You won't find it on a map, in an atlas or by car. In fact, Intimidnation isn't a nation at all! It's a collection of handmade plush, paintings and illustrations brought to life by the heart and mind of Chicago artist, Laura Granlund. Born and raised in Western Mass, Granlund spent her formative years teaching stuffed animals to talk and playing in the woods behind her house. It comes as no surprise that the lead character of the Intimidnation cast is a bearded, gnome – monkey by the name of Mr. Beardsley.

Mr. Beardsley is a handmade plush that resembles a monkey and wears a removable bearded disguise. There is not just one Mr. Beardsley, there is a whole family of cuddly creatures, each unique in their own way. Each plush primate comes in a variety of sizes, disguises and personalities.

Granlund's creations have previously appeared in exhibits such as: Plush You! (Seattle), Crammed Organisms (St. Louis), Plushform (Chicago), Giant Skills (Ft. Lauderdale), Plush! (New Haven) and Welcome to Dollywood (LA). You may have also seen her work crawling around the pages of such notable books and magazines as: Pitchfork, MF Magazine, Fiber Arts, Venus, Plush You! and Crammed Organisms. Noted individuals with custom plush designed in their likeness include: Conan O'Brien, The Thermals, Billy Corgan, Dinosaur Jr. and Bill Murray's character, Steve Zissou from Life Aquatic.

Granlund continues to partipate in art shows, craft fairs and maintains her online shop of handmade goods. She hopes to publish a childrens book so that she can tell the real story of Mr. Beardsley and all of his woodland friends.

Intimidnation creations are available in select stores or directly from the website: Intimidnation.com