Hot Wires

UNDERGROUND IN CYBERSPACE

"Flat Eric, nut chi e?" asks an Italian fan site (spazionet.it /ericflat) for the fuzzy yellow puppet that has taken Europe by storm. The brainchild of 26-year-old Quentin Dupieux (or, in his technoartist incarnation, "Mr. Oizo"), Elat Eric is the poster boy for Levi's Sta-Prest jeans. You won't find him on the Uber-chic European Levi's site (eu.levi.com worth a visit anyway for its slick, state-of-the-art graphics), but he has countless fan sites. (Try the German 209.201.89.223/home /flateric/videos.shtml.) The concept is minimalist Flat Eric and his human sidekick, Angel, cruise around L.A. in a beat-up Chevy, bopping to techno— but the appeal seems universal, inspiring academic criticism in 77te Guardian (newsunlimited.co.uk/eric/0,2759,38655.00.html) and, like every great cultural movement, his own backlash site (Urban75.com /Punch/flateric.html) Elmo, beware. —ANNE FULENWIDER