Why Do We Think Animals in Cups Are so Cute?

Several times a week I am forwarded an email that contains pictures of animals in cups and everyone thinks they are adorable. But why do we find animals, especially baby animals in cups so darn cute?

We humans like animals in cups so much that each holiday you can find stuffed animals in cups on store shelves everywhere. So where did this strange fad get started? I don't know the answer to that question, but I do remember where I saw my first animal in a cup, I Can Has Cheezburger?

All I had to do was go to icanhascheezburger.com and search for 'cup' and a fuzzy little kitten pops up asleep in a cup. But we don't just like animals in cups, we also like animals on cups or coffee mugs.

I found coffee mugs with animals on them at Zazzle.com and Cafepress.com. As much as we love animals in cups, we also love pictures of animals on pretty much anything.

How many times have we taken a picture of our beloved animal and tried to make them even cuter by posing them in some strange way. Maybe putting a small animal in a cup is our way of showing off just how small and cute they are and how vulnerable we see them.

We do the same thing with insects we find. Sometimes I will find a spider and take a picture of him under a glass. While some might not find that to be cute, I think having it under a glass and not inside the glass is my way of showing that it is dangerous and therefore needs to be secured under or in something.

I have on occasion put a hamster or two in a cup, as you can see from the picture above. That is Baby sticking her little head up from inside that Kool-Aid cup and the other picture is Chance who was baby's sister, sitting in his food bowl. But it kinda looks like he is sitting in a cup to me.

According to ezinearticles.com "In the end, it's hard to say exactly why we love animals. But humans have always wanted to get as close to animals as possible--and not just to hunt them. Animals have always inspired our imaginations, thrilled our spirits, and tugged at our heartstrings. It's a partnership that will continue as long as humans share space on earth with other living creatures."

It seems to be human nature to pose our animals in ways to make them seem cuter and take pictures of them at angles that make them seem vulnerable, small and sweet. Putting a small animal in a cup and taking a picture seems to be the new big thing and I for one am all for it, because really, what's cuter than a baby animal sitting in a cup?

Sources:

http://icanhascheezburger.com/2008/10/12/funny-pictures-cup-left-on-the-bench-too-long/

http://ezinearticles.com/?Why-Humans-Love-Animals&id=698934

http://www.cafepress.com/+baby-animals+mugs

http://www.zazzle.com/cute_baby_animals_mug-168140815958959209