Comments on: The most lifelike dead animals anywhere.

The most lifelike dead animals anywhere.

Ahab — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 19:18:24 -0800

You probably thought this dear was alive. And this coyote was alive. And this pheasant was alive. NOPE. They're dead. They've been taxidermized by Chuck Testa. Ojai valley taxidermy.

Chuck Testa runs a taxidermy business in the Ojai Valley. He has a small but fascinating Youtube channel, which provides Tuesday Taxidermy Tips on (amongst other things) bear care, skinning out a bear head, and how to measure a bear skull. (Almost needless to say, not safe for the squeamish, or those who prefer their animals alive.)

By: Ahab

Ahab — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 19:19:56 -0800

*deer

By: kmz

kmz — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 19:21:07 -0800

I think I'd be equally scared by a stranger in my bed as a bear in my bed.

By: oinopaponton

oinopaponton — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 19:25:24 -0800

Round about the bear in bed was when I started laughing so hard I fell out of my chair. Note: Chuck Testa does not taxidermize pets

By: hanoixan

hanoixan — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 19:26:54 -0800

Nice hat?

By: louche mustachio

louche mustachio — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 19:37:52 -0800

"There's a bear in my bed!" "NOPE! It's Chuck Testa!" "That's not better!" "But I taxidermize the most lifelike dead animals anywhere!" "That's nice, Chuck Testa. I'm calling the cops."

By: The demon that lives in the air

The demon that lives in the air — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 19:44:33 -0800

I guess I'm one of those weird kids who are fascinated by dead things, but I thought this is really interesting. (It's kind of crazy how quickly he can separate a bear from its skull.) Also: who cares where it "came from?" We don't all live on Reddit.

By: Mizu

Mizu — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 19:47:22 -0800

This is. Amazing.

By: cortex

cortex — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 19:49:18 -0800

[Do not do the snarkily-volunteering-a-presumed-via thing. The internet is a big and tangled place, this has been discussed previously.]

By: cjorgensen

cjorgensen — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 19:50:03 -0800

I totally thought this was going to be parody.

By: Civil_Disobedient

Civil_Disobedient — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 19:52:34 -0800

See, what you really need to do is link to R&L Local Commercials because their commercials are off the hook. White people and black people like our furniture. No one makes it rain like Roger. Note: cats communicate telepathically. Nature is calling. Can you hear it? Listen… Let me cut your hair, I really need the practice. etc…

By: cortex

cortex — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 19:57:14 -0800

[Seriously, you know where Metatalk is if you need to have a public discussion about this.]

By: weapons-grade pandemonium

weapons-grade pandemonium — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 20:04:03 -0800

Nope.

By: benny

benny — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 20:04:25 -0800

Quite funny but apparently he is wearing an SS cap (according to the youtube comments) which ups the weirdness quotient even more

By: oinopaponton

oinopaponton — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 20:10:20 -0800

Oh well if we're talking about hipsters poking fun at local commercials, nothing touches Pathway Foods (at least not without latex gloves on).

By: contraption

contraption — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 20:26:09 -0800

I live near Ojai and am not at all surprised to learn that the local taxidermist is also a Nazi memorabilia enthusiast. Funny commercial, though.

By: nebulawindphone

nebulawindphone — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 20:28:39 -0800

"Taxidermied" always sounds wrong to me, like the sort of half-fake word you make up off the top of your head because you've had a brain fart and can't remember the real one. I dunno. Like it ought to be "taxidermized" or "taxidermated" or "entaxidermened" or "their derms have been taxed" or something.

By: nebulawindphone

nebulawindphone — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 20:29:54 -0800

Wow. I just totally fucked that joke up. Pretend I had told it in the correct order, K?

By: maryr

maryr — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 21:24:08 -0800

My father used to make the opposite of this video. Ever Christmas he'd take a video of the family opening stockings and presents, the relatives visiting, the occasionial tail of a cat fleeing the scene, and... our Samoyed dog doing a remarkable impression of one of those sheepskin rugs. Later in the day, he'd make a point of taping a scene with the dog elsewhere in the house - just to prove that she had moved and was still alive, despite appearing motionless and possibly dead.

