Paul McCarthy's Santa Isn't Kid-Friendly
Jennifer Astle — December 16, 2008 — Naughty
References: artinfo
Paul McCarthy is known for his bizarre art and his versions of Santa seem to surface each December, with this year being no exception. Gone are the days when Santa held a tree in McCarthy's sculptures, he's moved on...to butt plugs.
This year, apparently Santa really wants to deck your halls! This sculpture depicts Santa himself brandishing a rather large butt plug instead of a tree. Additionally, you can purchase chocolate (yes, really) replicas of the sculpture.
Implications - Now, personally, I find this more than a little creepy. It's avant-garde art, but a bit much for my taste. Nevertheless, it doesn't mean this wouldn't make the perfect gift for that special friend of yours with a sense of humor that usually embarrasses you. If given to the right person, you could be celebrated as a gift-shopper who thinks "outside the box."
Or brandished a creep.
The pressure's on you.
This year, apparently Santa really wants to deck your halls! This sculpture depicts Santa himself brandishing a rather large butt plug instead of a tree. Additionally, you can purchase chocolate (yes, really) replicas of the sculpture.
Implications - Now, personally, I find this more than a little creepy. It's avant-garde art, but a bit much for my taste. Nevertheless, it doesn't mean this wouldn't make the perfect gift for that special friend of yours with a sense of humor that usually embarrasses you. If given to the right person, you could be celebrated as a gift-shopper who thinks "outside the box."
Or brandished a creep.
The pressure's on you.
Trend Themes
1. Provocative Art Sculptures - Opportunities for disruptive innovation lie in creating variations of provocative and avant-garde art sculptures to appeal to a specific audience.
2. Adult-themed Novelty Gifts - A potential disruptive innovation opportunity is to create a whole collection of adult-themed novelty gifts and novelties such as the chocolate replicas of Santa's sculpture for wider niche audiences.
3. Humor-based Gift-shopping - There's an opportunity for disruptive innovation in creating more avant-garde and humorous gifts that challenge traditional gifting practices.
Industry Implications
1. Art - The art industry could create provocative and avant-garde art sculptures to appeal to a specific audience.
2. Retail/gifts - Retail or gifting businesses could cater to a more niche audience by creating a collection of adult-themed novelty gifts and novelties such as the chocolate replicas of Santa's sculpture.
3. Entertainment - The entertainment industry could explore more options for humor-based gifting practices that cater to avant-garde and unconventional personalities.
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