Category Archives: More Connections

Coloring Cotsen: Aquarium Comicum

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The current special exhibition inside the Cotsen Children’s Library, “Sixpenny Stunners,” is a charming collection of illustrated children’s tales cleverly printed in pamphlet form.

One of the stories included in the exhibition, Aquarium Comicum, is a hilarious poem about the realm of King Sturgeon and his nemesis, the rebellious Octopus, and how peace between the two rivals was eventually restored with help from Lord Mayor John Dory. The illustrations are super quirky and fun, and Katie wanted to share a few of them for Coloring Cotsen!

The Toronto Public Library has a digital version of the Aquarium Comicum for anyone who would like to read more about the pamphlet’s cast of characters or sing the accompanying music score. There is also much more to learn about the “Sixpenny Stunners” exhibition on Cotsen’s curatorial blog.

KPop Demons

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The Collection of Korean Folk Paintings (Kyonggi University Museum, 2001). Princeton University Library.

A very hearty congratulations to KPop Demon Hunters for winning two Golden Globes this weekend – Best Animated Feature Film, and Best Original Song!

Not to say my daughter and I are bias, but we believe that KPop Demon Hunters is the best animated movie of all time. Not only does it have a next level soundtrack, is it beautifully styled, well written, and moving. It’s also an incredible representation of East Asian culture, both historic and modern. And today we’re celebrating that culture with minhwa, historic Korean folk art traditionally created by anonymous craftsmen and untrained artists. Specifically, we’re looking at kkachi horangi, a genre of minhwa that depicts magpies and tigers.

In KPop Demon Hunters, one of the main characters (Rumi) is repeatedly visited by a supernatural blue tiger (Derpy) and a six-eyed magpie (Sussie). Derpy is a sweet bumbler, Sussie is a tad more watchful and world-weary.

Image from Netflix’s KPop Demon Hunters, 2025

Both hearken back to kkachi horangi paintings in which the tiger represents authority and the magpie represents the common man. The paintings were meant to be satirical images of the feudal hierarchy at the time, so the tiger was often depicted with an intentionally stupid expression, while the magpie was given a more dignified appearance.

Image from Netflix’s KPop Demon Hunters, 2025

Following the suggestions of colleagues Minjie Chen, Cotsen Children’s Library Cataloging Team Leader, and Flora Kim, Metadata Operations Specialist, I tapped the the Princeton University Library catalog to acquire The Collection of Korean Folk Paintings (Kyonggi University Museum, 2001). This three-volume set features an incredible array of art, but it was the tigers and magpies I was seeking. Here are a few more images:

The Collection of Korean Folk Paintings (Kyonggi University Museum, 2001). Princeton University Library.

The Collection of Korean Folk Paintings (Kyonggi University Museum, 2001). Princeton University Library.

For those wishing to see more gorgeous images of tigers and magpies, please visit this exhibit on Korea Minhwa Association’s site. If you’d like to see Derpy and Sussie immortalized at Macy’s 2025 Thanksgiving Day parade, you’ll find them here.

Many thanks to Minjie Chen and Flora Kim for their knowledge and expertise! 

Pop’s Top 10: Literary Gowns

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Remember when this dress premiered on the Eras Tour? We do! The custom Vivienne Westwood gown is filled with the lyrics from Track 10 of Tay’s 2024 album, The Tortured Poets Department. It inspired us to seek out more artists and designers who took literary fashion to the next level. So today we present Pop’s Top 10 literary gowns!

#1 GONNA BE GOLDEN

Created by Ryan Jude Novelline, the artist stitched together the colorful illustrations from discarded Little Golden Books, and fashioned a bodice from the spines. If you’d like to read an interview about his amazing creation, please follow this link.

#2 BOOK WITCH

From Reddit

Posted on Reddit, the detailing on this dress is off the charts! Plus, the hat! The HAT.

#3 SUPER SEUSS

Created by Rebecca Humes, the Seuss-specific shredded tutu and bouncy book characters on springs is delightfully whimsical!

#4 DISNEY DANCER

Another dress by Rebecca Humes. But this one was created from Disney books and features a skirt composed of thousands of chain links. WOW!

#5 POTTER PROM

Hailey Skoch rustled her way to her Arkansas senior prom in a dress made from multiple volumes of Harry Potter books! You can read more about her process here.

#6 FANTASTIC FAIRY

Winner of cutest, most adorable wings and folded tutu is this phenomenal book fairy!

#7 VOLUMINOUS VOLUMES

This distinct dress with a colonial flare was created by White Knight Cosplay. And just look at that teacup broach!

#8 FAIRY TALE FASHIONISTA

A stack of unwanted volumes transformed into a fairy tale worthy dress by Helen Hobden, who also entered it in a contest judged by Maisie Williams! Read more about her adventure here.

#9 BOUND TO IMPRESS

French designer Silvie Facon created this flowing masterpiece from old leather spines that had separated from books. It took 250 hours! More more extensive photos, plus more dresses, please follow this link.

#10 SHORT STORY

Silvie Facon also created this sassy little folded dress, again by only using books that were beyond repair. For more details, please see this link.

Feeling inspired but also maybe a tad overwhelmed by the sheer volume of talent? No worries! You can craft this simple origami newsprint dress by following the instructions here.

Pssst! We also made a Cinderella dress out of highly unusual materials! See that here.