Scenes from Saturday’s huge ‘Great Pupkin’ dog Halloween contest in Fort Greene Park 

Halloween weekend got off to a howling good start on Saturday morning in Fort Greene Park as thousands of people (and, often, their dogs) packed the monument stairs to watch and participate in the 24th annual Great Pupkin costume contest.

Staged by Fort Greene PUPS, which stands for the Park Users and Pets Society, the competition was coordinated this year by last year’s winner, Alana Davis (her dog Howie went dressed as Sabrett’s hot dog cart). “It’s a really fun community day,” Davis tells Brooklyn Magazine. “The electricity in the neighborhood is super contagious, everyone turns out, and even after the contest it’s just fun walking around the park feeling the excitement. So many cute dogs, so many creative costumes.”

There are no losers when dozens of doggos dress up in ridiculous outfits, but there were some actual, official winners on Saturday, chosen by an elite panel of judges and, for the top three, by cheers from the enormous crowd. The judges on Saturday were Deidre Stone, the Executive Director of Fort Greene Conservancy; Evan Ross Katz, the popular podcast host and pop culture writer; Councilmember Crystal Hudson; and Candy Pilar Godoy from Instagram’s Dogs of NYC.

Taking first place this year was an incredible Princess and the Pea set up, with Lupini Bean the dog playing the princess, and her dog mom’s face in the role of the pea. “We chose this costume because we annoy her so much,” the pea tells Brooklyn Magazine.

Best in Show winner Lupini Bean as the princess, and her dog mom as the pea (Scott Lynch)

Cheeto the three-legged dog took home second place honors for his dead-on portrayal of Kyrre, IKEA’s three-legged stool.

Second place winner Cheeto, a three-legged dog as a three-legged stool from IKEA (Scott Lynch)

Third prize went to the trio operating a “Local Express” steam engine train that was also somehow the 2 train.

The conductors of the third place winner, Local Express (Scott Lynch)

Placing in the top 10 was a black pug named Sushi Gorgeous in the role of Alien Superstar. Bed-Stuy resident Victoria Strahl explains the elaborate, flying-saucer-sucking-up-cows getup she made with her roommate: “This costume is in part inspired by Beyoncé’s song Alien Superstar,” she says. “And we also wanted to play into how pugs are aliens, both visually and as a Men In Black reference. And in the American cultural lexicon, so to speak, cows are sometimes sucked into UFOs over the plains of Kansas, or what have you. They’re the first victims.”

Victoria Strahl, Sushi Gorgeous, and their elaborate ‘Alien Superstar’ getup (Scott Lynch)

Other notable contestants were Yayoi Kusama, complete with Infinity Room; a Wordle costume; “Midnights” Taylor Swift; a whole team’s-worth of dogs (and their people) in “League of Their Own” outfits; at least two spotted lantern flies, Max and a couple of “Wild Things;” a very much not ultra-violent Alex from “Clockwork Orange;” and, not competing but still pretty adorable, a mop.

In fact, there were good costumes galore among the non-competitor canines, like Prospect Lefferts resident Bowie and his owner Jenny Peterson. “He is Jareth the Goblin King from the 1986 hit movie ‘Labyrinth,’ starring David Bowie,” says Peterson. “We only do David Bowie costumes. He was Ziggy Stardust last year. I was worried that no one under the age of 30 would get the ‘Labyrinth’ reference, and I’m finding that apparently it’s not as popular a movie as I thought for any age group. But I’m still into it.”

Jenny Peterson and Bowie, playing David Bowie as Jareth, the goblin king in ‘Labyrinth’ (Scott Lynch)

Most of the thousands of spectators came without dogs, including Hampton Dodd, who recently moved to Bay Ridge and was in Fort Greene an hour early to get a good seat. “This is our third Great Pupkin,” he says. “It’s our replacement for actually having a dog. We get our fill for the year and then we’re good until next October. Maybe one day we’ll get a dog, once we get the costumes planned out.”

Here are a few more photos from the day.

Scott Lynch

Scott Lynch

Scott Lynch

Scott Lynch

Scott Lynch

Scott Lynch

Scott Lynch

Scott Lynch

Scott Lynch

By: Scott Lynch
Title: Scenes from Saturday’s huge ‘Great Pupkin’ dog Halloween contest in Fort Greene Park 
Sourced From: www.bkmag.com/2022/10/30/great-pupkin-2022/
Published Date: Sun, 30 Oct 2022 22:09:33 +0000

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Summer Treats Bucket List: Brooklyn’s best frozen drinks, ice cream + more

Image
Brooklyn’s Best Frozen Treat? Steve’s Key Lime Pie Swingle reigns supreme. Photo: Kara Zuaro Frozen drinks, frosty desserts, and other heat-relieving treats make summer in Brooklyn sustainable. You know, sometimes we just need to take the humidity and beat it with chocolate-dipped key lime pie on a stick (a.k.a. the Swingle , pictured above). This summer, I wanted to try as many frozen treats as possible, and I’ve had so much fun pairing friends with milkshakes, parfaits, and slushies. I got a head-start, but it’s not too late to start your own Summer Treats Bucket List. Here are 11 excellent Brooklyn destinations plus 1 special spot in Queens to put on your list. Your friend is (basically) a child Few things in life provide more delight than a fish-shaped cone from Taiyaki NYC. Photo: @taiyakinyc Maybe your BFF now comes with children, or maybe your buddy is just a big ol’ baby for sundaes and sweets. Maybe you’ve got a niece or nephew, or maybe you want to do something speci
Read more

Revisiting ‘Desperate Characters’

Image
“Desperate Characters” by Paula Fox remains as relevant today as the day it was published. Photo: Meredith Craig de Pietro This story is part of our “ Brooklyn Classics ” series about famous and underappreciated books set in the borough. Paula Fox wrote Desperate Characters over 50 years ago, but the book remains as impactful now as it was then. Part of Brooklyn’s literary canon, it’s about a fraying marriage set against the backdrop of gentrification, a topic that is still front of mind for most of us living in the city as rental prices soar. The story centers on an estranged couple, Otto and Sophie Bentwood, who live in a brownstone in an unnamed neighborhood that reads as our current Boerum Hill/Cobble Hill. After a stray cat bites Sophie on the hand, she believes she may have rabies, and her throbbing, swollen wound becomes a stand-in for the changing and unsafe city around them. The Bentwoods’ world takes place in seedy, 1960s New York, a chaotic place where they’re trying
Read more

Scandinavian museum’s Bob Carlson dies at 83

Image
Bob Carlson, a member of the Scandinavian East Coast Museum, died Jan. 2 at age 83. Carlson was a familiar face at annual Bay Ridge events such as Viking Fest, Fastelavn and Embrace Winter, where he dressed in costume and organized children’s games. Museum President Victoria Hofmo said she was lucky to call Carlson her friend. Bob Carlson entertains kids at Embrace Winter. “I prefer to remember him in all his hysterical, irreverent glory,” she said on Facebook. “Skal to you our dear friend. May your journey to Valhalla be a true Celebrity Cruise. May heaven be a costume party filled with jokes, games, prizes, fun and love.” A wake will be held Jan. 5 from 3 to 8 p.m. at McLaughlin & Sons Funeral Home. Bob Carlson Photo courtesy of McLaughlin & Sons The post Scandinavian museum’s Bob Carlson dies at 83 appeared first on The Brooklyn Home Reporter . By: Jaime DeJesus Title: Scandinavian museum’s Bob Carlson dies at 83 Sourced From: brookl
Read more