Plush roadkill animals

Andrew sez, "Just when you think plushy creations can't get more weird, here comes a macabre soft toy creator in the UK who recreates roadkill. Currently you can choose from Twitch the Racoon or Grind the Rabbit complete with toe tags, tyre marks and cute giblets spilling from their split innards. Other sick creations are in the pipeline." Link (Thanks, Andrew!)

I write books. My latest is a YA science fiction novel called Homeland (it's the sequel to Little Brother). More books: Rapture of the Nerds (a novel, with Charlie Stross); With a Little Help (short stories); and The Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow (novella and nonfic). I speak all over the place and I tweet and tumble, too.

MORE: Funny • Kids

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Ben

I just wanted to post in this thread again to prove RJ wrong.

Nanny nanny…boo boo?
Ben

@RJ

Man, and I thought I was misanthropic…
Fett101

The already mentioned Meanie Babies had a roadkill cat called Splat the Cat.
Beanolini

Reminds me of Patricia Waller’s work (featured here some time ago, I think).
dmark

What about Frisbee the cat? That’s an old pre-internet joke.
RJ

@Ben

So you sit around thinking about that, huh?
RJ

@Historyman68

If you’re unsure of your goth status, then it may be more possible to consider the possibility that you may simply be stupid. I’m sorry it had to be me who finally aired this concern to you.

Squealy sarcasm aside, what’s your point? Did you just want to fling a wee tantrum because I don’t share your love of tacky plush toys? Because that’s what it looks like.

The internet is so limiting, isn’t it? If we could have this exchange face to face, I bet it would end with laughter. Or, more likely, it wouldn’t get discussed at all, because we would then be two adults out in public instead of two usernames bickering on the damn internet about a stuffed animal.

Either way, you’re wrong and I’m right, so nanny nanny boo boo.
historyman68

@RJ

yeah, what I probably should have said was that the mean-spirited nature of your comment, as well as your deflection of Ben’s calling you out on that, rubbed me the wrong way. You don’t have to shoot down anybody who thinks these are cute/amusing by comparing them to stereotypical strawmen.

That said, I think they’re a little tacky too. Just not tacky enough to merit your level of snark. But I’m down for a truce. After all, there are far worse things to get upset about.
RJ

@Historyman68

You’re right, I shouldn’t be so vitriolic. It started with annoyance at something that seems to make light of the terrible, often painful deaths animals suffer on the roadways. Then I tried to imagine what sort of person would willingly kick out the money required to own such a thing.

I still think Ben just wanted to use the word “misanthropic” in a sentence today. Judging from his comment history, we probably won’t see him again until sometime in June, anyway, so whatever.

Yeah. Sorry I was a dick to you earlier. The net brings out the worst in many people, sometimes.
aeon

What I’d really like to see them make is a squished possum. We have so many of the annoying little pests here in New Zealand that killing one in effigy would be quite satisfying.

Andrew
chrys

Pink Thing seems to have forgotten the URL. I searched and found it at
Hope that helps
pandaterror

Just ordered mine :p
Antinous

Pink Thing did not forget the URL. I removed the URL, which I have now done again. Blog URLs go on one’s profile page, not in one’s comments.
sazzamook

If you want clothing to go with your new toys…

http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=151353522
stoneleafmoon

hmmm…is roadkill the new black? there’s also a roadkill show here (at The Yarn Museum). sorry, aeon, no possums :(
historyman68

@RJ

shit! You mean some people don’t buy things purely for their own aesthetic enjoyment, but to impress other people and define their own individuality? And that these people can be in their teens, or in college, and might even be overweight?

I guess the next time something amuses me because of the contrast between its medium and what it portrays, I should examine myself to determine what kind of slot this amusement categorizes me into. So I guess I’m a fat goth kid.
Tropical Kitten

In response to Andrew; they are going to have a possum eventually…

I submitted this website to Boingboing all the way back in December before Christmas… submitting that site is actually the reason that I signed up for Boingboing
0xdeadbeef

Why stop at animals? A baby doll thus converted would be a better conversation starter than a coat rack.

(the horror, let me you show you it)
mildweed

Reminds me of Meanie Babies
http://www.meanies.com/meanie_mugshots.html
I’ve enjoyed my Floaty The Fish for years. A friend of mine has Donny Didn’t Duck.
Stefan Jones

My dog would love toys that she could eviscerate herself. It’s no fun when a car has done half the job.

Kira, squirrel

Actual road kill squirrel.
Jeff

Tropical Kitten, Thanks! Maybe it just didn’t hit the right spot back then. I was one my bike this morning and had to avoid a big dead raccoon, and the dead baby raccoons that had been following their mother and had probably been hit, one by one as they went out into the road, to mommy. Road kill can be very sad. Horribly, horribly sad.
Takuan

I think they are hilarious
Tenn

You too, Takuan. IRC channel.
RJ

Oh, ha ha, yes, I see now. It’s amusing because of the contrast between the cute plushie style and the gruesome subject matter. How clever and irreverent of them.

When I first looked at this, my initial reaction was that it’s just a prop for fat goth kids to carry around in an effort to appear spooky. On the other hand, I could also see some sweet-milk-and-white-bread sorority girl having one in her room, because it’s part of how she defines her “bad girl” image while attending school, as paid for by her parents back in Utah or somewhere like that.

In other words, I just thought it was another stupid waste of money for stupid people to buy and display to even dumber people solely to beat the dead horse of shock entertainment. But yes, now I see otherwise. Certainly. I’m sure the people who make these things are quite bright, artistic and philosophical types.