I’ve got patent pending on that!

H sent me an article about Britain’s foremost inventors (as described by the Patent Office) heading up the new Cracking Ideas initiative.

For those of you that have followed Nick Park’s short film series of Wallace and Gromit will know, Gromit is the brains of the inventing duo and often saves the day. My favourite image is of Gromit sitting in his chair reading ‘Electronics For Dogs’ [1].

A Grand Day Out with Wallace and Gromit, The Wrong Trousers, and A Close Shave all are just too funny and the stories are really clever. I love what I have come to call the ‘wallace and gromity’ look and feel of many of the inventions. When I see a product that has a big switch or lever, I’m instantly reminded of the various gadgets in the short films.

I was so enamoured of Wallace and Gromit that I purchased the BBC Wallace & Gromit Fun Pack and Fun Pack 2. Probably one of the few things I miss not being able to play easily on my current Debian Linux box. I had Wallace and Gromit wallpaper, icons, sounds, and cursors. I used the clock and calculator from Gadget-O-Matic. I regularly played The Bungee Game and Wallace and Gromit Train Game, and viewed the film clips over and over.

Sound bites entered our lexicon when things went well (or not), particularly when doing things on the computer or at the electronics bench. For example, Nicely Done, Everything Seems To Be Under Control, I’ve Got Patent Pending On That, and That Went As Well As Could Be Expected, and Right Off We Go Then. These and more are on the Fun Pack CDs. Fortunately, I can indulge in some of these classic images and sounds, by visiting Howard L. Turpin’s Wallace and Gromit Pages (no longer available) and WallaceAndGromit.net.

I wish Nick Park, and of course Wallace and Gromit, all the best in their new venture with the UK Patent Office. It would be really nice if it is successful in getting more children interested in science, creativity, and innovation. Who else is going to think of more innovative ideas such as “a purpose-built ladder for spiders to get out of the bath” ?

[1] Scaled image from: http://www.edgehill.ac.uk/~turpinh/w&g.htm “All films are directed by Nick Park. The Wallace and Gromit Trilogy is a co-production between Aardman Animations Ltd, BBC Children’s International and BBC Bristol. A Grand Day Out is also produced by the National Film and Television School.”