This isn’t how I would have drawn it up. I would have had a wooden elf with paper legs. (Or maybe some femma gorillas?) But a giant T. Rex skull? A made-for-cable animated Christmas reindeer? No way.
The oddly beautiful work called “Christmas Ugly Sweater” was created by Zoo Atlanta and shared on YouTube. The brick-red and heavily striped beast’s fur is crackling like the barrel of a pistol and his tail is out of control. The skeleton is barely identifiable.
But isn’t that what we’re all after on Christmas Day? Can’t we have a skeleton the size of the neighborhood church? Couldn’t we have a ratty crusted Christmas tree pocked with feline callouses that drops some holly on top? Can’t we have snowmen and reindeer that actually look like they were forged from clay?
Zoo Atlanta has long been committed to arts-education efforts, sponsoring one of the only NRECA program in the U.S. A few years ago it published a book on old-timey science tools. That year they brought out a “no kill” zoo policy that’s put less than 20 percent of animals out of action. I would have thought it would be a good time to get a T. Rex made.
“Christmas Ugly Sweater” and the video it features have received over 28 million views on YouTube so far.