Milk: What's that logo, anyway?

The Short Answer

It's a stylized milk carton, with a picture of Kokopelli on it.

The Long Answer

It's a stylized milk carton, with a picture of Kokopelli on it. I think the milk carton/"Milk" connection is pretty obvious, but what about Kokopelli? Well, in fact Milk stands for "My Ittybitty Little Kokopelli." There you have it.

So, who or what is this Kokopelli character?

Kokopelli is a figure from Native American mythology (mainly from the southwest United States area). He's known as "the hunchback flute player" and also as a general trickster. He's a god of abundance. Apparently there was a historical Kokopelli who traded grain seed for, uh, abundance, if you know what I mean. Suffice it to say that, if the legend is to believed, wherever Kokopelli went, he left behind him a trail of fertile fields and pregnant women.

Why do you like Kokopelli so much? "Bornstein" isn't exactly the name for a Nice Native American Boy!

I'm a big fan of nifty abstract drawings, and the traditional Kokopelli-shape fits the bill in that department. I also think the historical Kokopelli had quite the scam going. What's more, my brother and (now ex-) sister-in-law gave me a little wooden box with Kokopelli for my birthday a number of years ago. So, I'm into it.

Ok, enough with Kokopelli. What's with you and milk?

I like chocolate milk. I like coffee milk (it's a Rhode Island thing). I like these things called "Italian Creams" that some cafes make. I like things that have condensed milk in them or that are made entirely from condensed milk (i.e., dulce de leche). (As my friend Gordie says) I'm Milk Boy, so how could I not have a site name that mentioned it at least obliquely? Ergo, milk.com.

Ah, now I understand, but what does the logo mean?

For a while one of the places where one would see "missing children reports" was on milk cartons, the theory being that this was an easy way to reach lots of people and it was a good cause, etc. (I haven't seen this in a while, but perhaps some milk cartons still have them. Whatever.) So, the obvious conclusion is that Kokopelli is missing. The FBI, or maybe his parents, will surely reward you if you have information leading to his safe return.

(Thanks to my friend Ken for suggesting the meaning.)

By the way, these are some things that the logo isn't.