 |
| Thom Shouse and the ladies of FinFolk mermaid tails! |
I could tell you how he changed my life, how much I look up to
him and how much I respect him for not only being a great tail maker but for
being a father figure to me. But it’s
not about me or about the accomplishments Thom has made. It’s about Thom, a man
who has touched the lives of so many, without ever knowing their names or
faces.
At the beginning of this month Thom, Myself and my Landsman
traveled to North Carolina for the first ever NC Mermaid Festival. It was an
amazing event with the most amazing group of Merfolk to ever gather in one
place! I got to see all the people who have admired Thom from afar, the people
who were too scared or nervous to speak with, and the people who cried from joy
when they got a chance to hug Thom and tell him their stories. That is what
this blog about; it’s about Thom and the people who love him and I’m going to
let them tell you their stories!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
<3, ☮
, & ><((((º>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"I met a gentleman named Thom Shouse at the NC Merfest
gathering a couple of weeks ago. As someone who has some issues with movement,
I use a walking stick to help me get around. Thom has a beautiful walking stick
of his own, with a swimming mermaid for the handle. We discussed the trials and
tribulations of being 'stick-walkers', and became friends. One of his many
gifts is that he also gives some of the world's best hugs, and he is very
willing to share! He tells wonderful stories, and is just so genuinely nice and
caring (and he has a great twinkle in his eye!). I am so happy I got to meet
him and I look forward to seeing him again someday!” ~ Susan Gardner
 |
| The California Merfolk with Thom! |
"Thom Shouse, you're an amazing and wonderful man. I
feel so blessed to have met you! Your work has broken down a wall between
dreams and reality for so many people, and I sincerely hope you feel the love
of everyone around you. Thank you also, for making me brave enough to haul my
tail onto the plane with me as a carry-on lol.... and for hugging me when I
tried to shake your hand. “~ Lotus the Mermaid ~ Nicole Colchiski"
“Thom is an
approachable person who is warm, charismatic, and caring. Considering that he
created the original tail from Splash and is a mermaid icon, I was happily
surprised at what an unpretentious person he was. He could have been arrogant
and snooty, but he wasn't at all. He
invited my husband and I to hang out with him in his hotel room during MerFest.
I don't remember much of what we talked about, (I was just excited and honored
to have this time) but I do remember feeling joyful in his presence. He was so
encouraging about my mermaiding, and I felt that I could let my hair down,
makeup off, and be myself around him without him judging me. During our special visit, he invited us to
his home and offered for me to try on his tails! He is so open and sweet like
that! I never got to have a grandfather, but if I did, I would have wanted Thom
to be him. He truly cares for all of us merpeople as if he were a grandfather.
Since Merfest, he has sent me encouraging messages, and has taken the time to
communicate with many of us.” ~Bonnie Lavender
 |
| Thom and Rania the Halifax mermaid |
“I'd like to say, this is a highlight of my mermaid career.
For those who don't know, this is Thom Shouse the tail man. He basically is the
first to make realistic commercial tails. You have seen his work in many famous
images, movies, TV shows, and commercials. Many celebs and even Olympians have
worn his tails. He has a heart of gold, and truly loves people. I became his
friend, and he read my book in a night. That's the highest compliment ever to
me. Mermaid Rentals is his FB page.”
~Rania the Halifax Mermaid
“Hi, just wanted to say that in my amazing Journey in becoming a Mermaid I had the honor of meeting Thom Shouse! How awesome such a down to earth person, wish i had more time to have spoken with him and look he even in boxed me! How cool is that! Hope to meet up again on our next NCMerfest event .” ~Cookie Ramirez
 |
| Mer-Prince JV & Thom |
 |
| Thom, guest, and Mermaid Veronica |
“During my trip to the NC MerFest in the beginning of
January 2014, I had the most wonderful blessing of getting to spend some time
with one of the most kind and loving souls I've ever had the privilege to meet,
Thom Shouse. I was lucky enough to end up sitting right behind him on our bus
trip to the aquarium, and to share his company for both lunch and dinner that
day, so my husband and I got to chat with him quite a bit!
