Most squirrels couldn’t be bothered to keep up with the latest fashions, but most squirrels weren’t Tommy Tucker, the pet rodent whose outfits were immortalized in LIFE magazine.
In the early 1940s, LIFE ran a series of photos depicting the costumed Tommy, who was owned by one Mrs. Mark Bullis. Despite being apparently male, Tommy Tucker seemed to favors dresses (pants probably don’t go terribly well with the tail). He even had a little Red Cross uniform for visits to the hospital. In the Internet era, Tommy Tucker probably would have had a publishing deal rivaling that of Boo, the World’s Cutest Dog. Fortunately, LIFE had the foresight to preserve these images so they could be pinned and liked at a later date.
How did Tommy Tucker feel about his career as an unpaid animal fashion model? According to the LIFE article, he bit Mrs. Willis from time to time, although it seems Mrs. Willis minded the biting less than she enjoyed dressing him in cute little outfits.
All photos by Nina Leen.
A Squirrel’s Guide to Fashion [LIFE via Boing Boing]
