—- My Story —–
An idea while pondering over a pint, the dream of a Yorkshireman; where was Monkeys & Monoliths conceived, I hear you ask? As the husband of a science fiction geek, whose favourite movie is 2001: A Space Odyssey, I had the notion of buying my wife her very own monolith as a gift but after searching high and low, up hill and down dale, my search bore no fruit. So I just had to go and find someone local to make me one, which my wife loved by the way, and it has been proudly sitting in our garden ever since. Then the cogs began to turn – if I had been looking for a monolith, then surely other sci-fi fans out there in the universe had been looking too? Wouldn’t other people like their very own monolith to stand pride of place in their garden? And there you have the story of how Monkeys & Monoliths evolved. I’m Tim by the way, I might have mentioned that I’m a Yorkshireman, and no I don’t own a whippet but oh yes I do own several flat caps!
So I understand why you would want to buy a monolith, but you may be wondering why should you purchase any Monkeys & Monoliths merchandise?
Well, I don’t want to be just another ‘brand’ – the logo (after a lot of trial and error, meetings and stress!) is designed to be understood by people in the know. It’s one of those, ‘If you know, you know’ scenarios! Many people will see the logo and at a glance will understand the reference; many others will not but will probably ask – I discovered this after wearing my first Monkeys & Monoliths t-shirt endlessly and received many knowing looks but also lots of questions from curious beings. Or maybe you just like the look of our logo!
Anyway, if you decide to take a jump and make a purchase, you will be joining a community of like-minded earthlings, who know how we REALLY evolved, and think we are not the most intelligent beings in the universe!
Monoliths Explored
So how did the striking monolith design come about? During initial meetings between Stanley Kubrick and Arthur C Clarke, the ultimate question was what the aliens in 2001: A Space Odyssey would look like? Some first ideas included inspiration from the paintings of Max Ernst and the sculptures of Alberto Giacometti, but Kubrick eventually decided that, ‘you cannot imagine the unimaginable’ and decided to go with the simple, stark shape of the monolith. Originally, the monolith was to be transparent and one was made out of clear acrylic, but Kubrick was unhappy with this in screen tests, so it was replaced with the iconic solid, black basalt (shipped from Scandanavia) that we are all familiar with.
The Dawn of Man
The first appearance of a monolith takes place at the beginning of the movie, in a time when our human ancestors roamed the Earth. In the African wilderness, we meet a tribe of apes who are frightened when a monolith (TMA-0) appears overnight outside their cave. Curious, one of the apes (Moon-watcher) approaches the monolith and gingerly touches it – we see a moment pass, a thought, a spark – the monolith has given the ape its first step on the path of evolution. The creators of the monolith (a higher intelligence known as the Firstborn) have taught the ape how to use a bone as a weapon.
Tycho Monolith
Jump to the year 1999 and another monolith (TMA-1) is discovered on Earth’s moon after a magnetic survey detected an anomaly in the Tycho crater. The monolith is found buried 40 feet under the lunar surface and whilst a team of scientists, including Dr Heywood Floyd, are examining it, sunlight shines on it for the first time in over 4 million years. As a result, it beams a radio signal out in the direction of Jupiter, which results in the launch of the Discovery mission, with a crew including Dave Bowman, Frank Poole and of course the computer HAL9000.
Jovian Monolith
At Lagrange point, between Io and Jupiter, Dave Bowman discovers the next monolith (TMA-2) which is known commonly as the Jupiter monolith. This giant monolith is almost 2 kilometres long, so Bowman decides to investigate but is pulled into the monolith and goes on a surreal journey through the Star Gate, stating, ‘The thing’s hollow – and it goes on forever – and – oh my God! It’s full of stars!’ Bowman eventually transforms into the Star Child – an immortal being, a child of the universe under the direction of the Firstborn.
Popped down to @pollenmarketsheffield today and had a great time! Moon-watcher bought a few plants to arrange around his garden monolith and handed out some bookmarks/business cards/mini monoliths out (not quite decided what to call them yet)!
#monkeysandmonoliths #monoliths #gardenornament #scificollectibles #scifi #scifimerch #sciencefiction #stanleykubrick #moonwatcher #yorkshire #yorkshirebusiness #welcometoyorkshire #scififan #arthurcclarke #2001aspaceodyssey
Moon-Watcher visited Scarborough yesterday. He tried to blag free entry to @scifiscarbs by using The Force but it turned out the creature on the door was a Hutt! So he went to the beach instead where he met what he thought were some very small Ewoks!
#monkeysandmonoliths #monolith #scarborough #welcometoyorkshire #yorkshirecoast #scifi #scififans #science fiction #stanleykubrick #2001aspaceodyssey #scifimovies #scifiscarbs #moonwatcher #beach life
So here at Monkeys and Monoliths, we clearly love a collectible. Not only does a monolith sit proudly in the garden, many objects related to science fiction movies adorn the house. ✨
Do you have a favourite collectible in your house or garden? Let us know in the comments below. We'd love to see a picture too, so share a photo on your stories and tag us in so we can see them and we'll share them as well! 😊
#sciencefiction #scifi #collectibles #scificollection #scificollectibles #monolith #2001aspaceodyssey #yorkshirebusiness #scifimerch #independentretailer #scificollector #collector #gardenornament #monkeysandmonoliths
So you all know that one of my all time favourite science fiction movies is 2001: A Space Odyssey, but I also love many others too. From Ridley Scott's fantastic Blade Runner to Christopher Nolan's epic Interstellar and Denis Villeneuve's recent Dune, it's hard to choose just one favourite.
