One of the Exploding Whale’s biggest proponents strikes again!  Bob Welch , a columnist for the  Register-Guard (Eugene, OR), profiles Walter Umenhofer, the gentleman whose brand new Oldsmobile 88 was crushed by a 300-pound piece of dead whale sent skyward when the Oregon Highway Division detonated 20 cases of dynamite underneath a rotting whale carcass (see  video ). Mr. Umenhofer, now 75, has long been one of the most intriguing, if reluctant, characters in the saga of the Exploding Whale. He has largely avoided interviews and little is known about his opinion of the incident. “It’s funny,” [Umenhofer] says. “That was one big piece of blubber. It hit so hard that it bent my roof down and pushed the back of the seats to the floor.” Unfortunately, Bob’s interview, which is part of his “Where Are They Now?” series, is pretty brief. Walter does share one humorous tidbit: when he purchased his brand new Olds, the car dealer was using the motto, “Come to us for a whale of a deal.” Here’s a

  Oregon’s Exploding Whale continues to inspire creative types. Last year, the Exploding Whale was the subject of a   successful one-man show   and a   WikiWorld comic strip . And now   Abdul Hameed Gamiet   has released an animated retelling of the well-known incident. Gamiet used the audio track from the   the original video   and then created his own “reinterpreted” visuals. While the new visuals are occasionally humorous (if not reminiscent of  The Simpsons !), Gamiet’s decision to use the original newsreel’s audio track was a wise one. You just can’t beat Linnman’s deadpan delivery. The combination is an entertaining remake of an unrivaled classic.