THIS JUST IN: Prosh blob crosses sidewalk

by Meg on May 4, 2008

Check out the little feets action and undulay-shons.

MVI_0894 Originally uploaded by atomicthumbs

{ 90 comments }

1 Dave 05.04.08 at 8:25 pm

Ahh! Quick! Catch my eyebrow before it gets away!

2 Zee 05.04.08 at 8:28 pm

OMG! Whatta qte catterpillar! Le fuzze.

3 Jupiter Star 05.04.08 at 8:28 pm

YAY! Go, li’l capellilar*, go!

*Adorable mispronunciation courtesty of my niece

4 sharlit159 05.04.08 at 8:33 pm

Oh, that needs to be set to music! I had some funk playing in the background while I was watching this, and it fit really well! Cute li’l dood…

5 Larkness 05.04.08 at 8:39 pm

The phrase “cute as a bug” come to mind…

6 anabanana 05.04.08 at 8:39 pm

Awh… I wish he was as fluffy as he looks and not spiky :(

7 julianna 05.04.08 at 8:51 pm

I’ve never come across one that was actually “spiky”, in my experience they actually are quite soft. Unless I’m just a real tough chick or something…?

8 chanpon 05.04.08 at 8:59 pm

I hate bugs, and particularly wormy things, but I admit this is kind of cute. And it’s little back legs are anerable. Just don’t let me see it or its cousins near my apartment.

9 Creepy Sheep 05.04.08 at 9:07 pm

Looks like one of the soot sprites from Spirited Away!

10 eikoleigh 05.04.08 at 9:18 pm

cute! fuzzy butt

11 Megan 05.04.08 at 9:19 pm

What? No tags on this one?! Where shall I go if I evar wish to see it again? I like Unusual Animals, personally.

12 jmuhj 05.04.08 at 9:25 pm

QWIK! Somebudii kawl Steev McBleen!

13 binky-mama 05.04.08 at 9:45 pm

“Doo de dum de doo”

*Ehn!* (crosses crack in sidewalk)

“Dum de do de do”

14 JC 05.04.08 at 9:48 pm

We used to be scared of these as kids… they sting!

15 Joy 05.04.08 at 9:49 pm

I think this is a woody caterpillar. I see them crawling in my garage time to time. Very cute furry caterpillar with pure black head and rear end with a rich brown middle. I normally don’t like caterpillars, but this type is downright cute.

16 Annie J 05.04.08 at 9:52 pm

What a cutie! I wish I had caterpillars in my garage :) Do they really sting?

17 Shadowtiger 05.04.08 at 9:54 pm

*adjusts lecturin’ glasses*

This is a variety of catterpiggle known as a “woolly bear.” They are generally quite fuzzular and soft, and turn into pretty flutterbyes when they grow up. Many people used to use them as a weather forecaster–the woollier they are, the more likely the coming season will be cool (though this is probably not so, it makes them that much more fun to watch).

*nods wisely, polishes glasses*

18 Joy 05.04.08 at 10:00 pm

Just did research – it is a woolly bear caterpillar. Here’s a link http://www3.islandtelecom.com/~oehlkew/spisabel.htm for more info. I have never touched one, but have tried to pick them up with something and they curl up, looking just like a miniature hedgehog with black and brown “quills”. Lore has it that the wider the brown section is, the milder the winter.

19 Erica 05.04.08 at 10:01 pm

Aww. Woolly Worms! We used to collect and play with these during recess at my school. =) They definitely don’t sting!

20 Yubi Shines 05.04.08 at 10:12 pm

Not to be One Of Those Downer People, but if you do see a super-fuzzy caterpillar on the pavement, gently help it on its way where people won’t step on it -BUT DON’T TOUCH IT WITH SKIN- use a twig or a bit of paper. Because some caterpillars do sting. Quite nastily too.

This has been your public service announcement good day.

21 compy-saur 05.04.08 at 10:30 pm

I’m sad that my submissions to CuteOverload have never been accepted, and yet a caterpillar makes it!

22 Meggy 05.04.08 at 10:44 pm

I know this is a cattehpillah, but it makes me think of the inchworm song:

“Inchworm, inchworm, measuring the merigolds, do you ever stop to see how beautiful they are?”

