You may be familiar with the Japanese concept kawaii (the culture of ‘cuteness’), but have you heard of kimo-kawaii? Roughly translated as ‘creepy-cute’ or ‘gross-cute’, the kimo-kawaii phenomenon sees otherwise cute (or kawaii) characters in, well, pretty weird – even gory – situations. It’s creepy-cute or some might say: ugly-cute.
But you don't have to look as far as Japan for 'ugly-cute' when it comes to pets. In the pet world, there are tons of breeds as ugly as they are cute – and we love them for it. These are just some of our faves:
Hairless cats If a catisn't soft and furry, is it still a cat? Sure it is. Sphynx cats (think Dr. Evil's cat in Austin Powers), Levkoy cats, Peterbalds and Bambinos are all different breeds of hairless cats – they may have a strange, wrinkly, naked look to them but we think they're cute as… And hey, no cat hair to worry about.
Chinese Crested Dogs The Chinese Crested Dog is a common winner of 'ugliest dog' competitions around the world (yep, they exist) – but we reckon that's a bit harsh. In reality, these pups are intensely social and make devoted pets. They're also well-suited to apartment living and are very kid-friendly.
Axolotl salamanders They mightn't be a very common pet but they do make unique ones. Axolotl salamanders, also known as Mexican walking fish, are known for their slimy tails, their plumage-like gills, and their strangely shaped mouths that look like a little smile. Don't get your hopes up about keeping an axolotl as a pet in New Zealand though: critically endangered, aquarium life isn't always the best option for these funny-looking little guys.
Celestial Eye Goldfish With eyes mounted on the top sides of its head, constantly staring upwards (towards the sky, geddit?), the Celestial Eye is perhaps the most unusual-looking of all goldfish. With their majestic goggles, this goldfish variety is an impressive-looking pet but it's not recommended for beginner owners. With a lower tolerance to poor water quality than other goldfish, you'll need to keep a close eye (geddit again?) on conditions in the tank.
Pugs You didn't think we would leave this classic off the list, did you? Pugs, with their short-muzzled faces, wrinkles, rolls and curly tails, are practically the epitome of ugly-cute. Long live the Pug.
