Part of my photo project Thrift Shop Hell, documenting weird and wonderful thrift store finds from the Upper Midwest.

This weird “momma animal chained to her babies” motif is something you see a lot at antique stores—usually with different breeds of dog, or (weirdly?) skunks.

They’re usually WAY out of my price range for this project (I actually buy all the awful things featured here, and I need to keep a pretty strict budget), so I’ve never been able to pick one up before.  Imagine my delight and horror when I saw this trio going for only a couple bucks!

This set is a little unconventional—I’ve never seen carved wooden ones before; they’re usually porcelain or something more fragile.  And the chains connecting the animals are usually closer in gauge to “fine jewelry” than the “clunky bondage chain” featured here.

And of course, this set features the hallmark of Thrift Shop Hell—plastic gemstone eyes.

All around, a great subject.