Ahn.

23 momof2kitties 05.04.08 at 10:59 pm

Yay for Woolly Bears!

We have tons of these in our woodpile. Although I wouldn’t want one IN my house they are quite cute OUTside.

24 AlbertaGirl 05.04.08 at 11:04 pm

Go, blobule! Go!

We used to have these all the time on the farm where I grew up. We played with them ever so gently.

25 Wombats 05.04.08 at 11:12 pm

OH! That’s where my false eyelashes dissappeared to!

26 Adri 05.04.08 at 11:14 pm

These little guys are all over my yard this time of year. We call it the invasion of the eyebrows. I pick them up all the time and they aren’t stingy…super light and fuzzular!

27 jen 05.05.08 at 12:16 am

do i see caterpillar ‘tocks?

entomologists of the world, unite!

28 Ermine_Violin 05.05.08 at 12:27 am

I got stung by a woollyworm one time – it hurt for days on end. :(

but they are cuties

29 Alexis 05.05.08 at 12:31 am

Aww, I haven’t thought about woolly bear caterpillars in ages! Thanks, CO.

30 Lucy 05.05.08 at 12:38 am

I’d still squish it.

31 Annie 05.05.08 at 12:58 am

I love wooly bears. I live out west and have not seen one in years I guess maybe they don’t live in California

But In Michigan they would be all over the sidewalks and trees in spring and summer. I never got stung by one but that doesn’t mean they don’t sting.

32 Emily 05.05.08 at 1:01 am

So do other states have massively attended Woolly Bear festivals or is it just us crazy Ohioans?

33 Loris 05.05.08 at 1:06 am

Woolly Bear may be the official designation, but as far as I’m concerned, the campaign to rename it the Prosh Blob starts here. Who is with me?

34 atomicthumbs 05.05.08 at 1:29 am

Yaaaaay!

35 atomicthumbs 05.05.08 at 1:30 am

I took this video at the Asilomar Conference Grounds in Pacific Grove. This guy was crawling across the boardwalk; they were all over.

36 Totalee Puppy 05.05.08 at 2:05 am

Prosh Blob works for me.
How about a Prosh Blob tee?
Does he do endorsements?

37 David Harmon 05.05.08 at 2:07 am

Aw, around here it’s all Eastern Tent caterpillars — very classic-looking and all, but not really cute.

38 Stacy 05.05.08 at 2:20 am

In Ohio, we call these Wooly Bears.

39 Jason Scott 05.05.08 at 2:28 am

Cue bass line…

“Well you can tell by the way I use my fuzz,
I’m a wooly worm,
No time to talk.

Whether you’re a grubber or whether you’re a fuzzer you’re
Stayin’ alive…
Stayin’ alive…
Pretty soon you’re shakin
And crazy undulatin’ and you’re stayin’ alive…
Stayin’ alive…

Ah-ah-ah-ah,
Stayin’ aliiiiivveeeee…..

40 berthaservant 05.05.08 at 2:30 am

Oh, uh, that was me….not sure how my real name got in there….

:: still groovin’ ::

41 nads 05.05.08 at 2:53 am

Does anyone recognize the bird call in the background? I heard those all the time growing up but have no idea what kind of bird it is. A jay of some sort perhaps?

42 Lanie 05.05.08 at 3:29 am

Oh, why did somebody have to bring the birdcall (chickadee?) into it?? Now all I’m thinking is how funny it would be if that kestral from a coupla weeks ago would swoop down and have a snack! bad lanie! bad!

When I was very young – 3 or 4 – my dad and I would go on walks out in the country. Around Mother’s day (now!) these would always be easy to find. I would stuff my jacket pockets full of them with my sweaty little preschool hands. . .. offer them up to my mom at home. They were nekked by that time! Whenever one was fortunate enough to be found in our actual yard, I treated him to a ride on my trike. We moved to town when I was 4 1/2 and I had to resort to fishing worms I found under turned-up rocks. Already nekked, but I’m sure they enjoyed the trike rides just as much!

43 Rachel Sweeden 05.05.08 at 4:15 am

I agree with you the phrase “cute as a bug” comes to mind.

