Squeek Toy Destiny

My name is Sean Netherlain (seangriffincreates.com), I am the creator of the character ‘Spooky McGee’.

All of this began in the summer of 2003. I was 16 years old at the time. It was your average summer day, hanging out with friends headed towards Tower Records. Except for this day I would walk out with a life changing piece in the shape of a squeak toy.

A year prior I was introduced to Jhonen Vasquez’s "JTHM" and "Squee" series. My obsession was immediate. I delved further into "I Feel Sick", "Filler Bunny", and honestly later on, "Invader Zim" — special shout out to Roman Dirge as well.

So when I walked in and saw on the shelf "Spooky the Thing What Squeeks" — I had to have it. But something was different. It was like I knew there was something on that shelf just for me. Usually I’d browse CDs, movies, and definitely posters too. But that day, I needed to go to that shelf.

And I just had enough cash in my pocket for it.

Later that day I was in my buddy’s room as they all played games. I was stuck staring at it. Spooky. I liked that name. But even more concerning was — why did I feel like I was holding a piece of myself? This thing was… me? It reminded me of me. It was just a squeak toy from the I Feel Sick comic. But it was me?

"Spooky, I’m going to call myself Spooky," I thought. But I also needed a last name. I looked over to my friend’s computer desk. Back in those days video games came in these cool boxes covered in the game’s artwork. And there was a game I was equally becoming obsessed with — American McGee’s Alice. "McGee…" I recall taking a moment to reflect on it. "Spooky… McGee… I’m going to call myself Spooky McGee."

Fitting The Top Hat

By the fall, my friend would introduce me to a website for the art community at large — DeviantArt.com. For the record, DeviantArt today and DeviantArt then are two entirely different beasts. I needed a name and it was the perfect spot for SpookyMcGee to arrive.

My first submission and earliest drawing of the character Spooky McGee, then known as Sp1k3r 0M3GA (because I was into the movie ‘Hackers’):
First Submission to DA

Over the next couple of years I would design the look, ideas — everything regarding Spooky. A collection of my hideous drawings can be seen here:
Mini Collage Scrap Book Thingy

But it wasn’t until 2005 that I began adding this character into my writings. I’m not going to share those here because they’re too awful — but they’re out there.

This name, this character, began to mean something to me. He was alive. He was an idea. He was a dream. He was everything I wished I could be. But at the core of it all, he was — and is — my heart. Even at times when I rejected the name, I always went back to it.

As I grew up, the name became a local legend for a while. I recall being introduced to people and them freaking out: “Oh man! You’re Spooky?! I’ve heard so many stories about you! You’re a legend.” I honestly couldn’t tell you what those stories entailed — but it was a thing.

As I fell in love and retreated into relationships, the name faded from local lore. But I kept it. Used it for as much as I could. Over time, others have used it, created songs, wrote comics. But for me, the original goes all the way back to 2003.

Death Forever

Ravens Immortal.

20 years after the creation, feeling like I should give up the name, lost on life, heartbreak and regrets, I found myself sitting in a pew at church. I went in earlier than usual. Praying in my head, screaming my thoughts about heartbreak and time lost.

And I swear, I heard this somewhere inside — “Oh you don’t think I can't use your story… to tell a story?”

Next thing I knew I had visions of dark clouds, ocean waves like ink, burnt sand, a man with black eyes. Then a vision of being in the second story of a home, looking down at the alleyway below, a man with a top hat walking out. And an ending.

I knew then, I had to write a story and I knew who those characters would be.

April 2024 I would finally get the courage to sit down and write it, with only the beginning and ending in mind, I had to write this tale.

And in that tale I would bring Spooky McGee back to life. Not as a main character, but as a close supporting character — as Spooky has always been in my own life.

Now, he’s alive. Full of personality. Given a family — Star, his daughter. Nona, his wife. Both based off real close friends, and with their full permission to use them.

Honoring not just the character I created — now honoring the friends who helped me along the way, and who fully supported this idea since.

In this book, I prove just how important — and how much I love — this character.