Marcel the Shell

"Sometimes, if you want to be the Internet’s next big thing, it helps to think small. By this point, it’s well known that the web is a cute-ocracy, where many of the medium’s most popular videos involve baby animals. It was into this adorable jungle that comedian Jenny Slate and her filmmaker boyfriend (now fiancé) Dean Fleischer-Camp unleashed their creation, Marcel the Shell, in August of 2010. Made out of a tiny shell, a single craft store googly-eye, a pair of pink and white plastic shoes and voiced by Slate, Marcel starred in a beautifully-shot video in which he offered a tour of his living environment. He wore a lentil as a hat and enjoyed hang-gliding on a Dorito. It was, without question, the cutest thing to grace the Internet that month. Before long, Marcel was a hit. This month, Slate and Fleischer-Camp have released Marcel the Shell With Shoes On: Things About Me, a delightful picture book that offers a tour through Marcel’s favorite minuscule objects and activities."  via Time /more