Lolcat Tigger

From Icanhascheesburger.

And hey, if you’re interested in linguistics and the interweb, especially if you already speek leet, you could do worse than to read their special in-depth analysis of lolspeak.

School district must pay $95K for banning Tigger socks

Mr Broke Hoedown’s blog, Collateral Damage, provides this update on the school district that banned Tigger socks some time back:

To no one’s surprise a lawsuit ensued. Said suit has now been settled. The school district has had to cough up$95K in lawyers’ fees

Tigger Socks Protected Under First Amendment

San Francisco Chronicle has the scoop (hat tip to Mousevine!):

As long as they’re not carrying messages about “bong hits 4 Jesus,” students have the right to express themselves in the clothing they wear to school, whether it includes a cancer awareness pin or embroidery of Tigger on their socks, a Napa County judge has ruled in halting enforcement of a school’s dress code.

For the past nine years, Redwood Middle School in Napa has required students’ clothing and backpacks to be entirely solid colors and has banned pictures, words, symbols or patterns — except the school logo — as well as jeans or “denim-looking” clothes.

So, um, I guess those “bong hits for Tigger” shirts are out, but now the socks are A-OK.

My favorite commentary during the battle for Tigger socks was posted recently (but before the ruling above) by Little Tigger, on Mr Broke Hoedown’s blog Collateral Damage:

I will always wear my Tigger overalls,
I refuse to wear stupid plain growedup
clothes, if it becomes law, it will
be the first law I will have broken
in my whole life.

When Tigger Socks are Outlawed . . .

Mr Broke Hoedown (aka Collateral Damage) scooped me this morning on a Disney-related story: When Tigger socks are outlawed, only outlaws will wear cheerful Disney branded cloth on their feet.

Last year Toni Kay Scott, a student at Napa Valley’s Redwood Middle School, was sent to an in-school suspension program (with the wonderfully Orwellian-name of Students With Attitude Problems). Her crime? Violating a dress code by wearing socks with Tigger on them, along with a denim skirt and a brown shirt with a pink border.

Now really, what’s up with Tigger always being involved somehow when kids are getting into trouble? Dude’s got a serious problem with authority. You never hear Piglet’s name getting kicked around when someone’s misbehaving, now do you?

No Criminal Charges to be Filed Against Tigger

Orlando Sentinel reports: No charges to be filed after ‘Tigger’ complaint:

No charges will be filed against 31-year-old Michael J. Fedelem, the employee playing Winnie the Pooh’s bouncy friend, the State Attorney’s Office announced today.

It’s been interesting to watch the Disney fan community rally around Tigger. Here’s a couple of the banners people have been sporting lately on interweb message boards:

Even outside the usual Disney fan sites, there’s plenty of amusing commentary on the web. Like this page on The Stranger’s Blog.

I sincerely hope that the unfortunate Cast Member playing Tigger doesn’t get dragged into a civil lawsuit. But even if he does, at least we know where the majority of the public stands.

Tigger Punches 14 Year Old Guest?

From the Orlando Sentinel:

A Disney employee playing the famed cartoon character is under investigation after a New Hampshire family accused him of punching their 14-year-old son during a home-video session at Disney-MGM Studios.

Later in that same article, I’m embarassed to tell you this made me laugh:

Friday’s incident is the second in nearly three years involving Tigger-costumed Disney workers.

So, what is it about Tiggers, anyway? Are they just mad they didn’t get in on that Euro Disney scene with Minnie?

John Frost’s post in the Disney Blog has some commentary, and links to a few different versions of the story.

[A late addition: CBS4Boston has a videocast including the alleged punch. Looks to me like Tigger was trying to hug the kid, and perhaps got tripped up by the low visibility in some of those fur costumes. And the best quote?

“The general manager apologized to me everyone came up to apologize but Tigger he won’t be a man about it get out of the costume and apologize to my son.”

Enough said. Good night.]