Muse Magazine

No relation to either the trope or the band.

Muse Magazine is a monthly publication put out by the Smithsonian Institution. While the magazine is targeted at kids in the 10-13 age range, its intelligence and clever writing make it appealing to people of many age groups. It's best described as a "general knowledge" magazine--if you can think of it, they've probably run an article on it. ...Yep. ...But of course. ...They've done that. ...Don't act so surprised. ...That's generally how "everything" works. In addition to articles, they run excepts from books, lists of interesting Web links, and lots of reader-submitted content.

But the magazine's wittiness isn't its only draw. You see, every page of the magazine is inhabited by the Muses. Not the classical Greek muses you may have heard about--worldwide muses, for a more "modern" era. Did the Greeks have muses of "bad poetry" and "software"? In addition to one full-page, full-color comic each issue (drawn by Larry Gonick, who also wrote The Cartoon History of the Universe), they litter the margins of all the articles, providing additional information... and snarky commentary. Anything can happen in their world, and frequently does. In fact, they've got a history and mythos all their own within the bounds of the magazine.

The Muses are:
 * Kokopelli: The "leader" (sort of), Kokopelli is the Muse of Tricks. An insufferable jokester, he, in his own words, "likes making life interesting for his friends." Despite his Arizonan origins, he likes nothing so much as the classic "Pie in The Face" gag.
 * Urania: The only Muse to also be an actual, historical Greek muse, she retains her Greecian status as the Muse of Astronomy. She often plays "straight woman" as opposed to the manic Kokopelli. She enjoys staring off into the night sky (of course).
 * Feather: Although he's lazy and gluttonous, this South American muse nonetheless has a killer green thumb. He's the Muse of Plants. When he's not tending his garden, he's probably out lounging about somewhere... or eating his Trademark Favorite Food, donuts.
 * Chad: A Gadgeteer Genius, he's the Muse of Hardware. No matter the situation, he's always coming up with a new invention. They're prone to working about as often as they're prone to catastrophic failure. But he dauntlessly continues work on his inventions. Rarely seen without his wrench.
 * Aeiou: The Muse of Software, so she's often seen with Chad. She doesn't speak--instead, she expresses her feelings by waving around her huge, noodly arms. Crraw is her interpreter. And before you ask: No, we don't know how to pronounce her name either.
 * Pwt: Although Pwt is the Muse of Animals, Pwt seems to be more obsessed with catching them than actually looking after them! Crraw is a favorite target. Frequently manic. Pwt is also a source of much confusion--both because it's hard to pronounce "Pwt" if you're not Welsh, and because Pwt's gender is about as clear as mud.
 * Bo: The most laid-back of all the Muses, Bo is the Muse of Trivia. She even has her own section in the magazine devoted to interesting snippets of facts. She's also a cow. But then again, nobody seems to mind... or, for that matter, even notice.
 * Crraw: Pwt's favorite least favorite person, Crraw the crow is the Muse of Bad Poetry and a frequent writer of it. He's got a snarky attitude and a love of being annoying. He does, however, serve a purpose: He's the one who interprets Aeiou's hand gestures.
 * Mimi: Based on the magical spirits of Australian Aboriginal lore. Quite possibly the Only Sane Muse, Mimi's main goal just seems to be surviving the insanity of her fellow muses. She's the Muse of Getting Along With People. She's also surprisingly normal. Also, she's got a nice outfit.

In 2005, the Muses appeared in a Spin-Off novel, Kokopelli & Company in The Attack of the Smart Pies, in which the Muse characters help a little girl with an Evil Stepfather.

This work and these characters provide examples of:
""Your typical outhouse. Not a lot of privacy, but it's got a great view."
 * Aerith and Bob
 * Affectionate Parody: The Muses did an issue-long one of Lord of the Rings.
 * Ambiguous Gender: Pwt's oddly ambiguous gender was a Running Gag in the early days of the comic, but seems to have ascended to near-Canon status.
 * Though, if you consider that Pwt hails from Ancient Egypt, where the standard rich male costume involved a skirt and a big necklace, he/she's probably a guy.
 * Update: According to Word of God, Pwt is now a definite he.
 * Art Evolution: In the first issue, for instance, Feather was drawn more ornately.
 * Chad's head went from long and skinny to practically ball-shaped.
 * Meta example: When Urania explains perspective to Pwt.
 * Black and Nerdy: Chad.
 * Caption Humor: Widespread, and some got downright snarky. From an article on toilets:

"A deluxe portale outhouse with it's own wheels. Just make sure you wear your seatbelt."

"The entrance to the Paris sewers. OK, OK, it's no Magic Kingdom, but we'll take what we can get.""

"Chad: (holding up a magnifying glass) I love mysteries!
 * Catch That Pigeon: Pwt has an obsession with trying to catch Crraw. It's not clear why... other than that Crraw is just annoying.
 * Chinese Girl: Aeiou. Where in China you have to be born to get horns, we have no idea.
 * Though technically, she's Mongolian.
 * Cloudcuckoolander: The entire cast is basically playing Hot Potato with the Cuckooland Ball.
 * Completely Missing the Point: When Bo pukes up Pwt's cow chow after finding out it contains beef byproducts, an alarmed Crraw's response is "What? Don't you like Vitamin A?"
 * Cute Mute: Aeiou.
 * The Ditz: Feather.

Feather: Don't eat that glass lollipop!"

