What is
a squid?
Squids are invertebrates, meaning they have no
backbone, and they are also mollusks, meaning they have shells. The
squid has adapted to having its shell on the inside of its body. A
squid has a cigar-shaped body with two fins on either side that keep
the squid balanced and aid in swimming. Squids range in size from 8
inches (20 centimeters) to 56 feet (17 meters) and weigh up to three
tons. Squids have 10 arms, two of which are tentacles with flattened
ends covered with suckers. Like all cephalopods, squids have
well-defined eyes.
Cut the crap. Who are YOU?
Although invertebrates, we are paradoxically
the backbone of the YPMB. And although not musically inclined, we
are paradoxically full members of the marching band. Saxes.
Trumpets. Sousaphones. Flutes. Even KBB. Not everyone feels the need
to put objects in their mouth. Some of us just feel the need to. . .
BUILD. PAINT. DANCE. BURN. DUCT. ACT. FLY. SNIFF PAINT FUMES.
Thus, the squid section is the YPMB's
miscellaneous minuteman utility interpretive bigger-is-better
division. And we're the only such section in the Ivy League - nay,
the United States - nay, the world. Not necessarily
musically-talented - okay, not nessarily talented at all, we squids
add flair and punch to each show. Whether we grove in formation or
carry our masterpiece props of cardboard, duct tape, and paint,
we're the visually interesting additions to the band. We are - or,
at least, we create - eye candy (See Figure
1: Squid Love).
Mmmmm. . . eye candy. Tell me more of this.
. . eye candy. . .
Although we made kick-ass props, co-ordinate
mighty mighty explosions, and shake it at every football game, we
always save some of our strength for the climactic finale - the
Yale-hahvahd game. While most every other prop we make is two-dimensional,
The Game calls for three-dimensional splendor in the form of the
Überprop.
Past Überprops (Pictures available below)
| 2010 Dmitri - a sprakling blue toruk (the species of dragon from the movie Avatar), who, with the Squiddeities on his back, drove the Cantabots away from our blue planet. |
| 2009 Shield of Yaleonidas - a mosaic of 64 small shields that, when combined, displayed a giant Yale crest, then flipped over to read "Yale Will Win." |
| 2008 Woody - a large missile designed to break through the "Berlin Wall" (2008 Ünterprop). |
| 2007 Bessie - a Salovey-o-saurus large enough to comfortably contain ten people, complete with lots of fearsome spikes, a moving head, and a chomping jaw. Terrordactyls stood no chance. |
| 2006 Peggy - a huge pegasus
with a 40-foot wingspan and steam coming out of its nose which
helped defeat hahvahd's puny many-headed Hydra. |
| 2005 WWI Battle - a massive
tank with turret, treads, and 15-foot-long cannon which shot
down the hahvahd weather balloon, and a fleet of biplanes which
ended the reign of the Crimson Baron. |
| 2004 Alain! - the
giant dodecapus (that means "twelve legged sea monster")
that ravaged the H.M.S. Compensation (2004's Ünterprop). |
| 2003 The Spider - with eight huge independently moving legs,
working mandibles, and a thirty yard wide web, this uberprop
was downright scary. |
| 2002 The Snake - black-bodied cobra with silver Y stripes. At
105' total, the largest uberprop ever! |
| 2001 Peaches the Dragon, a ginormous fire-and-smoke breathing blue dragon. |
| 2000 The Pirate Ship - the
"Booty Hunter" - two-stories tall, thirty-five
feet long, with real cannon fire, and immense Yale sails;
the show also featured the classic Grollman-Belinkie catapult |
| 1999 The Train - forty
feet of true blue train, with Nathan Hale riding atop and
smoke pouring out |
| 1998 The Tank - with real working gun turret |
| 1997 to us, Nessie (the Loch
Ness monster) - to you, an UMA (unidentified marine animal) |
| 1996 The Shark - with a
fin that stalked predatorily through the crowd |
Sounds fun. How do I get in on this
action?
E-mail Squideity Rashida to become one of the
cool people. (See Figure 2: "Welcome!"). |
