Saw a picture of a bulldog dressed as a bumblebee from 2007 and it got me thinking

I was scrolling through some old photos my cousin posted on Facebook from her first apartment near downtown Austin. There was this picture of her bulldog Winston stuffed into a bumblebee costume that was way too small, wings half ripped off. It got me thinking about how much pet costumes have changed in 17 years, back then it was all cheap polyester and velcro that fell off after five minutes. What was the first costume you ever put on your pet and do you still have the picture?

3 comments

3 Comments

paul_morgan1mo ago

2007 was right around when pet costume culture really took off, at least in my circle. That bulldog picture sounds like a classic early era costume situation where the outfit was more about the owner's laugh than the dog's comfort. It's funny cause my neighbor @nathan_webb mentioned that slow introduction method, and I think that's smart but it's kind of like how we treat all new things now. Seems like everything in everyday life has gotten this gradual exposure period, like how we ease into new gadgets or even social media platforms instead of just jumping in. I've got a photo of my old beagle from 2009, she was wearing a pumpkin outfit that was basically a fuzzy orange sack with a stem on top, and she just froze in place for ten minutes like she was trying to process what life had become. Costumes are better now but the animals still give you that same confused look, which honestly is probably the whole point.

johnh821mo agoTop Commenter

Still have the picture" is right - I've got one of my old cat Jasper in a hot dog costume from 2010. He walked sideways for like an hour then laid down and refused to move until I took it off. Costumes have definitely gotten better materials but I swear animals still hate them just as much.

nathan_webb1mo ago

My trick is putting the costume on for five minutes a day for a week before the big event, they stop fighting it eventually.