About two years ago, I began working at Psyon Games, a Finnish startup company making waves with its promise of games that could make a real difference in global healthcare and biology education. The product to do this was a bleeding edge combination of technology, psychology and biology in the form of Antidote, a casual strategy game where you defend the stem cell from bacteria and viruses.
When I saw the concept, a dream was immediately born: finally, an opportunity to order the production of a human sized cholera bacteria costume. This week, the hottest May on record in Finland since records began, the dream came true.
On a sunny day, the 16th of month, our budget rental van rounded the corner of an apartment block in an unsupposing suburb of fair Jyväskylä, our eyes fell upon a sight most beautiful. It’s glossy gym-ball sized eye reflecting then blazing sun, Ollie cholera sat nestled on the grass, jiggling gently with its flickering tongue.
This wonder was a gift that just kept giving. Without any warning, Ollie rose in an undignified squelching motion and walked toward me. The dream had come true: cholera was cuddleable.
With some difficulty, we assisted the hulking antihero in through the back doors of our van, and secured it inside. A tight fit, but we made it. The journey to SciFest 2018 would be Ollie’s maiden voyage.
If you want to read more, and witness a glorious video of the suit in action, check out the company blog post here.