Parrot Nation

I think everyone has one or two of these types of things laying around the house. I have been given an unbelievable assortment of “Parrot Stuff” over the years, but I think this by far is one of the of the funniest! The colors are completely wrong and the head is made of plastic. Unlike the rest of the body, it doesn’t light up. So if it’s lit up like a night light in my dark bathroom, it appears to be some unfortunate, headless parrot perched and standing guard over the sink. Here is another one of my “peculiar parrot ” things:

I’ve never seen a pink, green, blue and yellow striped parrot before! I mean really! But, I’ve just sort of gotten used to them. I keep them in my Guest Bathroom so all of my friends may enjoy my fabulous taste in parrot crap! Well, it isn’t my taste per se because I didn’t purchase these lovely things. And I’m sure I am not the only one who has “Peculiar Parrots” sitting about.

So, here’s the deal: I’m going to run a contest. The name of the contest is “Show Me Your Plug-Ugly Parrot Paraphernalia!”  Simply send me a photo of the ugliest damned parrot, “objet d’art” you have in your possession. May I stress that this is not a “live bird” competition! I’d love to see your ugly parrot stuff: It can be a shirt, a piece of jewelry, a statue, a stuffed animal, a dish, a painting- pretty much anything, as long as it’s ugly as hell! While there are some absolutely gorgeous parrot products out there, I think it’s time we showcased our “less fortunate” items. And if anything, we’ll all probably get one hell of a laugh! The contest ends at noon on Sunday, April 11th, 2010. That’s two weeks from now. Winners will be announced shortly thereafter and will receive some fabulous Bird Toys! I will announce our “Surprise Sponsor” in an update to this post very soon! So happy clicking and try not to wince when you shoot those photos. This is one contest where “Ugly is IN!” I’ll be updating this post as the contest continues!  _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

First Entry! My friend Marcia Kwarsick just entered the contest and she has a good one:

How lovely! Thank you for the fabulous entry Marcia! A green, (Wrong!) baby cockatoo with yellow wings, (Wrong!) crawling out of an egg, fully formed. (Wrong!) What a terrific entry!

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Sarah Ptomey sent me this charming addition to our line of “Parrot Stuff.” Good job Sarah! Nice find and totally useless. “Macaw does Mardi Gras!” Extra points for that as a “theme piece.”

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Shannon Marie McConnell LaPrise Has a wonderful entry! Look at this!:

Shannon wrote that she, “Was planning on hanging it high up in the corner But The birds crapped their pants when they saw it and that was before I even turned it on so needless to say I could not use it any where in the house! It’s a rainbow colored bird. Has a cockatoo crest with a macaw shaped beak and body.” People? When something that looks like a parrot scares the crap out of your parrots, you know there’s a problem! Nice edition to our collection!

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My buddy, Melissa Kowalski entered this breathtaking rendition of a complicated puzzle for us to enjoy. The learning curve is killing me!

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Christina Giordano’s lovely contribution of this splendid serving platter will certainly make all of us jealous! So elegant and refined!

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Sher Rice entered this charming six-inch tall cast iron beauty:

I think a fair question is, “What IS it?”  I mean, what is its intended purpose? And I think it’s a cockatoo, but then you’ve got that blue macaw action going on.  Anybody got a clue?

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Missi Brody Bellande submitted this lovely dust-catcher:

If you sort of squint your eyes it looks like an angel fish.  This is another case of the artist not bothering to look at an actual bird for “color consultation!”

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Kim Everett-Martin submitted this odd little “collectible.” I haven’t figured out what this is either, but it’s worthy of a look! I realize it’s a small photo, but I couldn’t blow it up any bigger.

Tonya Anderson entered this deliciously tacky purple bag she picked up at Old Navy for five bucks. Tonya wanted to point out that the parrot is a double-amputee possessing neither a right nor left foot. I’m rooting for her as the color scheme is outrageous, the stitching and sequins applied to it adds to its “glamour effect” and of course you’ve got that “no feet” thing going on! Also, notice the parrot’s body actually has holes in it. Oh, this is a good one!

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Now, we’re not real sure what kind of situation we have here, but Paula Rossow has an adorable plate with an unusual “cross-species” image:

Adorable? Of course! As Paula says, ” It’s a cherished gift, but what the heck is it? Cockakeet? Budgietiel?”  All I can say is, this punked-out budgie has been at the hair spray. I actually love this entry because it’s just so “home-grown” and honest. Points and a “high-four” for it being weird, but not at all gaudy. Well done Paula!

This one is a little hard to believe:

I simply don’t know what to say. Vickie Knox LeClair sent this to me and said about this object, “It is a coconut shell with spray-painted feathers and a wooden head. I have been hauling this thing from state-to-state for years. I plan on turning it into a bird house…someday…”  Personally, I think it looks like a baby parrot sticking his head out of a coconut shell or what looks like an egg. I’m simply stunned by this one. Really. I mean it. I have no words.

We have a last minute entry! Corinne Graehme from England sent us this photo of a fuzzy parrot:

We’re not quite sure what it is exactly but it obviously worthy of our attention. And it certainly qualifies for the contest. Jeeez! It looks like someone took a rugby ball and built a parrot around it. Why do we save these things? Is it because they look like parrots? Good entry Corinne and thank you!