The Baku is a creature from Japanese folklore that eats nightmares! It is summoned after a nightmare by saying "Baku, devour my dream! Baku, devour my dream! Baku, devour my dream!" They are said to have the trunk of an elephant, the body of a bear and the paws of a tiger. Baku are a sacred animal, carved onto temples and painted onto folding screens to protect humans from illness and evil.

I keep a small wooden carving of a Baku by my bed but after weeks of nightmares, I decided maybe he needed help. I had also recently become fascinated with the very charming Flamboyant Cuttlefish so I combined the two into this odd, tentacled version. The original sculpture was sculpted in Monster Clay, many hours went into working out the design as I sculpted, this guy really fought me! My Baku sits relaxed on one leg based on the pose of my friend's adorable bulldogs.

This piece is 8" tall and cast in urethane. It has been painted with an eye popping color shift on his back, it shifts from orange to red to green depending on the light.

It has been embellished with spots of heat sensitive paint that will change color when you touch it or in ambient temperatures between 60F and 90F. The spots are mostly on the head with a few scatters on the back and a ridge of color change on the ears.

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