4 replies to this topic

[scythemantis]

While I'm sure some of you are already aware of it, I thought I'd make a post about the true origin of the "haniver," easily the most bizarre of the first M.I.M.P series.

In the real world, a haniver or "jenny" haniver is the dried-out carcass of a stingray, cut and tied in different places to resemble an angel, devil or dragon. It's a form of nautical/taxidermy art that goes back hundreds of years, and the origin of the name is completely unknown.

What looks like a set of eye sockets are actually the animal's nostrils:


The underside of a living ray for comparison:


Remarkably, M.I.M.P is not the only series of small toys to include one. I got this from clawmark toys as part of a cryptozoology set:



Here's an antique zoological drawing by someone who was completely fooled by one of these fake "monsters:"


...And at custom creature taxidermy, you can buy the real thing! $40 each:
http://www.customcre...antasy_3ff.html



Last year, a Haniver was even used to hoax a chupacabra carcass. They haven't lost their touch!

Edited by scythemantis, 06 September 2008 - 05:03 PM.

[Aikola]

I did not realise the origins of the creature and although it is a bit strange this made for very interesting reading, thanks

[scythemantis]

Between a dried-up stingray and Hindu gods, the series really stretched the definition of "monster"

[jack cambrian]

Great topic! I was aware of the origin of the haniver, but I had never seen pictures of the things. It's seems to very closely related to the Fiji Mermaid (wouldn't it have been great if they'd made a sculpt of that). The wikipedia page suggests that a jenny haniver may have been the inspiration for the Monk Fish - which is of course, a close relative of the Bishop Fish which appears in series 2. Curiouser and curiouser. Here's the haniver from the wiki page:

[Airot]

It's seems to very closely related to the Fiji Mermaid (wouldn't it have been great if they'd made a sculpt of that).

But wasn't the fiji mermaid made from a mummified monkey top half and a mummified fish bottom half?

Animal/monster hoaxes were pretty common back in those days, they'd make jackalopes (jackrabbits with horns!) and once or twice unicorns (with a narwhale horn as the best kind of horn to use) and I'm almost certain I heard of a cockatrice being made from a chicken and a snake sewn together, among hundreds of others.

Anyway, there are entire museums around today dedicated to deliciously crazy taxidermy fakes.