Explodingdog

The title of this article is incorrect because of technical limitations. The correct title is explodingdog.

explodingdog is the name of an Internet website run by Sam Brown. Viewers of the site email Brown random phrases and he picks certain ones to illustrate. The illustrations are usually drawn on computer and are well-known for their simplistic, yet engaging illustrative style, and their poignant and sometimes unexpected take on the phrases on which they are based. Brown has a talent for turning a normal phrase on its head and making a hyperbole or metaphor literal, as well as doing neither.

Themes

Like many artists, Sam Brown uses many recurring themes in his explodingdog work. A short list of visual themes:

• Stick Figures
• Red Robots
• Fish (frequently yellow)
• Stars
• Blobs
• Toothy Green Monsters
• Boxes with Wires
• Menacing cityscapes

A short list of recurring topics:

• Loss
• Joy
• Loneliness
• Whimsy
• Menace
• Confusion
• Freedom

History

Explodingdog was started in 2000.

Over the last few years, Sam Brown has published a few limited-run print books of his explodingdog illustrations. He also sells merchandise with explodingdog illustrations on them to help offset hosting costs.

explodingdog's Influence

Over the years there have been a number of different artistic projects inspired by explodingdog. These sites usually utilize the same "submitted by random people, and selected for inspiration" concept that explodingdog pioneered.

Music Sites

Request-A-Song.com – http://www.request-a-song.com – Viewers of this site submit song titles and ideas which are then turned into songs. Song Fight! – http://www.songfight.org – Originally started as a musical explodingdog spinoff, now a songwriting contest between multiple artists.

External Links

• explodingdog – Illustrations inspired by emailed suggestions.