Thom loves to share his passion for mermaids and the
mer-community, as well as lots of stories from his many adventures it the
special effects industry. He's also a very loving listener willing to share
advice on mer-tail making, friendship and life overall. Spending even just a
little time with this sweet soul will have you sharing tears of joy and the
most wonderful bear hugs you've ever had. Thank you, Thom, for letting me into the wonderful world of
your water-filled heart! The touching connection you shared with us, made the
water spill out of every one's eyes! “ ~ Veronica Grace Serendipity Shimmy Fins
"I am so thrilled to have met Thom Shouse. It isn’t every day
you get to know a person who is just as kind as he is talented, caring and
generous. I mean his list of credits and notable celebs are to the moon and I
will spare listing them because I am sure they were just as happy as I was at
those times to share experiences, continued lifelong learning and talent and
techniques beyond creativity and imagination. It takes a lot to touch the
hearts of so many of the young and older as myself. I am grateful to be a friend of Thom’s .....
Joy, hope, peace and the most important is love ya'll.” ~ The Grand m'ere
Mermaid Connie
'My time with the King...'
by Merman Christian
 |
| Thom and Merman Christian |
The weekend of January 3-5 was one of the best I have ever
experienced, both in general and as one of the few Mermen in the
community. Many tails were to be seen
and heard, but the best were from the MerKing himself, Thom Shouse. All my life I have loved everything about the
ocean, I was the kid that would NOT get out of the tub! I watched the 1984 film SPLASH so many times
my parents had to replace it TWICE.
Daryl Hannah's orange tail stands out among all the others with its
breathtaking style and flowing fins, and this beautiful work of art was created
by Mr. Shouse, who with this design has been my number one inspiration for my
own merman tails. I had the pleasure of
taking a bus trip to the aquarium with him and sat in amazement from all the
great stories he had to tell about SPLASH and it's tv-sequel, Charmed, and so
much more. But it was the experience
beyond the stories is what got to me.
Thom is a true giver with such a heart of gold. There was a brief point
during the weekend when I saw Thom getting off the elevator and looking very
under the weather, and he was more upset about letting everyone down than his
own health. I assured him how much
myself and everyone loved him and that he needed to take care of himself. I gave him a hug and walked him to his
room. Hours later when he was feeling
better he thanked me for that, and that was such a great feeling, not to
mention the night before he said he loved my tail that I had made. When it comes to Thom Shouse one of the best
words to describe him would be ETERNAL.
He is a man with as many gifts just as big as his heart, he has given to
much to the community and to the overall idea of Mermaids, that I know will
live on forever. Thank you Thom for
being a wonderful soul and our true MERKING!
 |
Thom and Allie Causin (Lyrique the Mermaid)
|
"I got the incredible opportunity to sit and have the
most wonderful conversations today with mer-papa, Thom Shouse!! I treasured
every story he shared: He made me laugh, he made me cry (happy tears!!!), and
he is probably one of the most beautiful and magical souls I've
encountered!!" ~ Allie Causin
~~~~~~<3, ☮ ,
& ><((((º>~~~~~~~
And there you have it! A whole community brought together by
one man’s craft and held together by his heart! As friends, family, or Pod it
is the bounds we make, the friendship we gather, and the love we share that
will keep this community a float!
The moral of this story: It’s not about the tails; it’s about
the heart!
Love, Peace, and as Always Mermaids!
Meridian Mer-Gyver
If you would like to catch up with Thom, check out his pages!
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/thom.shouse1?fref=ts
and
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Mermaid-Rentals/373445526043647
Website:http://www.mermaidrentals.com/
Stay connected and be sure to follow Meridian Mer-Gyver
at:
https://www.facebook.com/meridian.mergyver
Twitter:
https://twitter.com/MeridianMerGyve
Blogger:
http://meridianmer-gyver.blogspot.com
great JOB! Meridanmer-Gyer Outstanding, cant wait to see you both again next NCMERFEST
ReplyDelete