H.P. Lovecraft’s mythos, the product of a fertile imagination, profound depression, and mounting paranoia, have taken many forms in popular American culture since the 1920s, most notably since the 1980s, when an entirely new audience emerged for the reprinted Arkham House titles. Lovecraft’s wildly overwritten but intoxicating tales are ideal for the Goth mindset, and they kept me up reading through the night when I was a teenager, listening for the rats in the walls.

For those unfamiliar with Cthulhu and the other Lovecraftian Mythos, here is a primer, courtesy of Wikipedia. It is an admirable little introduction.

Cthulhu is a fictional cosmic entity created by horror author H. P. Lovecraft in 1926, first appearing in the short story “The Call of Cthulhu” when it was published in Weird Tales in 1928.

Cthulhu is one of the central Great Old Ones of the Lovecraft Mythos. It is often cited for the extreme descriptions given of its hideous appearance, its gargantuan size, and the abject terror that it evokes. Cthulhu is often referred to in science fiction and fantasy circles as a tongue-in-cheek shorthand for extreme horror or evil.

After its first appearance in “The Call of Cthulhu,” Cthulhu makes a few minor appearances in other of Lovecraft’s works. August Derleth, a correspondent of Lovecraft’s, used the creature’s name to identify the system of lore employed by Lovecraft and his literary successors, the Cthulhu Mythos.

So let’s have a look at a few instances of the big betentacled guy to appear recently, starting with the most intriguing, a line of Lovecraftian perfumes. A sample of one of the many alluring scents:

AZATHOTH: The Daemon Sultan, Seething Nuclear Chaos

. . . that last amorphous blight of nethermost confusion which blasphemes and bubbles at the centre of all infinity: the boundless daemon-sultan Azathoth, whose name no lips dare speak aloud, and who gnaws hungrily in inconceivable, unlighted chambers beyond time amidst the muffled, maddening beating of vile drums and the thin, monotonous whine of accursed flutes; to which detestable pounding and piping dance slowly, awkwardly, and absurdly the gigantic ultimate gods, the blind, voiceless, tenebrous, mindless Other Gods whose soul and messenger is the crawling chaos Nyarlathotep. Azathoth is the blind, idiot god who sits on a black throne at the center of Chaos. His scent is high-pitched and screeching, both impenetrably dark and searingly bright with the clarity of madness: tangerine, saffron, vetiver, black amber and cedarwood.

Next, we have a leather Cthulhu doll for your tikes.

This one is a little less S&M, and suitable for bed.

Here’s the cuddliest of all.

Here is a larger Cthulhu plush doll.

And this is a fun plush doll with grip-action to pick up those Miskatonic professors and antiquarians who delve into the dark, maddening secrets of unknowable ancient evil.

To put things in perspective, this is how big Cthulhu is when he wakes from his ancient slumber in the South Pacific. Note size of ship about to be devoured.

The composer Trevor Christian Bjorklund wrote a piece for flute and detuned harpsichord titled “The Why of Azathoth.” You can listen to it by clicking here or visit his site here. The music of Trevor Bjorklund has been performed in the United States, Germany, Korea, The Czech Republic, Italy, Switzerland, France, and The Netherlands, and at major festivals including June in Buffalo and the Darmstadt Ferienkurse. His music has been played by internationally renowned groups and artists including the Arditti Quartet and Valerio Fasoli, and has been conducted by James Avery, Manfred Scheier, Christian Hommel, and Christian Baldini.

Halloween is right around the corner. How about this baby costume?

Here are some more musical interpretations of the tales from AKLO.

And then there is this wonderful Family Circus parody.

And another.

Here’s another fun comic, lampooning the title of Lovecraft’s most famous story, “The Call of Cthulhu”.

The kids from Scooby-Doo stumble into the Lovecraft universe . . .

How about a Cthulhu lego set?

And of course Mr. Cthulhu has been directed toward political ends, as satire.

Here’s a patriotic one, recruiting for the Elder Gods that Fell from the Stars at the Beginning of Time. Doesn’t it make you want to volunteer?

And another one that demands the abolition of time itself as puny humans understand it.

Watch out, Hello Kitty! That’s Hello Cthulhu!

How about a Motivational Workplace Poster? Try spell checking an ancient spell from the Necronomicon!

Sweetie, tell Cthulhu what you want him to do with your eternal soul.

And the Nanny State has gone so far as to caution us against the ancient writhing horrors that we should be teaching our kids about.

And for your birthday? A Cthulhu cake, of course. Yummy. I’ll take a 200-yard-long-tentacle, please.

I’m sure there are many more fun pop cultural appearances of the Elder Gods. Please send them in!

Think you know a lot about Lovecraft? Watch her!

Of course, Metallica penned a classic heavy metal instrumental called “Call of Cthulhu,” the last track on their legendary Ride the Lightning album. Here is a fan tribute with Lovecraftian imagery.

A short animated Lovecraft dream sequence.

“Tales of the Uncanny”: H. P. Lovecraft 1933 WPA Newsreel Interview