Holy Butterball! Turkey disguised as Caped Crusader

Holy Butterball! Turkey disguised as Caped Crusader

Associated Press

ODESSA, Texas

“We are turkeys in disguise.

“Don’t you think that we are wise?

“We’ve dressed up as best we’re able, to keep off your kitchen table!”

Undercover and incognito is Lamar Early Education Center’s gang of butterballs. The art project lines the front hallways of the preschool, showing off the creative work of the school’s 4-year-olds and their parents.

One boy, Julian Rodriguez, rattled off exactly how his turkey disguised as Batman was realized as he saw it on Monday afternoon.

“My mom did this one, and I did this. My mom did this one. I did this one,” Julian went on and on pointing to the different body parts and colors of his turkey Batman.

Principal Martha Mitchell told the Odessa American that children were sent home with a plain white paper cutout of a turkey body and given free rein to decide how they might disguise the bird ahead of Thanksgiving dinner.

“This one says ‘eat more cow.’ That’s just too funny,” Mitchell said, pointing to some of the more unusual choices.

There are Ninja Turtles, football players, Ariel from “The Little Mermaid,” Mickey Mouse, a minion from “Despicable Me,” soldiers, Nintendo’s Mario, scarecrows and even one in actual camouflage: dirt and grass is glued to the paper turkey.

The idea was shared (well, secretly borrowed) from a teacher in Midland and it’s the fifth year of the pre-school students are designing their own turkey in disguise.

“We never had an astronaut before. We get a lot of Santa’s and snowmen. It’s fun to see all the different ones that come in,” Lori Cunningham said, who brought the idea to Lamar. She’s been a teacher there for 21 years.

Darling little Kathryn Martinez pointed to her turkey as Mitchell and Cunningham looked on.

“It’s a tiger,” Kathryn said shyly standing next to it on the bottom row near the floor.

“No, a lion,” Cunningham whispered.

“It’s a lion,” she said, without looking away.

“The hair goes like this and goes like that,” Kathryn said moving the spiraled gold ribbon mane back and forth.

“And this is her tutu.”