44 Martha in Washington 05.05.08 at 4:59 am

I used to collect woolly worms in a jar and load the jar up with fresh grass and twigs hoping to make pets out of them. They always died :(

My sister will swerve her car to keep from running over one of them on the road!

45 Laura 05.05.08 at 5:59 am

I heard these are poisonous. Be careful!

46 Subhangi 05.05.08 at 6:34 am

HEY! Someone’s eyebrow escaped!

47 Kimski 05.05.08 at 6:57 am

Iz tryin to get aways from dis papparatzis!

48 taj 05.05.08 at 8:23 am

No need to turn into a butterfly, she’s already beautiful!

49 Ant 05.05.08 at 9:27 am

I used to love these as a kid. Don’t forget the ones with red band color with the black color: http://www.richard-seaman.com/Wallpaper/Nature/Caterpillars/WoolyBear.jpg

50 Ant 05.05.08 at 9:32 am
51 slythwolf 05.05.08 at 9:36 am

Many people used to use them as a weather forecaster–the woollier they are, the more likely the coming season will be cool

Way I heard it, it was the wider their brown band, the longer the coming winter. Regional differences?

52 bookmonstercats 05.05.08 at 9:46 am

Aha, BerthaS!! Now we know. My first thought on seeing this was “Go little dude, and may the giant foot of fate ne’er splat you”. However, i assume the video-er gently picked him up and saw tpo that.

53 Electra 05.05.08 at 10:11 am

I love how you can hear the sweet trill of birdies in the background. I hope they didn’t catch our fuzzy little trooper! :O

54 Magnoire La Chouette 05.05.08 at 10:33 am

We call these fuzzy caterpillers.
The ones that sting are the stinging caterpillers which we see more of here in Louisiana.
Ouch!

55 T. 05.05.08 at 10:37 am

Awwww! A woolly bear! I love those little guys. I am massively creeped out by the moth that this little dude will one day develop into, but as larvae, they’re really adorbs:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woolly_bear

According to Wikipedia, if this guy is an actual Pyrrharctica isabella, he doesn’t possess the means to sting or bite. But the hairs can cause dermatitis, so it’s probably best to err on the side of caution, especially since some of you HAVE been bitten by fuzzy caterpillars.

And I can’t really walk up to every species of fuzzy caterpillar and ask them if they’re gonna bite me. (I don’t speak LOLcaterpillar.)

For some reason, moths really ick me out. But this guy? Too prosh.

56 T. 05.05.08 at 10:41 am

Also, check out the little back feets on this guy! OMG! He wears like a size negative three.

I’m also imagining that he’s actually GALLOPING, but the video is in slow motion. For some reason I find that outrageously funny.

57 kc 05.05.08 at 12:07 pm

Jupiter Star, when my oldest girl was 2, she called them callipitters.

Too cute!!

58 Joelle Taschereau 05.05.08 at 12:16 pm

Oh lol too cute! Looks like a soot sprite from Spirited Away!!! Yay!

59 Patty P 05.05.08 at 1:21 pm

Having been very painfully stung accidentally a few times in my youth, I NEVWER touch fuzzy catapillers. The tips of the hairs have a very irritating stinging chemical in some species. We have stinging black ones that look just like him.

Due to my experiences, including them invading my garden corn and more, I will never see catapillers as cute. Well, that teeny wittle inch worm (1/8″ long and less than a millimeter around) on my notebook paper in class in sixth grade? Now that was cute. Scrunch-slide, scrunch-slide, scrunch-slide…

60 Hon Glad 05.05.08 at 1:26 pm

They are called woolie bears in the u.k. too. But they can cause a rash on your skin.

61 blair 05.05.08 at 1:49 pm

woooly bullyyyyyyyyy
wooly bullyyyyyyy
a wooly bully
(air-guitar solo)

62 Eli 05.05.08 at 2:07 pm

Awww!

63 TurboFloof 05.05.08 at 2:57 pm

I swear I saw him look both ways before proceeding. cute and cautious!

64 Tisha_ 05.05.08 at 3:01 pm

Why don’t I see anything? All I see is a black sqaure on my screen.

65 Pliny 05.05.08 at 3:28 pm

Somebody on Flickr actually didn’t know what this is… How can one not recognize this as a caterpillar?

