Happy Squirrels?

Hi all, I was just reading a very old thread from 2004, about when the Happy Squirrel cards began popping up in tarot decks. A lot of the posts talked about the Happy Squirrel card being in the Simpson's show, when a fortune teller tells Lisa about her future wedding... and the also discuss what the Happy Squirrel card might actually mean, within context of a reading!

you can see the thread here if you are interested (it is about 15 pages long!) : http://www.tarotforum.net/showthread.php?t=24667

Anyways, now that several decks seem to have a Happy Squirrel card, and it is 8 years later, any thoughts about what the Happy Squirrel has meant to you, in your readings?

Just curious! I wanted to get the Touchstone Tarot and I understand it has a Squirrel card in it...maybe those who participated in the 2004 thread could (pretty please!) share your insights for the benefit of new members! (well - and if new members have Happy Squirrel cards, feel free to say what they mean to you, too!) Thanks

PS here is a listing of some decks with Happy Squirrel card included...for those who don't have a deck with one.
http://www.aeclectic.net/tarot/cards/decks-with-a-happy-squirrel.shtml

I'm quite curious as well! I don't own a deck that has the Happy Squirrel card but the deck I'm currently designing will have one, just because I want one!

Lotus Padma said:

Anyways, now that several decks seem to have a Happy Squirrel card, and it is 8 years later, any thoughts about what the Happy Squirrel has meant to you, in your readings?

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I still dislike them as much as I ever did. Is it really 8 years of hate? Time flies.

I shall come clean; I'd think really carefully before buying a deck with a Happy Squirrel. I only have one and I didn't really realise till it came as there were a few other extra cards too. It seems gimmicky and forcing pop culture references. It feels like the deck is saying "aren't we krazy referencing the Simpsons?"

A deck with a Happy Squirrel is hard for me to take seriously. But I don't lose sleep over it.

Well you did ask!

I guess I am a spoil-sport. Decks can come with an extra card or two, the Magic Realist folks often include an extra interesting card for example. While I like them and keep them, I always remove them from the deck before using it. Except one, I leave both versions of The Lovers in the Victorian Romantic as I think each card has its own message.

I portrayed the Happy Squirrel last year at the costumed banquet at the Readers Studio ... and I introduced it as "The Happy Squirrel brings nothing but DOOOOOOOM!"

For readings, I don't use it unless I'm prepared to bring a few lighthearted remarks in. In the few cases it came up I treated it as some kind of Joker card.

Normally, I remove it.

Alta said:

I guess I am a spoil-sport. Decks can come with an extra card or two, the Magic Realist folks often include an extra interesting card for example. While I like them and keep them, I always remove them from the deck before using it. Except one, I leave both versions of The Lovers in the Victorian Romantic as I think each card has its own message.

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No ... so am I! I'm removing these extra cards too, even the 2nd Lovers.
The one exception is the Dark Priestess form the Infinite Visions, which I irrationally love. To be even more inconsistent, I have removed the Dark Magician from the same deck!

But I think having alternate Lovers cards, or two Emperors or even Hermés in the BBC can be traced back to tarot or the various aspects of a card; the Lovers, The Emperors quite easily have (at least) two dimensions and Hermés is an aspect of the Magician.

But the Happy Squirrel is just "I saw it in a cartoon and I'm going to be soo post-modern and reference it. Coz I'm witty." Nope. Don't buy it.

Of course, each to their own and loads of people will come forward and say "yes, but... yes, but..."

I just don't want it. It reminds me of those signs in the office "you don't have to be mad to work here but it helps". Forced kraziness...

I agree that often the extra cards have some foundation or other in the Tarot itself.

Still, it has always bothered me to have another aspect for a random Major and not for the others. And Danse Macabre and Memento Mori fit the theme of the deck, but have no Tarot foundation, either.

Aulruna said:

I agree that often the extra cards have some foundation or other in the Tarot itself.

Still, it has always bothered me to have another aspect for a random Major and not for the others. And Danse Macabre and Memento Mori fit the theme of the deck, but have no Tarot foundation, either.

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True. Interestingly, these are cards I don't like to leave in. Just realised that now. The other week I was reading for someone with the pewter BG and I'd forgotten to take out the Memento Mori card and it came up and I was a bit stumped as I hadn't sorted out my meaning for it yet! But as a rule, I tend to leave these ones out and the "added dimension" Majors stay in though I agree with you; why one and not the other?

But lets face it; Danse Macabre, Memento Mori, Dame Fortune's Wheel Significator and any of the other invented extras are a bit classier than the Happy Squirrel.

It can't be that common though, I got 112 decks - used to own like 50 more - and never ever had a happy squirrel card! What are the odds?