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Cuddling the Universe: The Joy of Derpy

Cuddling the Universe: The Joy of Derpy

Last updated on: March 31, 2026 at 6:21 am by Laura Tempest Zakroff

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Cuddling the Universe: The Joy of Derpy 2026-03-31T06:21:09-08:00 Laura Tempest Zakroff

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I’ve never been one of those folks who excels at being a fan. Be it a sports team, shows, actors, bands – sure I like things and can get excited about stuff and genres but when it comes to specific characters, fandoms, franchises, brands, etc – I can’t say I’ve ever gotten obsessed to be truly be a fanatic.

And mind you, this isn’t a judgment on other folks who go deep – I think that’s wonderful. It’s just not me and I’ve just always been this way. Not news about the weird kid really.

That’s why when I found myself considering the logistics of turning Tiny Blue Car (my beloved vehicle) into an art car homage to Derpy – the blue tiger character in Kpop Demon Hunters, I knew something was up. I was in trouble.

Wait, what??

I realize at this point that you as a reader are going to fall into one of two categories:

Kpop Demon Hunters? Isn’t that a kid’s movie/WTF is that? Excuse me, what?– OR –
OMG YES!

(If you’re at #1, please go watch the movie then come back. Trust me.)

When I was at Between The Worlds/Sacred Space Conference back in late February, pretty much every conversation where KDH came up, folks either had no idea what we were talking about, or they were fully on board. I feel it’s my duty to help the folks in the first category out.

As an artist, I really enjoy animated movies that are beautiful with good stories. It doesn’t matter what age group they’re for, I’ll check them out. In fact, considering how much influence a movie can have over young people – and as someone who doesn’t have children, I believe it’s important to know what’s out there. Some favorites include films by Studio Ghibli (Spirited Away, Kiki’s Delivery Service, Howl’s Moving Castle, etc), Song of the Sea, Flow, and I even enjoyed Encanto. I watched The Last Unicorn on repeat as a young child, so that probably explains a lot about me as well.

My partner and I watched Kpop Demon Hunters for the first time late last summer. We had both happened to have seen these animated gifs of a blue tiger knocking over a flower pot separately earlier in the day, and that night said to each other, “so I think we need to watch this movie.” So we did, and had our minds blown. I think my exact words were, “that had no business being as awesome as it was, and WOW.” I shortly discovered the soundtrack online, and pretty soon we had a serious case of KDH earworms. (Still do in fact!)

A Movie For Our Times

What is the movie about? Wikipedia sums it up that the story “follows a K-pop girl group, Huntrix, who lead double lives as demon hunters. They face off against a rival boy band, the Saja Boys, whose members are secretly demons.”

But it’s so much more than that. It’s about humanity’s struggle with the darkest parts of ourselves and our society, about honoring who we are creatively and authentically, the intricacies of communication and relationships, and especially the power to overcome evil when we come together. Through the power of song – and communal ritual.

The music is just top notch. You thought Encanto was catchy? (I sure did!) It barely holds a candle to the powerful, poignant, and well-crafted songs that are in this movie. Even the fun ones. Sorry Bruno, make room for Jinu!

Not only that, but KDH is steeped in Korean folklore and art history. There’s so much magic and symbolism worked into this movie, it’s breathtaking. If you appreciate art history and culture, then you’re going to want to check out this very informative video.

But Derpy??

Max as Derpy

Their names are never mentioned in the film, but the blue tiger’s name is Derpy and the multi-eyed magpie is Sussie. There’s a lot of art/cultural history here to dive into as well. There’s a whole series of historical paintings depicting goofy looking tigers surrounded by cunning magpies. The lore is that the tigers reference the royalty/elite and the magpies are the common people. So these paintings were a way to make fun of the upper class, especially rich leaders who were more roar than wisdom.

So there’s a commentary there that feels very appropriate for our times if you catch my drift.

Another historian notes that Korean had a huge tiger population for a long time, so the silly depictions of tigers could be a way to take some fear out of their presence. But I tend to think they lean more towards political and social play.

In the movie, these two also play the role of underworld supporters and messengers – basically a kind of psychopomp. Considering some of the deities and spirits I work with, that immediately resonated with me. Also, our cat Max needed little photoshopping to look like Derpy.

Watching their interactions, you can tell that Sussie is definitely the brains of this pair, but Derpy has a lot of heart. Derpy tries to do the right thing, despite how big and scary they may seem to be. And Sussy may roll their eyes, but they are also patient with Derpy. They’re also pretty neutral in all of this, doing their jobs and working between the worlds.

In a way, I feel like Derpy is a good metaphor for the universe as it is big, scary, and often surprises us – but the universe is trying to communicate with us as well and help us along the way.

Derpy for Our Times

Count the derpys…I don’t have a problem. In fact, there’s a lot more than this.

I think that’s why I’ve become a bit obsessed with this silly blue tiger. Times are scary and it feels like we’re in a constant battle between good and evil, compassion and kindness vs hate and selfishness, wisdom vs ignorance.

And this goofy blue tiger and magpie feel like a hug from the universe. That yeah, shit is scary, but you have to find joy too. It also helps to listen, to be compassionate, to acknowledge when you make a mess and try to do better, to be patient with others, and be there for them.

Sure, Kpop Demon Hunters is an animated movie with some banging music and a storyline for our times. But there’s even more magic underneath all of that I think we can all benefit from.

I am currently threatening to do a Kpop Demon Hunters inspired ritual at an upcoming event. I am only partly kidding.

If you come, please bring your tiny hats and some big hearts.

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