Cat suits are a type of costumed character or creature suit resembling a cat, or any member of the Felidae . They are one of the most popular choices of mascot, and both stylized and realistic cat suits are commonly used in film and on stage, due to the frequent cultural depictions of cats. They are also used for advertising, entertainment and educational purposes.
An elaborate costume of the Cowardly Lion was created for the 1902 musical theatre version of The Wizard of Oz , where it was played by Arthur Hill, a popular animal impersonator. [1]
In the musical The Wiz, an African-American retelling of the classic children's novel and musical The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, costume designer Tony Walton created a cat suit for the Cowardly Lion [2] played by actor Ted Ross.
When creating the costumes for the musical Cats, designer John Napier followed the hints in T. S. Eliot's text, blending together the cat and human elements, while ensuring that the costumes were naturally flexible and easy to move in. [3] In 2015, Napier was quoted as saying "A bit of a titter went around the theatre community that we were doing a show about pussycats, but I was determined to make it as rough as possible and not like a Puss in Boots pantomime". [4] In a review of a production of Cats in Los Angeles, UCLA's student newspaper, the Daily Bruin , described the show's cat costumes as "frighteningly realistic". [5]
The character of Aslan was portrayed with a realistic two-person puppet suit for the BBC production of The Chronicles of Narnia , where it was worn by Ailsa Berk and William Todd-Jones, and voiced by Ronald Pickup.
Cat suits are widely used as the mascots of sports teams in schools. As of 2016 [update] , the second most popular animal used as high school sports mascot, after the eagle, was the tiger, which is picked because it symbolizes strength. [6] Panthera and wildcats were also fourth and fifth, respectively, symbolizing speed and fierceness, respectively. [7] [8]
Other well-known cat mascot suits in sports include the Nittany Lion, which was inducted to the Mascot Hall of Fame. [9]
They are also used in professional sports, such as the mascot DJ Kitty, which serves as a secondary mascot for the Tampa Bay Rays. [10]
Additionally, cats are commonly used as Olympic mascots. One of the mascots of the 2014 Winter Olympics was a leopard, and one of the two mascots of the 2018 Winter Olympics is Soohorang, a white tiger that is represented by a "cute" mascot suit. [11]
The character Tony the Tiger often makes promotional appearances as a mascot, and an animatronic suit of the character was created in 2016 by Jim Henson's Creature Shop. [12] They are also made by the Olympus Group and serve the purpose of having people relate to the brand. [13]
Costumes of the feline characters Puss in Boots and Kitty Softpaws were commissioned by DreamWorks Animation to promote the film Puss in Boots and appeared at its premiere alongside the characters' voice actors. [14]
Suits of the character The Cat in the Hat are sold to schools and communities by the National Education Association to help teach children literacy, by relating it to the books of Dr. Seuss. [15]
The character Hello Kitty is often represented by mascot costumes, although she only bears the appearance of a cat and is not described as one by Sanrio. [16]
One of the main characters of the video game 428: Shibuya Scramble is an unknown woman named Tama who wears a cat suit to promote a store. [17]
Big cats are one of the most popular designs for fursuits, personal costumes created by the furry fandom. [18]
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is a 1900 children's novel written by author L. Frank Baum and illustrated by W. W. Denslow. It is the first novel in the Oz series of books. A Kansas farm girl named Dorothy ends up in the magical Land of Oz after she and her pet dog Toto are swept away from their home by a cyclone. Upon her arrival in the magical world of Oz, she learns she cannot return home until she has destroyed the Wicked Witch of the West.
'Puss' is a character in the fairy tale "The Master Cat, or Puss in Boots" by Charles Perrault. The tale was published in 1697 in his Histoires ou Contes du temps passé. The tale of a cat helping an impoverished master attain wealth through its trickery is known in hundreds of variants.
The Nittany Lion is the eastern mountain lion mascot of the athletic teams of the Pennsylvania State University: Penn State Nittany Lions. Created in 1907, the "Nittany" forename refers to the local Mount Nittany, which overlooks the university.
The Wizard of Oz is a 1939 American musical fantasy film produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM). An adaptation of L. Frank Baum's 1900 children's fantasy novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, it was primarily directed by Victor Fleming, who left production to take over the troubled Gone with the Wind. It stars Judy Garland, Frank Morgan, Ray Bolger, Bert Lahr, Jack Haley, Billie Burke and Margaret Hamilton. Noel Langley, Florence Ryerson and Edgar Allan Woolf received credit for the screenplay, while others made uncredited contributions. The music was composed by Harold Arlen and adapted by Herbert Stothart, with lyrics by Edgar "Yip" Harburg.
Fursuits are custom-made anthropomorphic animal costumes owned and worn by cosplayers and members of the furry fandom, commonly known as "furries"; a furry who wears a fursuit is called a fursuiter. The term is believed to have been coined in 1993 by Robert King. Unlike mascot suits, which are usually affiliated with a team or organization, fursuits represent an original character created by their wearer, and are often better-fitting and more intricately crafted, with features such as a moving jaw. Fursuits are made in a wide range of styles, from cartoonish to highly realistic.
The Wicked Witch of the West is a fictional character who appears in the classic children's novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (1900), created by American author L. Frank Baum. In Baum's subsequent Oz novels, it is the Nome King who is the principal villain; the Wicked Witch of the West is rarely even referred to again after her death in the first book.
Winged monkeys are fictional characters that first appeared in the 1900 children's novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, written by the American author L. Frank Baum. They are described as jungle monkeys with bird-like feathered wings. They are playful, intelligent, and speak English. They are initially under the control of the Wicked Witch of the West, but are later controlled by the protagonist, Dorothy Gale. They lift Dorothy and fly her to two distant locations.
