Mermaid Art Blog

Welcome to the Mermaid Art Blog. Here I will chronicle additions and changes to this website along with any interesting, mermaid-related news or information I come across.

Aug 30, 2007, Reviews of The Little Mermaid

The new theatrical version of Disney's "The Little Mermaid" opened in Denver to mixed reviews. The majority, at least the majority of the ones I saw, panned the play. The most interesting point is that the play has strongly polarized the reviewers. They either loved it or hated it there was little in between.

I should mention that I have not seen it so I can voice no opinion. However, I will observe that openning a play out of town is a way to shake the bugs out before it comes to Broadway. I would say that the Disney people have their work cut out for them since such a large number of the critics were disapproving. Of course, they could decide that the critics are wrong. They do also conduct audience surveys and monitor the audience's reactions during the play.

It will be interesting to see what if any changes they make and how eventually the play will fare in the Big Apple.

Aug 15, 2007, Mermaids For Sale!!

Beaufort, South Carolina, is selling it's mermaids. The mermaids are fiberglass statues decorated by local artists. They have been beautifying the streets in and around Beaufort since May of this year.

The sale is on now and the mermaids, and their price tags, can be viewed at beaufortcountyarts.com.Prices range from $1,000 to $4,000.

Those mermaids not sold by the end of August will be put up for auction on eBay. Any that are still unsold by October 27 will be auctioned off at the Beaufort Arts Council's office on Boundary Street.

Until they are sold the mermaids will remain on display in Beaufort.

Good luck to all you winners!

Aug 7, 2007, Model Mermaid 2

What is the world comming to? First there was Amanda Adams, would-be mermaid, fashion model, author and archeologist, now there is Hannah Fraser.

Hannah Fraser, like Amanda, is another would-be mermaid turned model. Unlike Amanda she makes her own tails, does fashion photography and paints.

Hannah, in tail, has down TV commercials in the US and Australia and there is even talk of a movie down the road. Her fashion career as both model and photographer has been successful and continues to grow.

Check out her website at www.hannahfraser.com to see this quadruple-threat in action.

Jul 24, 2007, The Other Hollywood Mermaid

There is so much talk of Disney's "The Little Mermaid" that people forget that another woman, a real one this time not a cartoon, was once called "Hollywood's Mermaid". She was Esther Williams, champion swimmer and star of several MGM musicals.

This is nothing new to old movie fans. Williams was cast as the lead in a number of musicals that featured musical numbers staged both underwater and above.

TCM and Warner have just released a boxed set of Esther Williams' movies. They are light, fun musicals but that is still saying a lot. They just don't make musicals anymore. It is wonderful to see the old production numbers and know that everything you see was real, no computer-generated effects here. It is all real - except that time that Williams swam with Tom and Jerry!

The set is called "TCM SPOTLIGHT: ESTHER WILLIAMS" and sells for $50. You could do worse with your hard-earned money.

Jul 9, 2007, Mermaid gets Tattoo

I found a new article about one of the Weeki Wachee mermaids getting a tattoo. Her tattooing will be featured on an episode of "Miami Ink" set to air on July 17 at 10pm on The Learning Channel.

You can read the entire article from Hernando Today.

Jul 6, 2007, Video of the Cast from The Little Mermaid

The Denver Post has posted the first of four videos about the new production of "The Little Mermaid". The first introduces the cast members, the second is called "Meet the Creators", the third will be a comparison of the movie and the stage play, the last is a special production just for the Denver Post. I have no details on the last except that it will be Denver-centric.

You can see the first video on the Denver Post's website now. There is also a schedule there of when the rest will be released.

Jun 22, 2007, Mermaid at Harvard

Right now there is a mermaid in Harvard. That's right, the famous university. She was donated to the museum some time ago and is supposedly the Fiji Mermaid from P.T. Barnum's American Museum.

Actually, there are several places around the country that claim to have the original Fiji (or Feejee) Mermaid. None however can produce convincing evidence. The Original Fiji Mermaid is officially listed as "lost".

For more on her history click the permalink below.

Jun 20, 2007, Interview with the Mermaid

Bambi the Mermaid, favorite of the Coney Island Mermaid Parade, has done it all. As well as a mermaid she is a snake charmer and burlesque artist.

Bambi started appearing at the Mermaid Parade 15 years ago, and has bought a new tail every year. She currently has 30 tails. Some are designed to allow her to walk and some for swimming.

You can read her interview DaileyNews.com. And remember, if you live in the New York City area that the Coney Island Mermaid Parade is this Saturday, June 23.

Jun 8, 2007, Another Mermaid Commercial

They're comming thick and fast now. This one is from England and features a drowning sailor and three frisky mermaids after his jeans. (It is a jeans commercial.) You can see it at Youtube.com.

Enjoy!

Jun 6, 2007, Mermaid Commercial

I found this commercial for a supermarket where a woman meets a mermaid in the seafood section. It is in Spanish but has English subtitles.

You can see the commmercial at An Ideal World. Click the thumbnail of the dark-haired woman, top row second from the right. You will then have the option of seeing the commercial as well as seeing how it was made.

The "making of" version isn't very good - there's no narration or explanation of what you are seeing. Essentially, the mermaid's hair was put in as a special effect to make it seem like she is underwater. The hair, actually a wig, was shot separately in a swimming pool and later composited onto the model's head. The model wears a crazy-looking crown to help the effects people co-ordinate the movements of her head with the movements of the wig.

