If you’re not utterly captivated by ”Tiger King,” a.k.a. the bonkers Netflix docuseries getting many of us through quarantine, consider hopping on the bandwagon ASAP. The rollercoaster of emotions you’ll feel over the course of seven ridiculous episodes makes for sorely needed distraction from the COVID-19 pandemic’s relentless news cycle.)
Among the show’s die-hard fans is Utah-based photographer Jennifer Lyn Holmes. The pregnant mother of nine told WKRN that her family was going stir-crazy indoors.
“We have been quarantined way too long!” she said. Boredom and her self-described “redneck” family’s obsession with the show led to a purrfect tribute to its zany star.
And thus, toddler Joe Exotic was born.
Bow down to the ‘Tiger Prince,’ everybody.
Holmes gave parenting lifestyle site CafeMom the backstory for her spontaneous photoshoot.
“The kids actually spray-painted his black church shirt with silver and my son took the chains off his wallet, so we could tie them around the tiger’s neck,” she said.
Thankfully, her one-year-old Cavin was already wearing clip-on extensions (yes, another product of quarantine boredom) that made the mullet. Photoshopping the moustache and throwing a few stuffed tigers into the scene were the finishing touches to the project. And voila! Instant kitten-sized cuteness.
Holmes’ family MacGuyvered several aspects of the photoshoot, then posted the end results to a Facebook album that’s been shared over more than 90,000 times thus far.
Holmes decided to dress her toddler up because the contrast would be hilarious, but her next casting role was because of an uncanny resemblance.
Of course Joe Exotic’s arch-nemesis Carole Baskin was next up for an homage. Holmes’ daughter Copelyn, five, played the role because her long hair looked like Baskin’s, donning a flower crown and bearing a ketchup-topped plate of mystery meat to feed the tigers.
Holmes’ cleverly placed an Easter egg in her daughter’s photos, in the form of a bicycle placed ominously in the background. (Fans of the show will remember a certain bike path’s significance.)
Viewers usually fall under two camps when it comes to Baskin and the theory she killed her husband. Does the Holmes family think she did it?
“Eff yes we do,” she told CafeMom, adding that she looked like a praying mantis.
Their stance is obvious to eagle-eyed viewers, given Copelyn’s portrayal is similar enough to Joe Exotic’s parody depiction of the animal rights activist.
Fans go wild with Joe Exotic cosplays
“Tiger King” has its flaws (misgendering the trans man who literally gave an arm for Exotic’s zoo and sidelining animal welfare issues chief among its wrongdoings), but it has still found a place in viewers’ hearts and imaginations.
Joe Maldonado-Passage has inspired fans to rummage through their wardrobes to play dress-up, including actor Jared Leto.
Watch: Jared Leto transforms into the Joe Exotic for “Tiger King” watch party. Story continues below.
Twitter users have taken to the costume fun with outrageous outfits, often getting creative with animal prints and their household pets. Here are some of our favourites:
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