Star Wars Costumes For Your Pup

Costume Craze brought us this collection of Star Wars dog costumes, because apparently being adorable wasn’t enough work for our pets. The 2013 lineup included Bantha, Dewback, Tauntaun, and AT-AT designs. Finally, a way to make the trip from the couch to the food bowl look like an expedition across a distant planet.

That’s cool and all, but I’d much rather transform my dogs into beings who pay rent on time and clean up after themselves. These freeloaders just sleep, eat, fart in their sleep, and sleep. Or as I like to call it: living the dream. A costume probably won’t improve their financial contributions, but it might improve the family photo.

Four Designs From a Galaxy Far, Far Away

Laughing Squid’s April 2013 coverage listed all four costumes as upcoming releases from Costume Craze. The selection went beyond dressing a dog as a familiar human character. Instead, it borrowed creatures and machinery from the films, turning the dog’s entire silhouette into part of the joke.

It’s a particularly good premise for anyone whose dog already moves around the house like an enormous creature in a very small landscape. Mine can make walking past a coffee table seem like a complicated military operation. Giving that performance a Star Wars theme feels less like a transformation and more like appropriate production design.

Bantha and Dewback: The Tatooine Options

For a quick refresher, the official Star Wars Databank describes banthas as large, furry mammals used as mounts by Tusken Raiders. Dewbacks are reptiles associated with Tatooine, also used as mounts. Two different approaches to desert transportation, now providing inspiration for considerably smaller household companions.

Your dog’s usual territory may be the living room rather than the desert, but the appeal survives the change of scenery. No interplanetary travel required. Just a familiar pet looking unexpectedly like something from a film. Please don’t expect the outfit to make your dog more interested in following your carefully planned route around the block.

Tauntaun or AT-AT?

The Tauntaun and AT-AT options bring a different setting to mind: Hoth. Tauntauns are the creatures the Rebels used for patrols on the ice planet, while the AT-AT is an armored walker. One is an animal; the other is a machine. Your dog remains a dog in either case, with the same strong opinions about dinner.

Let Your Dog Have the Final Say

Costumes only make sense for dogs who enjoy wearing them. The ASPCA recommends checking that an outfit doesn’t restrict movement, vision, breathing, or vocalizing, and avoiding loose pieces that could be swallowed. If your pup finds dressing up stressful, skip it. They can supervise the galaxy from the couch, which was probably their preferred assignment anyway.