You read that right. No more little girls begging their parents for a pony. Nope! Now every little girl’s childhood dream will be to have a possum of their very own. A sweet, beautiful possum!
Olivia the possum visited Madeline G.’s school one day and her friend Amira took this photo. Madeline told us she could not even handle how cute Olivia was. We think she handled it very well!!!
I gotta admit, I wuz skeptical but this pic is indeed DARN CUTE.
Signed,
Previously Skeptical
o.O
eez it going to eat her face?!
Signed,
still slightly squicked
The photo caught that possum at just the right angle. I allow that the photo turned out cute. I remain skeptical about possums generally.
Signed,
Skeptical, Then and Now
You guys crack me up.
Signed,
I Saved a Baby Possum Once, So I Think They’re Cute
Good work, ceejoe! I don’t know if I actually saved a possum’s life, but I once took one that had a gaping wound on its back to a wildlife rescue center. In rush hour traffic, I might add–every time the little guy scratched the sides of the box during the 45 minute trip, I just about jumped out the car window.
So, based on that experience, I concur that possums are cute. And this is an adorable photo. Slurp!
Bravo Berg for braving rush hour traffic to help an injured animal.
<3 <3 <3 Berg. You are AWESOME.
Aw, thanks, peeps! I’m sure most CO followers would have done the same thing, though.
the fuzzy head, the eyes upturned, seeming to say ‘love me???’, the long whiskers, added to a tongue peeking out as if to gently lick the holder of the possum. yes. yes, it all adds up to CUTE! ding ding ding!
the rack….
He looks so soft!!
Signed,
I don’t know why everyone’s adding signatures, but I wanna be a part of it
Fird started it.
PS. Is that just a fuzz-color gradation or am I seeing long pretty eyelashes on that possum?!
They are remarkably soft!!
Signed,
Someone who has handled a possum and felt how soft they really are!
Are possums not generally this cute? I’m very impressed with her wheeskers!
Signed,
I wanna be part of the “in crowd” too!
When you corner one in the wild, they hiss and show their teeth in a very unfriendly manner. I have never seen so many long, tiny, saber-like teeth–It’s like looking into the mouth of a running buzzsaw. I was not interested in getting closer.
Their survival strategy is ‘look like a gross dead thing’. Apparently, they clean up remarkably well!
it’s an instant in-group
signed,
member, instant in-group
As a tongue-hance would prove, Olivia is mere moments away from indeed EATING HER FACE! Or yawning. Either/or.
Signed, fellow cute-aholic but posso-phobe,
Yes, we are all individuals.
I hadn’t realized possums were so big.
Exactly what I thought… I imagined they were about bunny-sized. I’m impressed.
Also, we need a tongue-hance.
*is delighted at peeps adding descriptive signatures*
Signed,
Delighted
You are trend-setter, Fird!
DEEEEE-Lighted!
Signed,
Theodore Roosevelt
iiiiiiii want a little possumus for christmaaaasss
only a little possumus will dooooo
don’t want a doll
or dinky tinker toys
i want a little possumus to play with and enjoy!!!
possums are adorables!! eep!!
teacher says possumums are a vegetariaon!
Signed,
That’s the only other line I remember from that song
I think that song was about hippotamouses. *snerk*
Signed,
Chick Who Obviously Thinks She’s Hermione Granger And Is An Insufferable Know-It-All
PS – Possums are very cute! When they are not in your garbage or harassing your pets!
Adapting song lyrics to suit the occasion is the American way!
Signed,
Another Hermione Granger wanna-be
Don’t have much to say, but just wanted to add a descriptive signature.
Signed,
High need for inclusions
Inclusion, singular. Not plural
“Inclusions” works for me.
Signed,
In-crowd wannabee.
PS We don’t have possums over here, and I assume they can be disruptive/destructive, which is why some peeps have doubts, but this one is darned cute. Are they relatives of badgers?
Signed,
Can’t be bothered to Google “possums”.
Ahem *pushes glasses up on bridge of nose* Badgers and Opossums are both of the Kingdom Animalia, Phylum Chordata, Class Mammalia. Opossums are of the Order Didelphimorphia, Family Didelphidae which includes a variety of opossum species. Badgers are of the Order Carnivora, Family Mustelidae, which includes weasels, ferrets, otters and wolverines. *takes bow and walks off stage*
So, are they related or what?
Signed,
Can’t be bothered to decipher all that Latin up there.
