Halloween: Not Just For Humans (Rewind!)
Editor’s note: this piece is an oldie, but a goodie. In honor of Halloween, we are rerunning it. Enjoy…
Halloween, as I’m sure most of you are well aware, is just around the corner, which means that the procrastinators amongst us are scrambling to piece together creative and original costumes whatever is handy.
(Need some last-minute inspiration? Check out the 3rd 4th annual FIC Halloween Costume Guide, complete with three seven new entries for 2008 2009!)
For truly motivated individuals, however, it is not enough to simply mask their own appearance. No, they must also doll up their…pets.
Having conducted extensive research on this subject examined hundreds of pet portraits online, I can safely say that animal costumes tend to fall into one of three basic categorical subsets.
1. The Human Touch
Some folks would have us believe that their pets are people too, with emotions just like you and I. Take these sample images below, all of which feature animals garbed in professional attire, which by extension, imbues them with human qualities (a phenomenon social scientists commonly refer to as anthropomorphism). I’m of the opinion that the first subject is the most disturbing and visually amiss, if only because the fake arms lend the impression that the dog is actually walking upright on his hind legs (that smile seals the deal, too).
As for the French Maid ensemble in the third pic, well, that boarders on animal cruelty. Whomever orchestrated this production is likely just projecting his or her sexual fantasies onto their dog, for the world to see. Creepy…
2. Pets Disguised as Other Animals
This might be the most popular approach; it is certainly the cutest, guaranteed to elicit favorable responses from friends, family, neighbors and potential dates. Note that the lobster-and-chef duo in the third frame successfully incorporates both of the aforementioned archetypes.
3. Culture Cats
Some pet owners take their cues from pop culture, T.V. programs and movies, both mainstream and esoteric. While this is not the most original approach, it can pay comedic dividends nonetheless. As you’ll see below, Star Wars and other nerdy fare is popular source material; personally, I would have liked to see a four-legged Chew-Bark-a somewhere in the mix (I just kill me sometimes…).
Naturally enough, I’m interested in hearing what the readers have to say about this subject. Please direct first-hand stories and relevant pictures to the email address below…
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Rocket-powered and nailed (firmly) to the ground: travis@founditemclothing.com.