Jun 4, 2007, Mermaid Spotted in the Roanoak River

Many people have seen her. She first appeared last Friday and has already been photographed numerous times. She is green and scaley with large, claw-like hands and a terrible face.

This mermaid is a statue and adverisement for Dr. Pain's Haunted Asylum which is featuring a Twisted Carnival to be held June 7 to 9 (and other dates) in Salem, Virginia.

The mermaid is a product of the talents of Troy Faries, the owner of Dr. Pain's Haunted Asylum, and Tara Cumella, an artist. Tara Cumella has been interested in monsters since she was a child and says she feels very happy at Dr. Pains Haunted Asylum.

You can get a look at the mermaid and read the full article about Dr Pain's Haunted Asylum at roanoke.com.

Jun 1, 2007, Mermaids at the Museum

Just a quick note to remind everyone that the Mythic Creatures exhibit at the American Museum of Natural History in New York has opened. It features dragons, unicorns and of course mermaids!

You can follow the history of mythical creatures from ancient Greece to P.T. Barnum. We also get a peek at the Austrailian water sprite the Yawkyawk as well as her European sisters.

The exhibit will run in New York till January, 2008, then leave on a tour across the country.

May 25, 2007, Mermaids Past & Future

I ran across a couple of interesting articles this week that seem like book-ends. One is about the history of mythical creatures, the other about the creation of chimeras.

In science, a chimera is when a cell or cells from one creature are mixed with cells from another. An example is Dolly the geep. Cells from a developing fetus of a sheep were mixed with cells from a developing goat. The resulting creature has attibutes of both animals.

The future article from Technology Review says that such a process can be used to create mermaids, amoung other odd creatures.

The past article is from LiveScience and is primarily a review of the mythical creatures exhibit at the New York Museum of Natural History. It has a couple of clever thoughts about the origin of mermaids.

May 23, 2007, The Mermaid Parade

The Coney Island Mermaid Parade will be held this year on June 23 beginning at 2pm. Anyone who wishes to join will have to register at the Cyclone rollercoaster. Registration begins at 10am that day.

This annual event has been occurring since 1903. The parade features King Neptune and a Queen Mermaid (played in the past by Queen Latifa). There are prizes for best customes and floats.

At the end of the parade the King and Queen throw fruits into the sea as an offering to the Goddess.

So, you have one month, get those costumes ready!

May 18, 2007, New Mermaid Statue in England

England, pratically the home of the mermaid, has added a new mermaid statue to it's coastline in Easter Ross. The statue is situated on the top of a rock in such a way that at high tide her tail is underwater.

This clever idea is the brainchild of sculptor Steve Hayward, who also carved two giantic wooden copies of the Lewis Chessmen for Uig in Lewis. His intention is that the mermaid will change with the tide and seasons giving viewers a different experience each time they visit her.

You can see a picture of Hayward and his mermaid at the Highland News and North Star. The mermaid is the one not wearing a coat.

May 16, 2007, Mermaid in Fort Lauderdale

For those who live in or near Fort Lauderdale, or plan to visit it any time soon, the Yankee Clipper has a mermaid for you. Marina, as she is called, appears on Fridays at 5:30 to flirt with customers from her underworld.

Tables at the Yankee Clipper have portholes that open onto an adjoining swimming pool.

For afficionados of '60s movies, "Where the Boys Are" features a scene filmed in the same swimming pool.

May 14, 2007, "Night Tide" Director Dies

Curtis Harrington, the director of the mermaid horror movie "Night Tide" died this past Sunday. He had been ailing since a stroke in 2005 but the direct cause of death has not been determined.

"Night Tide", released in 1961, belongs to that very odd sub-subgenre the mermaid horror movie. Starring a very young Dennis Hopper, it is the story of a young sailor who meets a woman who plays a mermaid in a carnival. After some grisly murders, Hopper begins to suspect that the woman is a real mermaid who kills during the full moon.

Since this movie is still available, in VHS and DVD, I have added it to my mermaid movies page. See the permalink below.

May 9, 2007, The Mermaid of the Magdalenes

I have added a new story to the site about a Canadian girl who becomes a mermaid. Of course, she didn't set out to become a mermaid. As in most stories like this it was something that happened to her, not something she wanted.

The story also has a nice environmental message, which is interesting because it is not a new story by any means. From my research it is at least a century old and is probably much older.

Environmental messages are common in more recent mermaid stories. The setting and situations certainly do lead in that direction. Which makes everything dovetail nicely.

You can read the entire story at the permalink below.

May 2, 2007, Mermaid Day (Better Late Than Never)

Well, we missed it. Mermaid Day was April 30. At least we know about it for next year.

Mermaid Day is the date for celebrating Saint Senara, a mermaid famous in the city of Zennor in Cornwall, England. Officially, it is the Sunday nearest the first of May.

Saint Senara is referred to in Sue Monk Kidd's book "The Mermaid Chair". She tells one of the many different versions of the Zennor mermaid legend. The one thing all the different stories have in common is a chair, actually a pew, in the Church at Zennor which has a mermaid carved into it.

The details of who this mermaid is and how she relates to Saint Senara (if at all) change radically. And there is always a man involved. Either the mermaid's lover or someone the mermaid has fallen in love with.

Click the permalink below for my own version of this popular tale.

Mar 30, 2007, Mermaid Costumes, Accessories and Party Supplies

Going to a party or hosting one? Here we have mermaid costumes, party supplies and other necessities for the the perfect costume party.