Most animals don’t like being dressed up in human clothes, but we love to make them do it anyway –after all, it is absolutely adorable. Of course, some animals love it. My own dog seems to get a little strut in his step when he wears one of his cute little tee shirts –he isn’t a big fan of rain coats though. Of the handful of critters that seem to enjoy playing dress up, an even smaller group has actually enjoyed a relative amount of success from their imitation of human clothing. In honor of National Dress Up Your Pet Day, we at Neatorama celebrate the few, the brave, the clothed.
Sugar Bush Squirrel
While most pets who agree to wear costumes tend to be dogs, the animals that have become best known for their clothing antics are a variety of species. One of the best known costumed animals is Sugar Bush Squirrel, whose owner, Kelly Foxton, started making her tiny little outfits and photographing her in wonderfully elaborate settings. Foxton soon started adding the images to a website, where Sugar Bush developed a huge cult following. Since then, the little critter was featured in a number of advertisements and has been the subject of a documentary. Sugar Bush even holds the unofficial title of World’s Most Photographed Squirrel --someone call Guinness quick! Source Sugar Bush Squirrel Website, Sugar Bush Squirrel The Movie Image Via Sugar Bush website.
Keyboard Cat
Of course, some animals are costumed out of necessity. If it weren’t for Keyboard Cat’s stylish garb, you would be able to see his owner’s hands manipulating him to play the piano. It’s just not the same getting “played off” by a Keyboard Cat who doesn’t appear to be doing the work himself. There are over 4,000 videos of Keyboard Cat playing someone off these days, but the original was done by Brad O'Farrell who actually got permission from the film’s original owners for both his clip and anyone who followed in his remashing footsteps. It should be noted that this meme, which exploded last year was actually filmed back in 1984. Since then, “Fatso,” as he was known by his close family, has passed. Let’s pay our respects to this beloved kitty icon by enjoying Keyboard Cat play off a Glen Beck guest as he passes out. A moment of silence while you watch, please.
Source Wikipedia
Pankun
Pankun is another star of internet videos you may recognize. He is the Japanese chimp often paired up with a bulldog named James and then asked to do simple human tasks. Best of all, Pankun is usually dressed in human clothing while he does sit ups, buys birthday cakes and rides Segways. In some ways, he's the Japanese, reality-television version of the old Lancelot Link show. He now lives in a Japanese zoo called Cuddly Dominion, where he and James put on live acts. His current show casts him as an astronaut that has landed on the planet Inusaru. Here's an old Pankun clip where the chimp gets a birthday cake, which is stolen by a hawk. Fortunately, he recovers the cake and brings it home in time for his party, where a good time is had by all.
Source Wikipedia, Cuddly Dominion
Station Master Tama
Speaking of Japanese animal celebrities, frequent Neatorama readers are also sure to remember Tama the Station Cat. Tama’s story started when the Wakayama Electric Railway decided to unman all of their stations and hire only one person at each stop to serve as the station master. At Kishi station, a neighborhood grocer named Toshiko Koyama was named as the station master. Koyama had adopted a number of stray cats, feeding them at the station. In 2007, the company opted to name one of the strays, Tama, as the official station master. In lieu of pay, Tama has been rewarded with free cat food, and a cool hat. Tama’s success actually helped increased traffic to the area and brought 1.1 billion Yen to the local economy. As a result, the company promoted her to “super station manager,” and she is now the only female manager in the company. She now has two feline assistant station masters at her disposal. As an extra honor, the governor of Wakayama has provided her with a medallion representing her honorary knighthood. Source Wikipedia, Japan Probe Image Via Wikipedia user Takobou
Mr. Winkle
I wrote about Mr. Winkle before in the famous shelter dogs article. He is a unique mix that looks somewhat teddy bearish. While he started out on the streets, his adopted owner, magazine photographer Lara Jo Regan, has given him everything a pup could ever dream of, including his own internet site and web television show. Mr. Winkle’s been featured on Sex and The City and a number of news programs. As for his costume work, there’s plenty of dress up photos available on his site. You can even buy books and calendars of his pin up works. Source Mr. Winkle Website, Wikipedia Image Via Mr. Winkle's site.
Oscar
Oscar is the one animal on this list that is known for being totally naked. While she may look cute dancing and singing, her hard life makes her an inspirational tale of overcoming hardships. In her early years, Oscar actually was rescued from a crack house by police officers. After suffering from both a beak and feather disease, she completely lost all of her feathers, even after she was nursed back to health by the Humane Society. At the time, vets gave her only six months to live --over 13 years ago. Since then, Oscar was adopted by Cherie Wachter, who takes great care of her and has been known to post naked videos of the little bird all over the internet. Oscar’s feathers may never grow back, but her brave spirit has never dwindled. Source DListed, Huffington Post Image by Barry Bland via The Sun. Well readers, now it’s your turn. Any of you know any famous dressed up animals not mentioned here or care to share some of your favorite costumed pet pics?
