Project Description

INKTOBER 2025 Day #16: BLUNDER.

“I’m not really a gun guy, and I know by mentioning this at all I’m skirting getting into a controversial topic that people get heated about, and that’s something I try to avoid with Plunger Monkey. He is a whimsical, fun-loving, all-ages, wacky character that I hope can entertain and amuse everyone. I’m not necessarily completely anti-gun, though. That genie is out of the bottle, and I do believe there are some valid uses for them. At the same time, I also think there is an unhealthy fetishization surrounding them in my country and there are completely unrealistic notions about their use and place in general society. That said, I have shot guns before, and I’m actually a decent marksman. My first thought for this prompt was this one. I wasn’t thrilled with the idea, as Plunger Monkey isn’t exactly a gun monkey either. But, blunderbuss is a funny word, and I saw an opportunity to make it a little weird and amusing by having him fire a bunch of plungers instead of lead shot or something. As I’ve mentioned before, I do have visions of making a PMD video game or two, and a large part of the gameplay would be getting to use absurd and hilarious weaponry. This one doesn’t quite meet that criteria, but with some tweaking, maybe this idea would make the cut. The possible impact sound effects and enemy reactions to being peppered with dozens of mini-plungers has a lot of humorous potential.”

Do you enjoy these silly pen and ink illustrations starring Plunger Monkey? Wish you had a whole book full of them to gaze at lovingly whenever you wanted? You’re in luck! Get a copy of Inklings to satisfy that need: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1733734716/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1AO28074KOTGC&keywords=inklings+by+toby+gray&qid=1689026488&s=books&sprefix=inklings+by+toby+gray%2Cstripbooks%2C103&sr=1-1