Only related in that they are both mammals. So they are as closely related as a ferret and a dolphin.
Signed,
I didn’t really understand all the Latin stuff either.
Possums are marsupials, so no relation to badgers. I imagine they are more closely related to koalas and kangaroos, being fellow marsupials.
As I recall, opossums are the only North American marsupials. Feel free to correct me.
Signed,
She Who Knows No Latin, But Can Sing Ave Maria Anyway
According to what I read on the intertubes (which we all know *must* be accurate), opossums are not only the only marsupial found in North America, but also the only marsupial found in the Western Hemisphere.
Signed,
What does it take to get a few ‘roos, wallabies and koalas to this hemispher??
Ave Maria, gee it’s nice to see ya, doin’ the Vatican Rag.
teresa, my own girlie! get in line at that confessional, etc…where the guy who’s got religion’ll tell if your sin’s original. if it is try playin’ it safer, drink that wine and chew that wafer…two four six eight, time to transubstantiate…
signed,
already moseying to the mod lounge, awaited by tom lehrer and teresa.., but it was worth it. love latin….
wannadance!! I will now be unable to keep a straight face next Sunday.
Signed
D*mned for all eternity, but snickering all the way.
This looks like a Friday haiku opportunity, people! But I’m not a poet.
Signed,
Doomed to speak in prose
Squick factor: rabies,
Tail, feelth. Cute: pouch, flooftastic,
Wheeskairs. Jury out.
Jury, come back in
And keep deliberating.
I tell you, they’re cute.
4/20 already…?
we had a gigantic standard possum living at our apt. complex who ate cat food at night and was very tame. i would slog in from the hospital at 0100, and there it would sit to silently say hi…
I am firmly in the possums are qte camp, myself. I used to see a mamma & two babies come to clean up under my birdfeeders. They were too qte, and I am unanimous in that!
Signed,
Mrs. Slocombe
As is your pussy, no doubt, Mrs S.
Signed,
Holding breath – will I end up in moderashun?
O.O
Signed,
Time To Clutch Them Pearls!
*slides fainting couch T.*O*.O.J.’s way*
isn’t a fainting couch just a southern-style chaise longue?
Oh, probably….
Yes – you see, Fird’s in Florida, and I think she’s the one that started the fainting couch here.
Tonguehance, please.
Signed,
Unreasonably demanding appendage close-up requestor.
I like possums, I think they are very cute.
I always tought they look like giant prehistoric rats, what’s not to love about that?
Signed:
If that’s weird I don’t want to be normal.
“Rodents of unusual size? I don’t think they exist.”
Immediately, an R.O.U.S. attacks him!
Opossums are marsupials,
Signed,
Picky Pain in the @$$
But isn’t is allowed to be slightly wrong in order to slip in a Princess Bride reference?
Yes!!
So that would be a M.O.U.S.
QED, qte.
Signed,
She blinded him with science
*snicker*
Signed,
Out with the jury on the qte factor
qteness is in the eye of the beholder…
signed,
it’s all qte to me…
Question of the day
Are opossums cute or not?
Survey says Heck, yeah!
That’s right – didn’t we have a survey about this once? I think they were voted cute, weren’t they??
if slimy crawling snails are cute (urps quietly) then almost anything else is cute. i love possums and don’t wish to cast any aspirin at them…
signed,
really hate slime
So have we finally determined if possums are cute for once and for all?
When raised by people, opossums can be pretty cute- and loyal! When they don’t have to root around in trash and such to eat, or be exposed to diseases, their fur can be pretty soft and flooftastic. I had a friend who worked with a rescue and conservation program- they had one that was raised from a baby by this little old lady who taught it to ride around on her shoulder.
Signed,
Opossum (and other ROUSs) Supporter!
I like opossums. I think they are cute, even if they are ugly.
Signed,
PPPPBBBTHTHTH
Oh noes, I have been moderated.
Signed,
It’s Five o’ Clock Somewhere
(Hands Theresa a Mimosa because it is still early in these parts and not even close to 5:00)
Signed,
I live to serve, but only in the Mod Lounge
*hic*
i am with theresa, i think, in the lounge. i think i’ll drink in sisterhood, stand back, little darlin’, never finished a drink without passing out cold…plop…
They still scare me, and I doubt I could ever actually bring myself to TOUCH one, but this photo is not as horrifying as I imagined.
