A few bits of news this morning. Let's start with a reminder that I will be at the Parkdale Bazaar in Toronto Saturday, July 31 from 11am to 5pm. That's tomorrow, people. It takes place along Cowan Ave. at Queen in the Parkdale Town Square. Come and get your Peek-A-Boo eyeball plants, Plague Doctors, Little Minions (which is what I'm calling the new creatures with the fancy eyes and teeth), Brains Vs. Coffee books, Undead Head necklaces and maybe a few more surprises.

This could be my last event before the end of August, so if you've been meaning to come out and see me, this would be the time!

In other news, thanks to everyone who adopted 3 of the last 5 Underbiters. You've thrown the Underbiters the best retirement party I could hope for by adopting them and/or sending me messages telling me how much you've enjoyed the series. It means a lot to me.

There are only two left (in the whole wide world, forever and ever, amen): Oogie and Scurge. If you've been on the fence about buying one of them, let me give you some insider information that might help you decide to snatch them up today. If Scurge doesn't get adopted online by Saturday afternoon, I have an adopter interested in taking her home that evening (assuming no one else steps forward before then). So if you really like her, now is the time to get her.

As of Saturday night, Oogie will be available for purchase in the Ghoulish Goodies Shop where everything is priced in US dollars (so you save a buck or two if you buy her before then).

Besides that, August is upon us which means I will be slaving away, getting items ready for Rue Morgue's Festival of Fear Aug. 27 to 29 in Toronto. It's going to be an incredibly busy month. I will try to keep up on posts for the blog but if I'm absent or my posts are short, you'll know why.

That's about it for me. Have a great weekend everyone.

I once said that all of the Underbiters were benevolent but mischievous. I have to keep reminding myself of this when I see Scurge, a more paler, sharp-toothed member of the clan.

Too light-skinned to be in the sun (she even avoids bright lighting), Scurge stays in the shadows and dark corners.

She mainly lives in the basement, in the dark and damp, rummaging through boxes and discarded items in storage rooms. She'll chew through cardboard to get at old books that have an intoxicating mildew aroma, sniffing the pages before gnawing on their edges.

She explores the sleeves of old sweaters and runs through the tubing of an old vacuum.

Scurge finds satisfaction in climbing up to darkened light bulbs and knocking them until the filament breaks. When she first encountered the strange, twisting, energy efficient compact fluorescent bulbs we're using, she puzzled over them at first. But she decided a light bulb is a light bulb, and treated it as she would any other. When she broke a small hole in the glass of the bulb, and discovered the chemical contents within, it was like she'd found a new nectar; a bonus prize for her work.

Oogie has her eyes on you.

All 12 of them.

You'd think all of these peepers would make her a keen observer, but alas each eye is astigmatic with the exception of the large one in the centre. So many things to focus on, so little optical control. The world is a bit of a blur for poor Oogie, but she likes it that way. Makes the world soft around the edges.

And Oogie is all about soft. She'll gnaw her way into pillows, comforters, pink insulation and all things made of foam. She likes to nestle in her cave of fluff and...*shudder*...run her teeth along the fibres of the material.

She's a bit oversensitive, and very self-conscious about the three or four eyes afflicted with Amblyopia (Lazy Eye). When she was smaller, she was often teased about the affliction ("Oogie, Oogie, 24 eyes. No one can guess what it is that she spies"). These days, she certainly has the size and teeth to take care of herself, but she prefers instead to retreat to her cushioned hideaways.

Favourite foods include cotton balls, spray foam, and shrimp chips.

Oogie is made of polymer clay and stands 3 inches tall.

She has now been added to the Underbiter Gallery with views of her profile.

She is available for purchase below. $20 CDN plus shipping & handling.