Guinea pig hair comb and other taxidermied accessories

Susannah Breslin is a guestblogger on Boing Boing. She is a freelance journalist who blogs at Reverse Cowgirl and is at work on a novel set in the adult movie industry.

GuineaPigHairComb.jpg Nothing says you are at the height of fashion like a dead, taxidermied guinea pig hair comb, I always say. UK-based dead animal designer Reid Peppard has created an entire line of no longer living beastly accessories and jewelry. Among my favorites: the pigeon wings headdress, the mouse and rat's head cuff links, and the jewel-encrusted hissing white rat clutching a silver skull headband. (Via the always awesome Refinery 29 Pipeline)

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And for those who need a unicorn chaser:

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=20937793

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That guinea pig was fairly clearly arrested in the midst of a particularly unpleasant necromantic ritual.


"ALL THAT LIVE SHALL DIE, BY THE ALTAR OF NAERUUL!"

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#3 posted by Anonymous, July 10, 2009 5:39 AM

Okay, that unicorn is really disturbing. And some people clearly have trouble with the concept of "real"

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Well that's...disturbing.

My girlfriend's hamster used to throw himself on his back and screech in a similar pose when startled, or touched, or...anything.

Creepfest though. Massive creepfest.

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#5 posted by Anonymous, July 10, 2009 6:07 AM

That guinea pig hair comb is gruesome - gratuitously horrific, it constitutes a sniggering paean to callous and sadistic taste. My wife is crying to see the image of her younger guinea pig splayed with such a wretched rictus.

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#6 posted by Anonymous, July 10, 2009 6:39 AM

Agh!

Thank you, Lolvis!
Oh wait that' kinda gross too!

Need unicorn chaser!!!!

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Not wonderful! NOT WONDERFUL!!!

You could wear this to G-Force and make the kids cry. Then the adults would (at the least) give you incredibly dirty looks. You would have to talk about how you are trying to teach the kids the real-world consequences of violence to regain the moral high ground.

Granted, the adults might then assault you, teaching you the real world consequences of morbid accessorizing.

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#8 posted by Anonymous, July 10, 2009 6:48 AM

You know, when a woman talks about "putting a rat" in her hair, she doesn't mean an actual DEAD RODENT. It is difficult to imagine anyone so clueless that they think than any woman would want an actual DEAD RODENT IN THEIR HAIR.
(I know that's all caps overkill, but really..)

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Is there a way to "dislike" an article the way you can "favorite" one? Or maybe "request unicorn chaser?"

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Makes me want to fall in love all over again.

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I can imagine this being used in some dark ritual.

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Remember the King of the Hill where Dale starts storing rodents in the freezer because he can't afford the disposal fees anymore? Then he and Peggy enter a taxidermy contest together but they can't get ahold of any decent sized animals so they end up taking a bunch of rats and posing them in a "Signing of the Declaration of Independence" tableau. They put the rats in little suits and wigs.... God, I love that show.

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I don't think fur is murder, but it can clearly be bad taste.

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Am I the only one who would totally wear that rat? Do want!

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Am I the only one thinking that this comb would be perfect for Elmira of the old Tiny Toon Adventures?

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I don't personally go for that whole "crazed guinea pig bursting from your skull" look. It's just not attractive.

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I think the pigeon wing thing could be amazing. As worn, not so great, but it has a ton of promise.

I believe what #1 has caused is the need for a unicorn chaser chaser.

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#18 posted by Anonymous, July 10, 2009 10:13 AM

Oh please, these things are SO 2008. What the Fall season calls for is cute neo-Victorian vests sewn out of the skin of stillborn infants and kittens.

Seriously, goddamn. Some little fashion designer was out of ideas and had a bit of a rodent problem in his studio, I take it.

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Ya know, the 12-year-olds that shop exclusively at Hot Topic look less worse to me now.

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#20 posted by afo, July 10, 2009 10:53 AM

but how can a unicorn chaser chase itself? I must be at the nexus of the universe!

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#21 posted by Anonymous, July 10, 2009 2:23 PM

Am I the only one that can't stand taxidermy for the fact that no matter what's being replicated/preserved looks like it was tenderized with a hammer and then stuffed full of rocks and sticks before sewn shut and finished?

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#22 posted by Anonymous, July 10, 2009 3:30 PM

This is what the artist has to say about it:

"Being a vegetarian myself, all animals used in my work are either roadkill, caught by my cat, from a local City Farm, or "snake food" (bought frozen from a pet shop, with the remainders fed to my cat Panasonic).

RP/ENCORE challenges our attitudes towards fur, leather and waste. In a world where leather is worn with out question by most, and replaced by un-biodegradable plastics by the rest, it is ironic that the image of an animal preserved using taxidermy is still enough to cause widespread outrage and fist banging. It is for this reason I taxidermy the prolific, consequential vermin result of London’s excess. A member of the UK's Guild of Taxidermists, I use both traditional and alternative methods of taxidermy to preserve and embellish creatures that are widely thought disgusting and unnecessary. When they become sculptural headpieces, necklaces and cuff-links, the specimens cease to be waste and become objects to behold."

sounds pretty legit to me...

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#23 posted by sleep, July 10, 2009 5:00 PM

NO! this is vile, go see it done properly-www.amoredemori.com

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"sounds pretty legit to me..."

Ah, no, what it shows is that, despite the beliefs of a couple generations of MFAs, you can't specify the significance of your art.

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@ #22

I'm interested in why the artist mentions fur and leather as if they are from the same source. Sure, some are, but leather is a by-product of the meat industry, and a lot of fur such as mink etc. is raised as a primary product. I therefore have no problem with leather, sheepskin etc, as I eat meat and so am prepared to also partake in the by-products of that. I would not, however, buy fur that was raised as a primary product as I don't see value in that for myself.

I suppose taxidermy is the same. I don't condone killing an animal just to display its body, but I don't mind people making use of animals that died naturally or as a byproduct. Having said this, I don't like the guinea pig comb!

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Come on. You love it. :)

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Apparently the "open-mindness" closes on Sabbath.

It is an art statement, not something that you'll find at Walmart next week.

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#29 posted by Anonymous, July 22, 2009 3:06 AM

This would never have happened under the Tories.

Cyberman.

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