Lemon Turns
It was back in late 2004 that word first reached earth of the existence of an alien, albeit strangely recognizable culture. These living organisms chose not to plant this inkling into the consciousness of someone who might do something sensible with it (
Stephen Hawking, for example, or the Gardener’s Question Time panel). Instead, for an as yet unexplained reason, they selected as their conduit a slightly long-in-the-tooth creative genius working on a trading estate just outside Birmingham.
It can only be surmised that this was because said creative, who we shall call John, had been heard to complain about being forced occasionally to make a cup of tea for his colleagues despite possessing a brain the size of a planet. Notwithstanding his cerebral likeness to Uranus, John felt an irresistible urge to act upon this alien implantation, expounding its merits to his business colleagues, Ian and Guy, whilst claiming it as his creation. After all, who might contradict him in his own lifetime?
But rewind a little and read how they got here in the first place (no, this is not going to be a brief history of thyme, but more an exposé of what brought about the confluence in the lives of three sages - geddit? - whose combined acumen has now given access to the world of
Violent Veg for all to enjoy).
John worked much of his life in and around the field of advertising and marketing, and has an entrepreneurial streak that saw him set up and run his own agencies. Ian gravitated from playing DJ around the nightclubs of Europe to become a successful sales director. Guy spent 12 years gazing at his naval career before swapping a life on the ocean wave for a life in mufti.
In the mid-1990s, fate decreed that Ian would join forces with Guy in a marketing logistics business, and Ian sold their service to John’s agency. John looked upon the service that was being delivered, and he was pleased. So John created another company and enticed Ian and Guy to build it with him, using the amazing range of complementary business skills that they possessed. And thus was born a triumvirate which built up said business over 6 years before selling it in 2004 for a hill of beans; which was to be not the first time that vegetables interfered with John’s brain.
Eddie Got Hammered
The three amigos decided that, rather than spend the rest of their lives helping others to build their brands, they would set out to create their own. And thus was born JIGAJIG. “What’s that got to do with the price of spuds?” you might ask. Well, to cut a very long story short, they created a t-shirt (one of many, for JIGAJIG is primarily a t-shirt brand) with a silly image of a
potato character having his head caved in with a hammer. People being what they are (sick and twisted) found this image highly amusing. This fact did not escape John’s attention and sparked the concept of vegetables being violent to each other and Vegetarians being cruel and heartless. And lo, a whole new parallel universe was born (in fewer than 7 days too, one might add).
A few scribbled cartoons were presented nervously to his usually cynical colleagues. Guy and Ian didn’t laugh the idea out, but did laugh at the idea:
Violent Veg! Soon ideas and captions came flooding, test shots were done and the three were confident enough in the way it was developing to take Violent Veg to the compost heap that was the Brand Licensing show in London, where it was received with great critical acclaim. From this germinated over the following year a successful range of
greeting cards, posters, electronic games, books, etc etc.
It is to be hoped, dear Reader, you find that
Violent Veg reflects a world which can make you laugh and can, if you peel an onion at the same time, make you cry too. It should be a balm to everyone who seeks the “holy grail” antidote to that horrible political-correctness that humans have allowed their leaders to foist upon them.
So enjoy!
Extract taken from
www.testveg.co.uk
