The introduction to this actual real-life course being taught in New York City, that people are really taking, states: "The one-day workshop, which teaches students how to stuff dead mice and pose them up as if they were humans, is becoming a popular pastime in New York." That is correct, fellow New Yorker, you can now take that mouse that has been invading your box of Kashi Puffs and stuff it like a trophy after you kill it. But you might want to avoid the classic snap trap in this case? Let's turn to the experts at Morbid Anatomy (we visited their mummification class last year), where they describe the four-hour long process in more detail: more ›

NYC-based web designer David Cole has created a Taxidermy Deer LEGO Kit, which is exactly what it sounds like, and will definitely be ordered by most of Brooklyn by the end of this sentence. The LEGO kit, Cole says, will help you recall your hunting days with... though presumably "the morning dew, the crunch of the field under your fancy boots, the sad eyes of the majestic, dying animals" are all sold separately. For your 12 bucks, you'll get the 60-piece set comes with LEGOs and a hand drawn instruction kit. The only bummer is that it's a little small, but surely you can invest in a bulk order of brown LEGOs should you want to make a life sized decapitated deer head. [via Laughing Squid] more ›

With her neat, pale blond coif and black-rimmed glasses, one might imagine Joanna Ebenstein to be a dedicated librarian or archivist. To some extent she is, but Ebenstein's real passion is of the darker, more bizarre variety. more ›

At first glance these new accessories line for men looked pretty cool... until we realized they were made from pigeons and rats! Avant-garde artist Reid Peppard uses "taxidermy crafted from road kill and pest controlled vermin," according to Boing Boing. Prices aren't listed on her site, but we're guessing that Rat Bowtie will cost you a pretty penny—its eyes were replaced with Swarovski crystals. more ›

After a moose head may or may not have attacked a patron at a restaurant on the Lower East Side, PETA has decided to speak out against taxidermy. They ask bars and restaurants to shed their stuffed animals, for "No amount of Zinfandel can ease the anxiety and sadness I feel under the glassy-eyed stare of a dead moose or deer head." But taxidermy has become a fixture in some establishment's aesthetics over the years (Home Sweet Home, Union Hall and Freeman's, to name a few), and they may not be willing to let go of their furry friends. more ›

Lower East Side restaurant and bar White Slab Palace "had a duty to provide ... an environment free from falling objects," according to a lawsuit filed in state Supreme Court. But the restaurant allegedly failed in the modest task that was its charge, and now 32-year-old Raina Kumra suffers from "chronic neck pain, anxiety, fatigue, dizziness and other serious and severe personal injuries," including "embarrassment." All this pain and humiliation could have been avoided had White Slab Palace just made sure that their giant 150-pound moose head was securely fastened to the wall. more ›

COMEDY: Tonight begins the 4th annual Sketchfest NYC, "dedicated to promoting the art of sketch comedy," which, they explain, "is different from improv and stand-up, [it] consists of short written scenes, rehearsed beforehand usually presented by a group of people" (as if you didn't know). All shows will be taking place at the UCB Theater; get the full schedule here -- The Harvard Sailing Team (pictured) kicks it all off at 7 p.m. more ›

Bringing together taxidermy, freeganism and art -- Nate Hill has created a not-for-the-faint-of-heart event called the New York City Chinatown Garbage Tour. Hill is an artist who makes new animals from dead animal parts; he explains his craft: "I sew together random animal parts to make a new animal that doesn't really exist. Many of the parts I have used over the years have come from Chinatown's garbage." Earlier this year he opened his A.D.A.M. Project (A Dead Animal Man), you can view some photos here. more ›

NYPD Transportation Chief Michael Scagnelli likes to bring a little nature into his city office, in the form of big stuffed game he's hunted around the world. The Daily News reports on his collection of animal trophies, and police commissioner Raymond Kelly's order to remove them from headquarters.

"Going to his office was like going to the Museum of Natural History. And it wasn't just his private office, it was in the outer office, too, where everyone else had their desks. There was a gigantic bird on someone's desk," the source said. "He had one - a cougar or a leopard or something, its claws out, catching a gazelle. He shot both but it was designed to look like the cougar killed the elk."

As we mentioned last week, this past Friday Union Hall was host to many a dead creature during the 3rd annual Carnivorous Nights -- presented by the venues Secret Science Club. The creatures and their caretakers came out of the woodwork for the event, below are a two-headed calf, a pope squirrel, a sea rabbit and a fiji mermaid. According to the owners of the calf, called Tango, he's the real deal and they purchased... more ›