
It doesn't look that creepy to me. It looks jaded like Eeyore. But I might also be one of the people who don't read other people well.
It gives me a creepy vibe, yes. But I kinda like that....lol.
Laurie
I see the potential but for me not enough to tip the scale eitherway in the creepy-cuddly meter.
In some of the promos, I definitely pick up a "Five Nights at Freddie's" vibe (this is not a criticism, I need just such a Teddy), others just grumpy. If he had thinner, higher, eyebrows, I think he would look more cheerful (Care Bears as an example), but I think that the not-cheerful look is what is intended.
He is perfect for my "Dire Guardian Teddy" character.
Oh this is interesting. I read the character as looking very sinister and disturbing (I'm also on the spectrum for what it's worth).
I think for me it's the eyes. @Greymom mentioned Five Nights at Freddie's and one of the signature character design elements for the animatronics in that series is the white of the eye showing almost all the way around a relatively small iris and pupil. In a human the closest possible expression would communicate extreme stress or intensity, so even when his face is at rest he kind of has a thousand-yard stare. In fairness I've been told I do too, but because he doesn't have human features otherwise it makes it harder to tell if he's processing trauma or making up his mind to cause it.
The promo pics where he's yelling or angry are the easiest for me to get a sense of his intent from, because his expression matches his eyes.
The one pic that looks kind of cute and cuddly to me is the big nose morph, I think because it draws the balance to the center of his face and gives him proportions closer to those of an actual bear. Animals with big snoots tend to look friendlier to me in general.
This isn't meant as a critique of the figure, I just find the details cool to break down. :D
Some people's 'cuddly' is other people's 'stark raving terror'...
I blame all of those scary movies we ended up watching as kids. The Shining, Poltergeist, Gremlins (that was more silly than scary though), also Scanners though that's kinda in a different category. Plus the Evil Dead trilogy, but I don't think there's any 'cuddly' in those movies, just over the top gore...
I already have a few teddy bears in my library, but he does look like a nice product! Your bear comes across more as a 'Sad Panda' than 'Serial Killer' to me based on his expressions in the promos. Maybe as a Yoda stand in, just add light saber!
It looks like the bad guy out of something like Toy Story; cliched but not too scary.
It is kinda creepy though; it looks well done though, and I agree it could be made to fit a variety of scenes.
Teddy bears and clouns, i hate 'em.
I see that teddy bear as 100% creepy and that's how the ads wrote it up too.
Interesting question. I had to check it out. My immediate opinion after scanning all the previews in the catalog page is that he is a no-nonsense, serious defender, more alive than just a stuffed animal. I'm assuming modeled after the "Ted" character in a recent movie by the same name?
This "Teddy Bear" can be your friend but also right at home in dangerous situations ready to protect him and his. Don't get on the wrong side of him. Not creepy, just intimidating.
I had a friend like that. Loved him muchly, but sometimes he scared the piss out of me.
I'm holding out for a SCP-1048-A texture. Now that would be creepy. I assume 1048-B would be against the TOS or something, it squicks me out at least.
http://www.scp-wiki.net/scp-1048
Because everyone needs some SCP in their lives.
I think the base is a rather typical toy bear, the older generation was not generally equipped with a happy expression.
but then since it's a lot in the horror genre where toys develop their own lives (toy story is the exception), for me the animated looking images do have a creepy vibe. For me stuffed toys should only be animated by kids or their parents to play with kids ;)
I love him. Teddy Bears are guardians of myself and my son. His Steiff bear, Th.E. Bear went to hospital with my son, when he was 8 and had major surgery and was there for almost a month. Th.E. Bear now goes to hospital with his wife, daughter and step-children when they are sick enough, along with his stuffed rabbit, Nurse Rachel, who is squishy and soft. A collection of scowling bears litter my rooms. The promos make me think of how his bear would react with the exploits of a little boy on military bases who had no problem with getting into things better left alone.
No one had better mess with his kid, or now his grandkids!
Bears forever.
He seems to me to be like a less fluffy, more velvety version of "Ted" (the main character from the movie of the same name)... some of his expressions in the promos seem a little gruff or "determined"... like he is intent on accomplishing a very difficult task... the glowing eyes in one image, seem to throw off the "not demonically possessed" implications of his facial expressions, but who says his eyes have to glow (well, besides Satan)... the wrinkles on his snout, between his eyes seem to make him look a bit disgruntled, and I suppose if they can be dialed out or deduced, he would seem cuter (more gruntled?)... to me he's a lot less creepy than the stabby gnome that lives under my living room sofa.
Then again I think jumping spiders and mole crabs have adorable facial expressions (well, once you figure out which end of the mole crab has the face), so I'm probably the last person to add my two cents... that and the insanity... not a good combination.
Totally unrelated, but what actually seemed creepy was the main Catoon Poses promo which showed up next to the teddy bear... that cat doing the "Ssssh!" pose... yeah... that's like when you walk into the kitchen at three am for a snack and you find your cat standing on it's hind legs in front of a big whiteboard with diagrams and plans marked "Phase 2", doing a presentation in front of a bunch of strange cats seated around the kitchen table... and your cat is like "Ssssh... go back to sleep... it's just a dream..."
Congratulations, @JoeQuick, on the Teddy Bear. Creepy? Yes, if wanted. Cuddly? Yes, if wanted. Slapstick? Yes, if wanted.
And I want it all.
It definitely creeps me out. The eyebrows I think, but I guess you can't make it too much like a care bear.
Well, I like weird, so this guy went right into the cart. (Giant foam sword is also useful.)
Weird Care Bear symbols for the belly! That would be an awesome add-on!
To me and this is just my observation (great new product though Joe, really amazing work there) is that the "typical" Teddy Bear look seems to not be there. The big button black eyes. If there are those options there I didn't see them in the promos. Plus the eyelids, while they add allot of dimention, if your going for a traditional Teddy I don't think those are part of the makeup for the stuffed animal we all know and love.
I agree, the eye brows!
i wouldn't say totally creepy or very disturbing - i've seen way worse teddies/toys - but definitely not cuddly, not cute, not fluffy. grumpy yes, mildly creepy if you add the fitting expression and probably the right ambiance/light in the scene, and some context. but if you use him as such with no typical negative expression i.e. frown, snarl etc in a neutral scene (well lighted kid's room or the likes), he's just kinda not very friendly looking, that's all. comparing to the movie Ted makes sense, it's what it made me think of too. he looks less neutral than the usual stereotype teddy (well i'm not an expert, i actually don't like teddies as plush animal), but kinda... lost, old, tired somehow... which can be great if this meets your scene's needs - an excellent abandoned toy.
ah and btw, the original mickey mouse figure - just as many of those old cartoons' characters - IS absolutely creepy af!
In every promo shot I was looking for the bloody knife it had obviously just used.
I instantly thought of "Five Nights at Freddies" when I saw the product. It could probably look cuddly with a few tweaks - maybe enlarge the eyes and narrow the eyebrows a bit. It's seriously cool and I'm thinking of picking it up, but out of the box I'm rendering it in the West Park Outpatient or Basement areas.
Remember that creepy bear that Netherworks made eons ago? YUP. Now G8M is that bear! LOL
Well, there's always this one:
https://www.daz3d.com/thursdays-child-deaddy
I always look for cuteness, and with a little effort, Teddy could deliver that.
I do not say, I do it because it is easy, but because it is hard to achieve.
^Yay, SCP reference. We looked into the SCP as part of a creative writing course at uni last year.
And I'd say this here new model of Joe's is a bear with range. He can be creepy or kind, cuddly or crazy.