On a side note, when I was a kidlet, I found a polyphemus moth (the big ones) caught in a fence. I brought it home, and set it on the front porch to be safe from predators. He or she found love, and I got to see the whole moth life cycle. Awww….

66 Theo 05.05.08 at 3:44 pm

Pliny — did you take photos?

67 m in athens 05.05.08 at 3:48 pm

My sister lives in a town where they have a “Wooly Worm” festival:

http://www.woollyworm.com/

It’s a pretty big to do in Banner Elk. Granted, it’s a pretty small town, but still…

68 Olivia R. 05.05.08 at 4:09 pm

I stop to save these little guys on the roads and sidewalks. No kidding!

69 dumbadum 05.05.08 at 4:41 pm

This is cute, but also slightly scary… considering I’m scared of caterpillars
actually, I think it’s more scary than cute
*sits in corner*

70 Kris 05.05.08 at 5:13 pm

I loves me some Wooly Bears! (In Cleveland we used to actually have a Wooly Bear (race) event with Dick Goddard.)

71 Amy 05.05.08 at 5:38 pm

that cattypillar is hauling bootay..omg

72 banana 05.05.08 at 6:19 pm

That’s the cleanest sidewalk I’ve ever seen.

73 Lindsay 05.05.08 at 6:28 pm

it’s a runaway moustache!

74 Lilly 05.05.08 at 7:38 pm

When I was little, I said callipitter, too, and my parents pronounced it the same way for years to keep me doing it.

75 Gemma 05.05.08 at 8:45 pm

OH!IT’S SO CUTE! I LOVE EVERY ANIMALS!!

76 Sloth 05.05.08 at 8:46 pm

“Stop following meeeeeee!”

77 Karen 05.05.08 at 9:08 pm

Tisha_, all I see is a black square, too. And that’s on two computers using two different operating systems. :( (

78 atomicthumbs 05.05.08 at 9:20 pm

bookmonstercats: he walked off the edge of the boardwalk and into the bushes. :)

79 gliterati 05.05.08 at 10:49 pm

Now I love all things cute, really I do, but am I the only one who finds caterpillars super yukky?

*look around*

Guess so!

80 nevarbackwards 05.05.08 at 11:02 pm

Creepy…

81 miltoncat 05.05.08 at 11:05 pm

::shuffleshuffleshuffle::

82 AmberO. 05.06.08 at 1:34 am

Not prosh. Ew.

83 Pliny 05.06.08 at 4:34 am

Did I take photos of the moth I “saved?”

No, I was just a kid, and I don’t think my parents took any photographs… Too bad, though.
Also, we really weren’t expecting the moth to survive. Apparently s/he was healthy enough! ^_^

84 villy 05.06.08 at 4:53 am

I remember telling my (now ex-)fiance about how I saw a cute little woolly bear on my way to work and moved him to a bush so he wouldn’t get stepped on.

He just laughed at me, called me a Silly Villy, and said he’d never expect anything less from me. hehehe

85 bookmonstercats 05.06.08 at 8:02 pm

atomicthumbs, thanks. Now I shall sleep sweetly.

86 JennyPup 05.07.08 at 1:38 am

Okay I really WANT to think this is cute… but it’s still a bug to me and bugs make me cry…

87 Holly 05.07.08 at 2:48 am

Yuck. Step on it.

[Hell yeah, kill it! Killing solves everything! - Ed.]

88 Kris 05.07.08 at 5:47 am

Awww, I always love these guys. I’ve never been stung by one, and I’ve picked up and petted plenty of ‘em. We have them in California, but they don’t have a brown stripe in the middle like the woolybear that you all linked to, they’re all black like the one in the clip.

89 peep 05.07.08 at 4:45 pm

STEP ON IT?
WUT?!

No way.
It needs to be moved to a leafy happy place where it can nom all day on fresh crunchy goodness.

No SQUISH. NO.

90 Aaron 05.08.08 at 7:24 am

We caught one of these and put it in a terrarium we had in our house. It escaped. And I stepped on it twice. I failed to see it both times because we have a very dark burgundy rug. The sensation of the sting is like stepping on a hot coal that sticks to your foot. Not very fun.

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