By: Alvy Ampersand

Alvy Ampersand — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 21:36:31 -0800

A taxidermist made a presentation at a local career symposium when I was in high school. Mr. Testa's commercial has made me ashamed for not paying more attention back then.

By: Katjusa Roquette

Katjusa Roquette — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 21:43:36 -0800

Awesomest ad since the 'My Dog Spot' ads with elephants and lions ..

By: djduckie

djduckie — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 21:47:07 -0800

Tim and Eric produced this ad, right?

By: zsazsa

zsazsa — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 22:16:16 -0800

Nope, Rhett and Link did.

By: iamkimiam

iamkimiam — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 23:24:39 -0800

The puns and innuendos...oh my god.

By: iamkimiam

iamkimiam — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 23:25:20 -0800

Just be glad I didn't say, "The puns and innuendos...oh dear."

By: oneswellfoop

oneswellfoop — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 00:09:30 -0800

O HAI!

By: loquacious

loquacious — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 02:42:59 -0800

GRANDMA!?

By: arcticseal

arcticseal — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 03:02:37 -0800

Mrs A and I have a running joke where whoever dies first will be stuffed and made into an animatronic version of ourselves to freak out visitors. We may be more serious about this than we think. Also, nice to see Gene Parmesan found a new gig.

By: tommasz

tommasz — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 05:27:43 -0800

One of my wife's cousin was, um, into taxidermy. He was on the quiet side but otherwise wouldn't strike you as out of the ordinary. That is, until you saw his room. He did pets, unlike Chuck Testa.

By: The 10th Regiment of Foot

The 10th Regiment of Foot — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 05:32:12 -0800

Mrs A and I have a running joke where whoever dies first will be stuffed and made into an animatronic version of ourselves to freak out visitors. See Also* *Keep reading, it gets wierder

By: subbes

subbes — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 06:45:48 -0800

Guess what, kids? Grandma's back!

By: subbes

subbes — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 06:47:01 -0800

damn you loq

By: tomswift

tomswift — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 06:53:04 -0800

"chuck testa does not taxidermize pets"... Yeah, I suppose he doesn't do people either....

By: MrMoonPie

MrMoonPie — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 07:02:16 -0800

I did not expect to watch a guy skin a bear head today.

By: TheBones

TheBones — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 07:05:11 -0800

Gorillamask jumps on the Chuck Testa bashing.

By: subbes

subbes — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 07:09:31 -0800

You probably thought this shark was alive.

By: Aquaman

Aquaman — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 10:49:34 -0800

Well, that's one great commercial, you gotta give him that.

By: tr33hggr

tr33hggr — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 11:25:19 -0800

I need to freedomize this Ford Explorer!

By: quin

quin — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 11:37:59 -0800

Officer 1: So can you identify the carjacker sir? Man; I don't know, It all happened pretty fast. I think he was blond, maybe 124 pounds. I didn't notice any clothes but I'd say it's horns were about a foot long? Officer 2: I'm sorry, what did you say? He had horns? Man: Pretty sure. I was driving out of the garage and suddenly he was just right there, the next thing I knew I was on the ground and he was pulling away in my car. I can still here the sound of his hooves pulling the door closed. Officer 1: You've been through a terrible trauma sir, it's only expected that your memory is a bit jumbled. Man: No sir. I know what I saw; at first I thought it was alive, but Chuck Testa, that guy on TV was totally dressed up as an antelope when he stole my car.

By: louche mustachio

louche mustachio — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 11:42:10 -0800

Lookin' great, Bernie.

By: ob1quixote

ob1quixote — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 17:37:29 -0800

hanoixan: "Nice hat?" I looked at it and thought that 'Ol Chuck was wearing an 6^th SS Mountain Division Nord cap, because of the edelweiss badge on the side. I pointed this out on Rhett & Link's Facebook page, but evidently I was the only one who cared. The only conclusion I could draw is that neither Rhett, nor Link, nor many of their fans could identify a Nazi uniform cap on sight, having apparently never seen Battle of the Bulge.

By: penduluum

penduluum — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 19:06:01 -0800

"Oh no there's a bear in my bed!" "Nope; Chuck Testa." "Oh no there's a guy in filthy clothes and what is clearly Nazi memorabilia in my bed, and also the preserved outer surfaces of a dead bear in my bed at the same time!" "... Okay yes. Got me."