Cornflakes Woodcock

          His name was Ulf, but I don't think too many of us knew that. We knew him as Cornflakes, Corn for short. He had been in SL, and then he found a true home in OSGrid, where he made things, and made visitors welcome not just by giving us a chance to see and own his creations, but with a sandbox where anyone could visit, collect, and build. 

          One look at his things would inspire anyone to create, whether it be your own invention or a little scene put together of Cornflake's creatures.

          In Cornflake's world, impossible creatures sat gleefully beside mischievous rodents and startled hens, jokers and shopping carts and spaceships all came together like items from a giant toybox. The joyfulness of the pieces was undercut by a sense of the absurdity of real life where things go awry and we can't do much about it. 

          There is a chaotic nimble cunning in the colorful vehicles, full of life and movement, with disaster, or victory, just on the cusp of realization. 

          Everything is alive, giggling, letting go, poised for action or quietly plotting. Even the sleepy fishy spaceship hovering above the sand.

          Sadly, about a year ago, Cornflakes died. Many of his friends noted his absence, but thought perhaps, in that way we do in Virtual Worlds, that he had become busy with other things. The news was made public, but it seems that it didn't reach everyone until now.
Dorothea Lundquist: I was today visiting the OSG7B region, I was totally shocked to read that Cornflakes is gone, I really had no idea. Big big shock. He was such a colorful person; he was wonderful, it's so sad. He was a person who can make you smile :))

WordfromtheWise

 One of the last things Corn did inworld was to pass a complete region of his work to his good friend WordfromtheWise. He has set the sim up for anyone to visit, and indeed tributes are showing up all over the place. To find this sim, go to OSGrid, and type Cornflakes into the Map, or visit the OSGrid birthday builds.

Cornflakes sim, OSGrid. Visit soon!

Foxx Bode, one of the first people Cornflakes talked to when he arrived on OSGrid, gave his reaction.
Foxx Bode: Cornflakes was friendly, Mad in a good sense, and insanely creative. He liked to make people laugh and think.  He had more "fans" and friends than he realised I guess, and I'm sure many people will miss him.

Foxx Bode, at the Cornflakes store on Wright Plaza

          Lara Nguya, who has a store close to Cornflake's on Wright Plaza, will miss him too. Virtual Christine, who blogs about her travels in the metaverse here, was another friend. And Hylee Bekker also spent many hours with him; in their final tandem build, they put together a Halloween region. For a short while, Hylee set out tribute museum on her Ptarmigan Sea region, where this photo was taken.

Hylee Bekker at the Cornflakes Museum on Ptarmigan Sea

Lara Nguya: Cornflakes was a truly generous character who gave his time freely to others. His wacky but innovative ways will be remembered.

Cornflake's store is still on Wright Plaza

Virtual Christine: A couple of years ago, when I first came to OpenSim, my new friend Hylee Bekker gave me a landmark to her old friend Cornflakes "mad world" build.I was stunned that such a tremendous artist was just GIVING AWAY all his stuff. We exchanged  some letters when I wrote about him; he was very kind and unpretentious.He said his purpose was to make the world a sillier place. He would have LOVED Hylee's wacky  "Cornflakes has left the building" tribute- it  had me  howling with laughter and crying my eyes out. Humor is the perfect tribute to this wise  and witty clown, and I for one, pledge to be forever silly! So fare thee well gentle Cornflakes, and thanks for all the fish!

Christine at the Cornflakes Museum on Ptarmigan Sea

      The same sentiments from designer Avia Bonne. 
Avia Bonne: The first time I met Corn, as I use to call him, was at the Sandbox Plaza/Osgrid. I was astonished to see those funny, colourful creations of him and wondered who made them. So I clicked on his prims and just send him a message.

Cornflakes Woodcock: I have no valuable thingys in my inventory, only silly prims :-)

Cornflakes Woodcock: Dam, I need to learn how to create mesh. I could do really weird stuffs if I learned that. I can create better if the limitations of prim was not.

Cornflakes Woodcock: But your right when you say that the challenge is to work with prims. Otherwise I just end up as a 3D creator, and that's to many of them hehe

Avia Bonne: During the conversations we have inworld, we mostly talked about his prims and he had his own special idea about Open Sim as he expressed that in his own way...

Cornflakes Woodcock: Well thanks, I do my best to mess OS grid up with sillyness. Not so fond of Ken and Barbie. They are often not creative ppl, as you can see on their avas Ken always looks like Arnold Sweitzerneger or what the dam his name is :-)

Avia Bonne: lol

Cornflakes Woodcock: And Barbie has missiles for boobs

Avia Bonne: not much ken and barbies among here

Cornflakes Woodcock: True and that's because we have more imagination. Why be realistic in a unrealistic world? :-)

Cornflakes Woodcock: I see that you have multiple creators on your sim and that's nice.

 I started a freebie sim a year ago for several creators

Cornflakes Woodcock: But it turned out bad - To much rubbish. So I decided to do a sim for me alone hehe. It also was timeconsuming talking with creators asking them for their works, time I rather spend on creating thingys. So I shut it down :-)

Avia Bonne: I lost him on the way while being busy helping in other grids, and when I came back he seems to be disappeared. Reading the logfiles with our chats gave me a dark feeling of guilt, I left him alone.

Avia with some of Cornflake's 'silly things'

Cornflakes Woodcock: Well I know who I am anyway. I'm Cornflakes nothing else. I see my self as a cereal hehe...I bet I will taste badly. No laundry done for a while

Avia Bonne: your shopping cart furniture is a very well found idea

Cornflakes Woodcock: Well I can't take all the credit for it. I saw a chair on the net, but the table is my own invention. Sometimes I see something and from that I got a new idea I'm the same as you. All that I want I create :-)

Cornflakes Woodcock: I prefer to call it silly prims.  I am working on my own style, and it includes minimalistic texturing on maxmalistic megaprim use :-) My creations are often heavy prim use. Therefore I love OS grid

Avia Bonne: For me he definitely was Corn in his full being, lonely but interested, but also a very kind man who didn't believe in his own qualities. I hope he has found his peace,

RIP Corn!

          For every person who made a comment in this article, there are dozens and dozens more who liked and admired Cornflakes. I thought he was cool, kind, original; a deep man with important ideas that he found easier to share through shapes and colors rather than through words. A genuine artist. 

           All around the planet there are people who have met Cornflakes and even more people who have seen his not so 'silly' prims, admired them, kept them, displayed them with pride and amusement on their regions, taken photos of them and most of all laughed at his jokes. We are laughing with you still, Cornflakes. You will not be forgotten.