Today’s T-shirt Tuesday is actually not inspired by one of my husband’s t-shirts, per usual. However, he did buy it for my daughter because of her obsession with unicorns. (And, yes, if you’re an iCarly fan the title of this blog is an homage to one of my favorite episodes of that show.)
Here is the t-shirt:
Although we haven’t really discussed it, I’m pretty sure my daughter doesn’t actually think unicorns are real. But, sometimes, based on things she says, I wonder if she might…and maybe she’s not completely wrong.
“Proof” of the Unicorn Obsession
Now, my daughter’s obsession isn’t limited to t-shirts. In fact, it’s evident pretty much everywhere in our house. In about 5 minutes I found and took pictures of the following unicorn-related items. Starting at top left: unicorn drawing she made and had put on a mug, unicorn stuffed animal, unicorn “head” on her wall, unicorn costume she wore for Halloween, Unicorn-inspired book she picked out as a gift for a friend.
Unicorns Books Are Sacred
If that is not enough to convince you of her obsession, she also got very (I mean very) upset that A Swiftly Tilting Planet (3rd book the Wrinkle in Time series), which features a winged unicorn named Gaudior, somehow made it into our book-mas tree (a Christmas tree made of books – see more about that here and here, if you’re interested.) She saved her beloved Harry Potter series from a terrible fate of being crushed by other books, but not this one. I received a severe reprimanding for not remembering to keep it out of the tree. I’m still not sure she’s forgiven me.
Unicorns in Food
She even re-imagines her food as unicorns. (See picture of her turning a tempura shrimp into a unicorn horn). Admittedly, I’m uncertain about whether or not this degree of obsession is healthy. So far, it seems harmless.
Unicorns at Girl Scouts
She’s also not the only one of her friends to be fans of the unicorn. In our Girl Scout troop of 35+ girls aged 11 to 12, the chosen troop crest was, you guessed it, a unicorn. I can’t really complain. What’s wrong with loving a creature stands for kindness, love and magic and generally ends up in stories about believing in yourself and overcoming obstacles?
Unicorn Book Recommendations
If you know any other unicorn obsessed children (or adults, who says we can’t like ’em too?), here a list of some good unicorn-themed books to help further feed the obsession.
The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle (also made into a really trippy, but totally unique and worth seeing animated movie)
Uni the Unicorn by Amy Krouse Rosenthal and Brigette Barrager
Acorna: The Unicorn Girl by Anne McCaffrey
Birth of the Firebringer (Firebringer Trilogy) by Meredith Ann Pierce
The Real Unicorn
Now, remember the t-shirt that this whole jaunt into unicorn-ness was based on? One of the reasons I love it is because it’s ironic. (The real kind of irony, not the kind in the Alanis Morissette song. She really did ruin people’s understanding of irony forever.)
Of course, the irony of the t-shirt is based on unicorns not being real, right?…So, what if they are?
In case you aren’t aware, there are fossilized remains of a unicorn that went extinct 29,000 years ago. Yep, no joke. (Trust me, this is not a result of “fake news.” Although, I am being a little misleading. 🙂 )
Unfortunately, I couldn’t find any books on the subject as it seems to be a rather new topic. But, for any kid or adult interested in “real unicorns,” also known as the Siberian unicorn or Elasmotherium sibiricum (E. sibiricum), have them check out a few articles on the subject. It’s rather fascinating! (Although, for those who like your unicorns pristine, magical and horse-like, and, yes, not real, you might want to skip this. The extinct creatures aren’t exactly the type of animal you want to snuggle.)
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/unicorns-lived-in-kazakhstan_us_56f99441e4b0a372181aaaa3
http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/35925717
http://www.cnn.com/2016/03/29/living/real-unicorn-remains/
K.L. Kranes 
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