Signed,
I think it is their horrible tail that freaks me out.
LOL!
signed,
even rats are cute except for their tails
Possums can be cute if they are cared for properly, like bathing and other things like that. For some reason possums have a knack for always being filthy and for some reason screaming at owl yard figurines. Check out this site, it’s the Florida Wildlife Control page with some nice possum pics, including one with babys on her back awwwww….and it’s ok to pick them up by their tails so don’t freak out, they frequently will hang by the tail in a tree so it’s very sturdy and muscular.
http://www.247wildlife.com/opossumphotos.htm
Goodness. The guy holding mama possum with babies by her tail is definitely one of the weirder pictures I have seen. But I loved the possums in “Over the hedge”, so I am determined to like them.
“I saved this cute little one” (which requires me to wear heavy gloves and is screaming and trying to eat me)
that guy is mighty cute hisownsef’
signed,
never too old to appreciate long flappy lashes on a cute guy
They are totally adorable! I just want a menagerie of wild animals in my house! Squirrels, possums, cool bearded dragons, and my absolute favorites…skunks!!
skunks! with their ultimate defense weapon, they never had to develop an aerodynamic walk.
signed
ba-dum ba-dum, ba-dum ba-dum
Just to clarify that this is a North American opossum (note the “O”), whereas a possum is more like this:
http://richard-seaman.com/Mammals/Australia/Possum.jpg
Sincerely,
An Avid Zooarchaeologist
now, that is my kinda possum….
We had opossums (opossi?) that lived in the woods near our home in Nashville a million years ago. When we would be outside playing the yard as little kiddoes, the mamas and babies would come out and get as near to us as they dared — and the babies would play on the ground, too. It was like one big pink daycare center out in the open air! And yes, they were astoundingly cute.
Signed
Confused about the plural of opossum
Now I’m in the Mod Lounge!! (Grabs Mimosa makings from Theresa who is by now fully tanked.) Anyone have any brownies?
How about some greenies or blueies (I won’t offer you any orangeies, because the orange ones are poisin)
Dang, that was supposed to be the reply to Dash
I must have had too much beer 
Geez, get a little shnockered, and see what happens.
*Running to mirror to see if dang kids have Sharpie-d me*
here! these are the ones my friends in santa fe when i had overnight surgery and in the morning, after a night of sneaking up and down the halls of the very hospital where i worked, i had my release exam. doc said, ‘wooo, no more sedatives for you, your eyes are so weird’
signed,
wish i had a baby possum to play with right now. those mmoms look so beleaguered and heavy-laden
i dunno exactly plural but how about opposumatiae. that covers it?
signed,
work freak, like, difficulty with diagnosis once, i contributed:
pseudoschizophenoesquaforminoid (there were more additives but i am still not over 4/20)
For some reason all the comments today have made me LOL even more than usual.
Signed,
I think you people are silly and I love it!
I was on the fence before about possums being cute or scary, and even though I did witness a scary possum before (will spare you the sad details), this pic has put me squarely in the cute camp. I wonder how they are as pets, although I would never have one because I believe they should be left in the wild unless injured.
Signed,
Unable to think of a witty enough signature
Dear CO’ers:
I’m throwing a massive party at my place tonight. All drinks are on me!
Signed,
Fird Birfle
…..um ……er …..
*stifled giggles*
HAW
Signed
Easily amused
me: ‘why did she respond to her own comment w/ ‘um, er’ ??
HAHAHA. you so win.
Cry out “Olivia!”, O,
You should not rest,
Between the elements of air and earth,
But you should pity me,
As glancing upon peenketh tongue,
And lost in wheeskered wistfulness,
I gaze forlornly at your floof and squeeeee!
Signed, Shakespeare’s next door neighbour’s great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great granddaughter’s cat.
nice!…
for the win! , although ‘er…’ was pretty good. reminds me of some old days i can’t quite remember except it snowed six inches in iowa city at a pig roast i gave. btw, a pig roast is not cute…
signed,
freaked out by the past, man…
As a kid I always thought ‘possums were scary when they smiled wide because of their teeth , But now that I’ve seen the dog with a scary smile from “Beverly Hills Chihuahua 2″ & held a young ‘possum in a fuzzy blanket pouch they don’t seem so scary any more just darned cute !
Signed,
‘possum convert
P.S. PARTY AT THE BIRDCAGE ! WHOO HOO !!!!
I’ll bring the sweet & sour meatballs !
