Months ago we ran a piece on an up and coming web animation site out of New Zealand called Mukpuddy.com. Heavily influenced by giants old and new like Tex Avery and John Kricfalusi, the gang at Mukpuddy (still swearing to me that that isn't some dirty kiwi slang) have currently rested their fate on two series: Skid & Hokey, and Dirk Banzai, Secret Agent Lemur.

Since we first checked in with them, a lot has happened for Mukpuddy. The site has added a few episodes. A piece on them appeared in Animation Magazine. And they've whispered echoes of rumors of possibilities involving a well-known American cable outlet that we can't identify for now, except to say that it might sound something like Farmoon Wetberk.

For various reasons (mainly "the day job"), I'd resisted going back, and then they got me with this e-Christmas card.

I still don't really get Skid & Hokey. That's okay; you might. But I'm going to freely admit to having laughed out loud at the first two chapters of Dirk Banzai's first official adventure: Operation Voodoo.

Now Banzai has a voice (and a magnificent singing voice, too), and the lag time on some of the jokes seems to have been fixed. But for me, best of all, I get it. Be sure to watch over the closing credits, as the plot advances a little bit through voice-over, with a couple of non sequitirs that kill.

Merry Christmas, you guys, and thanks for keeping at me. Let's hope we hear a lot more from Mukpuddy in 2003.

Derek McCaw