Gyromni and the Intergalactic Visitors

Gyromni (1998)

Similar to the Spaceship, the purpose of the Gyromni is to bring extraterrestrial creatures to the Art Park. Unlike the Spaceship though, the Gyromni actually travels through space collecting some of these little creatures that have heard about Forevertron and now want to come to the Art Park to see it themselves. The relatively small size of the Gyromni means it works best for transporting smaller creatures. The first arrivals on the Gyromni were the Damper Bugs, some of which liked the Art Park so much that they decided to stay. Other creatures have come through the years—a number have stayed behind and chosen to make the Art Park their home.

The main body of the Gyromni is built from a ship’s gyroscope which Doc and a sculpture student, Timo Baerwalt, mounted on a platform and attached five legs which stand on bushling steel coils. A long, thin arm arcs outward and upward from the ship’s body, operating as a sensor. In each place the Gyromni lands, the sensor first scopes out the area to make sure there is no danger before the creatures aboard disembark.

Damper Bugs

The Damper Bugs were the very first intergalactic visitors to come to the Art Park on the Gyromni. From a faraway place in space, the Damper Bugs were drawn specifically by the energy of the Art Park. Over a dozen have chosen to stay. The bugs are made from dampers for big furnaces, each with a snout. The tails are springs, packed full of kinetic energy, an important element in many of Dr. Evermor’s creatures and creations. If the Damper Bugs wiggle their snouts, their tail will move also. Similarly, grabbing their tails will cause ripples of energy and movement throughout their bodies.

Badger Bugs

The colorful Badger Bugs are another intergalactic creature that now, thanks to the Spaceship and Gyromni, live permanently at the Art Park. The main body of the Badger Bugs come from expensive bushling originally owned by Wisconsin Power and Light located in Madison. Because of a flaw, Dr. Evermor was able to get these for an unbeatable price—for free! Doc was particularly attracted to these coils because of his interest in energy, and these were designed to carry high currents of electricity.

Perhaps it’s their naturally inherent energy that have led to these Badger Bugs having such a unique history. Besides traveling through time and space, the Badger Bugs have also appeared mysteriously on people’s lawns and visited elementary school children’s classes. The kids liked the Badger Bugs so much that Dr. Evermor let them keep a few.

Sea Cats

Most of the Alien Cats keep to themselves, although a few have broken away from the group to explore the Art Park. The main group stays with their leader, a large three-headed creature that looms above the others. The pleasant personalities of the creatures are evident on their faces, framed by three whiskers on each side and buggy eyes with hollow frames stretching up to form ears. Most have bodies made from sharp gears and some have long tails that stretch into the grass. Perhaps the most distinctive features of the creatures though are their long, thin, flexible necks which allow them to stretch and pivot to see anything around them without moving their bodies. Curious by nature, they are constantly scanning the horizon, taking in their surroundings.

Grasshoppers

Standing in a line are another set of sixteen creatures delivered by the Gyromni to visit the Art Park. Marching at their head is an extraterrestrial from another planet, guiding these agreeable creatures to prevent them from getting lost or unwittingly causing trouble as they sometimes do. Their bowed legs give them a slightly wobbly gait, although they are still surprisingly quick and agile. With loose, jiggly eyes made from brass drapery rods and heads that move from side to side, the Grasshoppers are easily distracted, glancing here or there to see what might be happening. They easily wander off to follow whatever catches their eye if their leader doesn’t interfere.

Other Extraterrestrials

Throughout the Art Park, you can see a large variety of other extraterrestrials who arrived on the Gyromni. They are gathered in clumps, marching at the head of other creatures or just standing around the Art Park, enjoying the day. Some of their names are written on their bases while others are more private by nature and choose not to share this information. Each creature is delightfully unique. Teatime, a particularly interesting extraterrestrial, has bells in its center. Another extraterrestrial has a star in its hat. Still another stares open-mouthed at the group of creatures it leads. Despite hailing from planets throughout the heavens and having very different cultures and views, these visitors maintain good relationships with one another here and exercise a remarkable amount of tolerance and acceptance for each another.

Author Credit: Leslie Huber