Bear suits are a type of costumed character or creature suit resembling a bear. The first bear suits worn by humans were used in shamanic ritual practices by native peoples. In the modern day, they are a popular choice of mascot, and both stylized and realistic bear suits are commonly used in film and on stage, due to the bear's prominent role in the arts and entertainment. Specific types of bear suits are also used in activism, such as polar bear suits to draw attention to the threat of global warming. Bear suits are also commonplace in the furry community.
Puss in Boots, or simply Puss, is a main character in the Shrek franchise. He made his first appearance in the film Shrek 2 (2004), soon becoming Shrek's partner and helper. In the film Shrek the Third (2007), Puss helps Shrek find the heir to the throne of the Far Far Away Kingdom. The film Shrek Forever After (2010) is primarily set in an alternate universe, where Puss is Princess Fiona's pet and has gained weight after his retirement. He is portrayed as the title character and protagonist in the 2011 spin-off film Puss in Boots and its 2022 sequel, Puss in Boots: The Last Wish. Puss also appears in the Netflix television series centered on him, The Adventures of Puss in Boots (2015–2018).
Tales of the Wizard of Oz is a 1961 animated television series produced by Crawley Films for Videocraft. This is the second animated series produced by the studio and the first by Rankin/Bass to feature traditional animation.
The Wizard of Oz is a musical with a book by John Kane, music by Harold Arlen and lyrics by E. Y. Harburg. It has additional background music by Herbert Stothart. It is based on the 1900 novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum and the 1939 film version written by Noel Langley, Florence Ryerson and Edgar Allan Woolf.
Puss in Boots is a 2011 American animated adventure comedy film produced by DreamWorks Animation and distributed by Paramount Pictures. It is a spin-off of the Shrek film series and its fifth installment, rather than an adaptation of the fairytale "Puss in Boots". The film was directed by Chris Miller from a screenplay by Tom Wheeler and a story by Brian Lynch, Will Davies, and Wheeler, based on the character from Shrek 2 (2004) and inspired from the Puss in Boots fairy tale. It stars Antonio Banderas, alongside Salma Hayek, Zach Galifianakis, Billy Bob Thornton, and Amy Sedaris. The film follows the origin story of Puss in Boots (Banderas) during his adventure years before the events of Shrek 2. Accompanied by his friends, Humpty Dumpty (Galifianakis) and Kitty Softpaws (Hayek), Puss is pitted against Jack and Jill, two murderous outlaws, for ownership of three legendary magical beans that lead to a great fortune of Golden Eggs from the Great Terror, a gigantic Goose.
The Wizard of Oz is a musical commissioned by The Muny based on the 1900 novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum and the 1939 film, The Wizard of Oz, using the film's songs by Harold Arlen and E. Y. Harburg. The book of the musical is by Frank Gabrielson, who would later write an adaptation of The Marvelous Land of Oz (1960) for Shirley Temple.
"Wizard of Odd" is the 56th broadcast episode of the second season of the animated television series Phineas and Ferb and the 103rd broadcast episode overall. It was originally broadcast on Disney Channel on September 24, 2010. In this episode, Mom says that Phineas and Ferb have to clean the house and she asks Candace to help, but she refuses and instead reads the book Mom gives her, The Wizard of Oz. Phineas and Ferb spin the house and spray it with a hose, but they spin the house too fast and accidentally knock Candace out, sending her into a Wizard of Oz-esque dream world. She journeys to "Bustopolis" under the impression the world is a simulation created by her brothers, but soon discovers that evil forces are attempting to get the boots that have grown on her feet.
The Cowardly Lion is a character in the fictional Land of Oz created by American author L. Frank Baum. He is depicted as an African lion, but like all animals in Oz, he can speak.
Creature suits are realistic costumes used to disguise a performer as an animal, monster, or other being. They are used in film, television, or as costumed characters in live events. Unlike mascots, they are often made with a high degree of realism. In contrast with prosthetic makeup, which is applied to an actor's skin, the wearer is not normally visible outside their movements controlling the costume, although in some cases, part of the wearer's body is still visible.
Puss in Boots is a 2012 picture book of the classic fairy tale by Jerry Pinkney. Based on Charles Perrault's version, it is about a cat that enables his owner to achieve fame and fortune.
Puss in Boots: The Last Wish is a 2022 American animated adventure comedy film produced by DreamWorks Animation and distributed by Universal Pictures. The sequel to the spin-off film Puss in Boots (2011) and the sixth installment and soft reboot of the Shrek film series, the film was directed by Joel Crawford, co-directed by Januel Mercado, and written by Paul Fisher, Tommy Swerdlow, and Tom Wheeler. Based on the character introduced in Shrek 2 (2004) and inspired by the fairy tale of the same name, the voice cast includes Antonio Banderas and Salma Hayek reprising their respective roles as the titular character and Kitty Softpaws, with new additions to the cast including Harvey Guillén, Florence Pugh, Olivia Colman, Ray Winstone, Samson Kayo, John Mulaney, Wagner Moura, Kevin Mccann, Da'Vine Joy Randolph, and Anthony Mendez. Set after the events of Shrek Forever After (2010), the story follows Puss in Boots, who teams up with Kitty and Perrito to find the Last Wish of the fallen Wishing Star to restore eight of his nine lives. They race against other fairy tale characters seeking the same treasure, while a sinister wolf hunts Puss himself.