"Kokopelli: Urania, would you touch this pie tin?
 * Does Not Like Shoes: Pwt.
 * Early Installment Weirdness: The first issue had the title in all capital letters instead of lowercase letters.
 * Everythings Better With Bunnies: At an indeterminate point in the magazine's history (a few years before its 10th anniversary), there was a massive fight between readers in the Muse Mail section about whether cats or dogs were better. To quell the battle, the editors decreed that any passages advocating the debate would be replaced by "cheerful little hot-pink bunnies."
 * Everything's Better With Cows: Bo
 * Nine Token Band: All the Muses come from different parts of the world, and represent different cultures.
 * Fourth Wall Mail Slot: The Muse Mail page, where the Muses themselves respond to most (if not all) letters written to the magazine. As you might expect, it gets manic very quickly.
 * They obviously can't publish all letters in the magazine, but if you write, one of the Muses will send you a postcard.
 * Friend to All Living Things: Pwt seems to be a subversion. Pwt's the Muse of Animals, but is mostly just seen antagonizing Crraw.
 * Funny Animal: Feather, who is, as you might expect, an anthropomorphic bird.
 * Feather supposedly wears a mask. He once took it off in front of Kokopelli.
 * Gadgeteer Genius: Chad, who can build anything. Not always well, mind you...
 * Gender Equal Ensemble: Four boys (Kokopelli, Chad, Crraw, Feather), four girls (Aeiou, Mimi, Bo, Urania), and Pwt.
 * The Generic Guy: Mimi.
 * Genre Savvy:

Urania: No, I will not! You would just pie me and claim that I did it to myself because my fingerprints were on the tin!

Kokopelli: Fine. (throws the pie at Urania)"


 * Historical In-Joke: Urania's the only Muse who's also, well, a muse.
 * I'm a Humanitarian: Accidentally -- Bo eats some cow chow made by Pwt that has beef byproducts in it.
 * Long Runner: The magazine's been going 15 years and counting.
 * Mister Seahorse: When the Muses are trying to bake a birthday cake for Kokopelli, Crraw donates some eggs.
 * Nice Headdress: Mimi's is so cool that, in a marginal in one issue, a few of the Muses copy it.
 * No Fourth Wall: In one comic, Urania and Pwt realize that they're surrounded by white frames. Urania also discovers perspective at one point. All of the muses seem to realize that they're in a magazine, and not just in the mail room. In "A Surfeit of Coneys," for example, Paul Baker notes how the Muses discuss reader reaction to the Hot Pink Bunnies. Various other examples of wall breakage occur from time to time.
 * Non Standard Character Design: All the Muses' designs are different, to reflect their different cultures. In particular, Kokopelli, who seems to be black all over.
 * Noodle People: Aeiou's arms are as long as her body, and seem to bend at random. They're how she "speaks".
 * Only Sane Man: Poor Mimi...
 * Periphery Demographic: You don't have to be aged 10-13 to enjoy this magazine. It's very common to find reader content in the "Submissions" section from the parents of kids who get the magazine.
 * Pie in The Face: Koko's favorite prank.
 * Planet Eris: Kokonino County, which may even be a reference to Krazy Kat.
 * Playful Hacker: Aeiou.
 * Ravens And Crraw
 * Serious Business: The March 1997 issue featured a vaguely pro-vegetarianism article, and had a photo of a calf on the front cover with the caption "Please Don't Eat Me!" The cattle industry and some politicians threw a fit, and the following issue's Muse Mail had about three pages of angry letters.
 * Slapstick Knows No Gender
 * Spell My Name With an "S": Is it Crraw or Craaw?
 * Sure Why Not: Pwt's gender, though never stated, wasn't initially an issue. When several early readers wrote in asking whether he/she was a boy or girl, the writers apparently decided it was a good gag, to the point where even the other Muses get confused as to his/her gender.
 * Talking Animal: Bo (a cow) and Crraw (a crow).
 * The Cameo: In one comic, the human protagonist from the spin-off novel appears as a store clerk.
 * Trademark Favorite Food: Feather and donuts. Mmmm, donuts.
 * Trickster Archetype: Kokopelli. But of course.
 * The Unpronounceable: Aeiou already has one, but then she was revealed to have a twin sister named Bcdtghjklmnpqrs.
 * The Voiceless: Aeiou. Only Crraw seems to know how to interpret her arms.
 * This is a result of an early Retcon: in the first couple of issues, Aeiou could talk normally like everyone else.
 * And when Aeiou first became mute, Mimi translated for a few issues.
 * Viewer Gender Confusion: Many:
 * Kokopelli not only appears to be wearing a dress, but he also has a chest and hips. He's male, though.
 * Mimi could also be wearing a dress, but her hair doesn't look particularly feminine.
 * Aside from the udders (which most cartoon bovines end up with anyway), there's no obvious evidence that Bo is female.
 * And Pwt... well, Pwt's just Pwt.

Attack of the Smart Pies provides examples of:

 * Disney Death:
 * Evil Foster Father: Mr. Drinkwater
 * Happily Adopted: Subverted. Emma ran away from home because of this.
 * Laser-Guided Amnesia:
 * Luke, I Am Your Father:
 * The Runaway: Emma
 * Spanish Prisoner: Kokopelli does a Nigerian Prince variation on Mr. Drinkwater in real life.. And it works.
 * Spin-Off
 * The Ishmael: Feather. Although, to be fair, he was the one who first decided to help Emma.
 * Weirdness Censor: Averted in the opening chapter. Some of the Muses go to the mall, and the humans give them strange looks.