Rodent Spotlight: Beaver

Here's an easy one. Beavers are known the world wide as natures construction workers. They are pretty much the poster-animal for hard word and diligence. Don't understand it? You must not know beavers!

Let's break it down. These little guys are equipped with the latest technology in wood-cutting bucked teeth. They have these spectacular flat tails that appear to have lost a battle with a waffle iron. They industrially clear out the forests of trees and use them to make dams--actual dams--where they also live and raise families. What's so great about living in a dam? How about everything?! There's something just so cool about that! They dam up a river and then live inside of it. Nothing is cooler as far as I am concerned.

In fiction, the beaver is likewise portrayed at the industrial worker. They have made many appearances in cartoons in just about every era of such media. I got to tell you, there is something hilarious about a bunch of beavers wearing hard hats going around yelling out, "Timber!" I have also read old west stories about beavers that were quite amusing and even one where a human fugitive interloped inside a beaver dam much to the little rodent's chagrin.

For me, the grand achievement of beaver-kind was the Nickelodeon cartoon show known as "The Angry Beavers." The show was about two brother beavers named Norbert and Daggett who live with each other in a very stylishly decked-out dam. What was the plot? I have seen all sixty-three episodes and I have yet to really determine what it is. The basic idea is sibling rivalry--Norbert was the cool, beatnik brother that everything good had to happen to, while Daggett was often the fall guy always in his brother's shadow. Everything seemed to come from that general idea, but there was not much of a long-lasting narrative. Nevertheless, the show made the idea of living as beavers seem very cool, and on top of it, it was a remarkably funny cartoon.

The popular stereotype is exactly what I would draw from. I love the ides of the beaver being an industrious species. They are diligent creatures who believe in progress built upon hard work. The hard hats just make them cute. Fiction--in general--is capable of evolution. People can often imagine newer and better ideas that can even create new standards. In this case, I must agree with the old idiom "If it an't broke, don't fix it." I like them just as they have been historically presented, and I really don't have any desire to change it; however, you might be surprised what I can accomplish with a common stereotype. The possibilities are greater than you might imagine.

Thank you for reading my blog. If you enjoyed it, you can comment below, or I can also be reached by email at tooie@tooiekangaroo.com. Timber!