What are some of your favourite sci-fi movies? ✨
#sciencefiction #scifi #scifimovies #monkeysandmonoliths #monolith #2001aspaceodyssey #stanleykubrick #ridleyscott #bladerunner #interstellar #christophernolan #dune #denisvilleneuve #favouritefilm #space
🦍 Do you have a favourite movie monkey or ape?
Obviously one of my favourites would be Moon-Watcher from 2001: A Space Odyssey. Maybe yours is Clyde from Every Which Way But Loose? Or do you prefer Dr Zira from Planet of the Apes?
Let me know your favourite!
#monkeysandmonoliths #planetoftheapes #drzira #moonwatcher #orangutan #2001aspaceodyssey #stanleykubrick #arthurcclarke #scifimovies #sciencefiction #moviemerchandise #filmfan #filmgeek
Where do you usually put your stickers? And where do you pin your badges?
As our badges and stickers come in bundles, you don't need to decide on just one place! Personally, you'll always find a badge on my flat cap, and a sticker on my hibernation chamber!
Let me know in the comments! ✨
#badges #stickers #scifistickers #scifi #sciencefiction #scifimerch #2001aspaceodyssey #monkeysandmonoliths #monolith #sellersofinstagram #stanleykubrick #scififilm #scifimovie #classicscifi
So let's talk about packaging!
When deciding how to package up the Monkeys and Monoliths t-shirts and tote bags, I didn't want to use standard plastic bags. Not only are they bad environmentally but they didn't fit in with the look I wanted for the merchandise. My solution was these striking, striped paper bags!
#monkeysandmonoliths #monoliths #sciencefiction #scifi #scifimerch #scifimovies #2001aspaceodyssey #sellersofinstagram #scifitshirts #independentretailer #movietshirt #totebags #moviemerchandise
✨ Monoliths Explored
I've just made an addition to the Monkeys and Monoliths website which is a close look at each monolith from 2001: A Space Odyssey in turn. They're my thoughts and understandings; go check it out for some nerdy facts too!
Let me know any of your thoughts or facts about the monoliths.
#monkeysandmonoliths #2001aspaceodyssey #monolith #tycho #tychocrater #thedawnofman #jupitermonolith #lagrangepoint #jupiter #io #stanleykubrick #arthurcclarke #davebowman #starchild #stargate #thefirstborn #moonwatcher #discovery #hal9000 #scifimerch #sciencefiction #scifi #scififans #scifimovies
Just a quick thanks to our first monolith owner! Here it is all snugly packaged up along with Moon-Watcher ready to be shipped.
But where is it going? The moon? Europa? Jupiter? I'd love to you let you know, but I'm sorry Dave, I'm afraid I can't do that. ✨
#monolith #monkeysandmonoliths #2001aspaceodyssey #hal9000 #scifimerch #scifi #sciencefiction #scifimovies #scififilms #davebowman #moonwatcher #instasellers #sellersofinstagram
If you're interested in reading my ramblings about my journey while creating Monkeys and Monoliths, then go check out my blog on the Monkeys and Monoliths website.
I've just posted another entry - hope it doesn't bore you too much!
#monkeysandmonoliths #scifisunday #spaceodyssey #2001aspaceodyssey #monoliths #scifimovies #scifimerch #scifitshirts #yorkshire #sciencefiction #scifi #blogpost
WHAT THE HAL?! 👨🚀✨
The fantastic @showroomworkstation
showed 2001: A Space Odyssey on our launch weekend! Had we known, we'd have been there!
A mysterious coincidence, written in the stars, fate or was a higher intelligence steering the cinema's choices?!! 🤔
#2001aspaceodyssey #stanleykubrick #monolith #monkeysandmonoliths #starchild #davebowman #hal9000 #stargate #sciencefiction #scifi #scifibookstagram #kubrickmovies #scifimovies #scififilms #classicscifi #arthurcclarke #scifinerd #scifigeek #movienerd #moviegeek
Go check out our Monkeys and Monoliths t-shirts if you want to stand out from the crowd! All screen printed in Yorkshire by some fine human beings.
#monkeysandmonoliths #2001aspaceodyssey #scifisunday #sciencefiction #scifimerch #scifi #scifimovies #independentretailer #sellersofinstagram #tshirts #monolith #cottontshirt
Hello fellow humans! 🌍
As the very first post of Monkeys & Monoliths, I just wanted to let the world know that my website is now officially open for business! 🍾
If you're a fan of science fiction or just curious, please go and check it out. Not only could you be the proud owner of your very own monolith, there's a selection of merchandise for sale too! ✨
#monkeysandmonoliths #monolith #2001aspaceodyssey #sciencefiction #scifi #scifimovies #arthurcclarke
#hal9000 #classicscifi #independentretailer #yorkshire #scifigeek #scifinerd #scififan #sellersofinstagram