Time in possession: Since January 1994, which would make it (gulp!) over 13 yearsDescription: Cardboard cutout of the Coconut Monkey, taken from the January issue of PC Gamer. Slightly dented by otherwise in pretty good shape.
Cost: I've been randomly giving things that were free costs, but I think in this case it's pretty safe to call this one free. It was an insert in a magazine for god's sake! Plus, I'm lazy and don't feel like updating the total.
Story: Other than Nintendo Power and a brief stint with Disney Adventures I've never had a magazine subscription. Still, when I would embark on a trip, flying especially, I'm very prone to pick up a magazine. I don't know why exactly, but there's something comforting about reading something so disposable and designed to be "bite-sized" while in transit. No idea why this is, but that's just how it goes.
Anyway, in 1994 I picked up a copy of PC Gamer, a magazine that I've read maybe a dozen times in as many years. It's not that I don't like PC games, rather that I have never owned a computer that was up to spec for the current round of releases. Likewise, I was never really into buying new computer games, something that began with my childhood habit of disk sharing with my friends. And, of course, I've always been more a console guy. Really, I actually do get a kick out of reading PC Gamers and the like, but more when they are older. Maybe it's just the tech geek in me laughing at an article espousing the virtues of the new 486 processors of whatever, but I'm all over that stuff. So fun. Uh, anyway...
This particular PC Gamer was the first magazine I ever bought with a demo disk- It was actually a new idea at the time, shipping demo disks out with the magazines, letting the subscribers have a shot at the new games being previewed in each issue. Nowadays the Internet bypasses the need for a physical data disk, but the idea is still there and still has a great amount of appeal. Coconut Monkey was PC Gamer's demo-disk mascot. He would bound around, speaking in a pseudo-East Indian accent announcing what games where on the disk and talking about his own mythical game "Gravy Train" which never saw the light of day. Before I realized that it was a joke, I was genuinely interested in seeing that game. Oh, stupid Brent of the past.
So, along with the demo disk, this special issue of PC Gamer came along with a cardboard cutout of Coconut Monkey for PC Gamer readers to pop out, set up and adore. And well, that's what I did. At some point I decided that he should be my librarian and set him up on my bookshelf- That would have been at least 10 years ago. Strange that a stupid joke to myself should stick around so long, but at this point the little guy has grown on me. Live on Coconut Monkey! You're the man, cool guy!
2 comments:
hahahaa, omg, I totally loved that monkey. I honestly liked pcgamer, it was fun to get magazines that were about a year or two old, 'cus those games ran on our comp. :)
It's Gravy Trader! Not Gravy Train.
Post a Comment