Pizza Rat: Lovable NYC Hero; Now a Halloween Costume Idea

Everyone loves a touching story of a little guy who overcomes adversity to achieve his dream. And many people are looking for a last-minute costume idea for Halloween. What's the connection between the two? Pizza Rat, of course!

Pizza Rat became the toast (crust?) of NYC when someone filmed the little fellow dragging a pizza slice more than twice its size down a stairway in a subway station. Below is the 14-second video that turned this hard-working New Yorker into a star.



And check CNN's story on the phenomenon that is Pizza Rat. Of course, Mr. Rat soon had his own Twitter account, @NYCPizzaRat.

Naturally, someone came up with the idea to create a Pizza Rat Halloween costume... but in the form of a sexy dress with only a couple of pizza-slice accents (below). Seriously folks, if you're going to create a Pizza Rat costume that does justice to the original, the slice has to be much more prominent: like twice as big as the person wearing it.

Pizza Rat costume. Pretty light on the pizza, am I right?

Mr. Rat is not impressed. Not least of all because the outfit is 90 bucks and he's not seeing a dime of it...

Pizza Rat may have to call his lawyer to get satisfaction.

Pizza Rat hasn't tweeted for a while. Maybe he's just been too busy chasing down pizza or spilled Halloween candy on the subway. Or maybe he's been in touch with his lawyer from Jacoby & Meyers about his identity being stolen for that Halloween costume. If you want to pay homage to Mr. Rat skip the cutesy, pricey faux-rat costume and design your own Pizza Rat outfit that does justice to our urban icon. And remember, the pizza slice should be twice as big as you are.

In any case, rock on, little friend. And know that you are a true New Yorker and an inspiration to us all.

Looking for a Bizarre, Dystopian Theme Park? Meet Banky's Dismaland!

The secretive British artist Banksy has expanded beyond his usual images in public spaces to a full-fledged, 3D "bemusement park": Dismaland. As its name suggests, this installation is no ordinary happy place to take the kids for a lighthearted day out.

A look at the official tour video for Dismaland (below)—which is midway through its five-week run at Weston-super-Mare on the English seaside—shows how the celebrated artist with the often dark look on life addresses many of the dour and dire aspects of the modern world. Fun stuff like a lack of jobs, pollution, global injustice, and more.



The project features art works from more than 50 artists from around the world, such as a pool with remote-control boats loaded with refugees, a dead princess being photographed by paparazzi, and a game called "Hook a Duck from the Muck."

Looking for a souvenir? You can buy a large, black balloon that says, "I am an imbecile." There's even a cheerfully decorated payday-lending booth where kids can borrow against their pocket money (at an exorbitant 5000% interest rate, naturally).

Dismaland looks a bit like Disneyland as reinterpreted by Tim Burton with the viewpoint of one of those people who stands on a street corner holding a sign that reads "The End is Near."

The Dismaland video below from Britain's Channel 4 offers a bit more insight into the "attractions" of Banksy's theme park of modern-day horrors. It's a place where the dreams—or maybe nightmares?--never end.