Fund This: Bringing Bi-Curious George to the Masses

Author Andrew Simonian is raising money to bring his monkey to a larger audience. Literally.

Simonian's book, Bi-Curious George -- a parody of the classic children's character -- sold out its first printing, and now he is looking to fund a second run through Kickstarter to show that there is still interest in the book and its message.

The story's style is reminiscent of the original character's exploits, down to the water color, tone and structure. But it follows a very different "curious" journey, one not suitable for children.

Along with a second wave of publishing, Simonian is also looking to fund the conversion of the book and characters for merchandise including hats, mugs, shirts and pins -- rewards for donations include a number of these products. Other rewards include signed books, chats or even dinner with the author.

Simonian says that the books humorous take is the "best way to simply get people talking about an important message like this." Proven by the book's popularity during its first publishing round about a year ago. "It's really just a chance to have some fun, tell a story and not hit anybody over the head with a heavy message," he said.