I’ll bring my world-famous layered taco dip!
all right, now we’re talking! i’ll dress up!!
<33 I love possums so much! D: I want a big fat adult possum to huggle right now. I've been in love with them since my stint at the local wildlife rehab place. The babies are just too sweet!
Signed,
There is a Huge Possum Who Comes into my Yard all the Time and I Call him Mister Gordo, the Third
Love oppossums! They’re so cute. Sure they can open their mouths scary wide, but they’re still adorable!
Too bad they don’t live for very long though
I’ve only been creeped out by a possum once: I was cleaning out our garage, picking up a pile of my stepson’s old stuffed animals one by one and putting them in a garbage bag, when one of the stuffed animals turned its head and blinked at me.
Signed,
I didn’t even know I COULD scream that loud!
Screamin’ wit’ ya
Signed
A member of the Shuddering Brethren (ref: Kenneth Williams in Round the Horne)
You all are so funny! One time, my sister and I were camping. Our dog burst into our tent after having been sprayed by a skunk. Oh my gosh does the stench of a skunk stink!
Signed,
Eyes burning and stinky clothes person
!
Oh my gosh this photo reminded me I almost had a close encounter with a skunk last night driving home! I live in the city and I saw this black thing moving & thought it was a plastic bag but then saw a white stripe and slowed down & he ran to the side of the road in time!
Signed
Narrowly missed getting skunked
Driving past a dead one was not fun.
That aroma L. I. N. G. E. R. E. D!! 8:O
*sigh* Any chance of a raspberry mojito?
You have, but to ask, v
http://thumbs.dreamstime.com/thumblarge_527/12809665170Q8z49.jpg
Oooo, thanks, Fird!
tomato juice, skunk antidote. every time we drove past a skunk on the road (in texas) my grandfather would lean out the window and yell’POLE CAT!!’
interesting armadillo facts: they reproduce in identical quadruplets (figure the genome of that) and they are incredibly stupid. they get smooshed at a rapid rate. good thing for quads…
signed,
expert on meaningless tiny facts
for some reason, this is hilarious to me! *BLINKED* wah!!!!
signed,
very giggly tonight
Oh, how I love all your comments and ALL THESE FREAKING CRAZY ADORABLE “SIGNED…” SIGNATURES
signed,
overwhelmed by the surprizingly high SQUEE FACTOR of the possums (no, there are no possums where I live)
Our feral possy, Molly, is a treasured visitor. Perhaps not so clean and pretty as this one, but very beloved. She comes exactly at 10pm every night expecting her cat food. She gets it too.
I call the big one “Bitey”…
signed,
Homer
you win the thread!
Look, just give them the figgy pudding already
Signed,
The Christmas Possums
http://cuteoverload.com/2008/12/24/possum-carolers/
Maybe I should not have opened that link before sleepytimes. OY.
“I call the big one ‘Bitey’.” (Simpsons anyone?)
Wow, this is actually at my school. I recognize the top of our library in the background. Now I am jealous because I missed the chance to meet a cute possum!
As a resident of a possum-intensive area of Louisiana bayou country, I can testify that most possums look like pointy-nosed, beady-eyed space aliens. Olivia, however, is distinctly cute!
texas also a possum bigbang area and i so agree. i would no more pick up and cuddle one of those brillo haired babes than bite a hawg…
don’t yall have mosquitos about that big? i seem to remember from when i lived in NO.
signed,
lived in the most noxious places ever
*snicker*
I think we have roaches about that big here in the Aloha State. (Aka the place where we all live in grass huts on the beach, and use outrigger canoes to get from one island to another.)
Tangent: has anyone seen the movie The Descendents? I absolutely love the part of George Clooney’s opening dialogue about living in Paradise.
Oooh yes, yes please! My boyfriend gives me lots of flack for it, but I love hideous/adorable little Opossums,
I know a sweet gal who has a ‘pet’ Opossum, a female that had been injured as a youngin by a cat. She’s full grown now, fat and happy, uses a litter box and free ranges in her home. Though mostly she lounges. She shares her rescue home with…get this…three dogs, two cats, a raven, pet rats, and ducks. The last time I visited to adopt some ratty boys, she was in a box near the door, sleeping, and stirred as I walked by. I didn’t even see her. She was so relaxed, stretching, sniffing. I can’t remember her name…Marge maybe. A witches name comes to mind…she can definitely keep you spellbound.