Woman Discovers Her Pet Chameleon Will Hold Anything She Hands Her

Pet Chameleon

We think of dogs and cats as being the only pets that can make us laugh, but as artist Emma Ward shows us, that’s not true. In a brief series of amusing images, she photographed her pet chameleon Olive holding tiny toy objects. Tweeting that the reptile will “grab anything you give them,” Ward armed the green creature with miniature swords and battle axes. This is all as Olive looks on, clearly unimpressed with the great power that they now wield.

Since tweeting the three pictures of Olive, the reptile has gone viral with over 169,000 retweets. Although Ward didn’t anticipate such a fervent response, the series is a perfect combination of her and Olive’s interests. Ward is a fantasy-style illustrator who enjoys creating imaginative characters and worlds—and collecting things from them. Olive, on the other hand, simply appreciates smalls things. “Knowing she likes to grasp anything that goes in her hands, I thought Lego swords and Evangelion weapons would be an interesting idea,” Ward explained to Chron.com.

Since Olive’s explosive debut, Ward has continued the trend and put her leopard gecko Stimpy in a variety of fabulous hats. Maybe it could be friends with this similarly fashionable toad.

Artist Emma Ward has charmed the internet with her pet chameleon, Olive, who will grab anything she's given.

Pet Chameleon

Pet Chameleon Holding Things

Ward has inspired other pet owners to do the same thing…

…but she didn't stop with Olive. Ward later outfitted her gecko Stimpy with fabulous hats!

Pet Gecko Wearing Hats

Pet Gecko Wearing Hats

Pet Gecko Wearing Hats

Pet Gecko Wearing Hats

Emma Ward: Twitter | Tumblr
h/t: [Bored Panda]

All photos via Emma Ward unless otherwise noted. 

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Sara Barnes

Sara Barnes is a Staff Editor at My Modern Met and Manager of My Modern Met Store. She is a graduate of the Maryland Institute College of Art where she earned her BFA in Illustration and MFA in Illustration Practice. Sara is also an embroidery illustrator and writer living in Seattle, Washington. She runs Bear&Bean, a studio where she stitches pet portraits and other beloved creatures. She chronicles the creativity of others through her website Brown Paper Bag and newsletter, Orts. Her latest book is Threads of Treasure: How to Make, Mend, and Find Meaning Through Thread, published in 2014. Sara’s work has been recognized in Be Creative With Workbox, Embroidery Magazine, American Illustration, on Iron and Wine’s album Beast Epic, among others. When she’s not stitching or writing, Sara enjoys planning things that bring together the craft community. She is the co-founder of Camp Craftaway, a day camp for crafty adults with hands-on workshops in the Seattle area.
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