what's the deal with this octopus

November 17, 2014 10:20 PM

What is the origin of the design of this specific octopus pendant and why is this exact design everywhere?

I've been seeing a lot of people wearing necklaces with the exact same design of the pendant (down to the placement of the loops), and yet nobody really knows where they were bought (almost all were gifted). When I looked on Google Images and Etsy, a large majority of the octopus pendants are the same or super closely similar.

Why is this? Why this design in particular? Was there some sort of celebrity shoutout? Is this the way that Chutulu takes over the world? But seriously - how did this specific octopus become so popular?

posted by divabat to Clothing, Beauty, & Fashion (8 answers total)

Best answer: It's basically just a standard crafting supply that's cheap and widely available at places like Hobby Lobby, but is still off-beat enough that it gets picked up for use in "unique" etsy products.

The late, lamented Regretsy had a great post on it, archived here at Funny Junk.
posted by clerestory at 10:30 PM on November 17, 2014 [18 favorites]

I don't know for certain, but I suspect - the popularity, at least - is somehow tied in to the Flying Spaghetti Monster, Tarvu, and possibly even the Octopus Overlords, because the imagery is similar. I'd swear I've seen that particular style of octopus as artwork when following some of those parody religion rabbit-trails, but can't find it at the moment. And if I allow myself to look for it any more tonight, I just know I'm going to get sucked into one of those time-sinks...
posted by stormyteal at 10:33 PM on November 17, 2014 [1 favorite]

It is a Steampunk "thing".
posted by boilermonster at 11:38 PM on November 17, 2014 [2 favorites]

Also, it's taken from an old steel engraving (out of copyright) and is posted online at various websites like the Graphics Fairy, so FREE ART. It's also a harmonious shape. I've seen it silk-screened onto pillows.
posted by TWinbrook8 at 2:39 AM on November 18, 2014

You can buy them in bulk on eBay. Very unique!
posted by biddeford at 5:29 AM on November 18, 2014 [1 favorite]

Hail Hydra!
posted by John Kennedy Toole Box at 8:22 AM on November 18, 2014 [1 favorite]

Along with the Cthulu vibe, there's a bit of a resemblance to the Hydra symbol ("Hail Hydra!") that the Captain America movies made so popular.
posted by RedOrGreen at 8:23 AM on November 18, 2014 [2 favorites]

That octopus pendant was all over etsy well before the Captain America movies came out. I know because I favorited a couple etsy items that feature it when I was still in my steampunky/cephalopod phase and I'm pretty sure I grew out of that before 2011.
posted by sparklemotion at 2:47 PM on November 18, 2014