Keeping Portland Weird: The Peculiarium

Have you heard the expression, "Keep Portland weird"? Portlanders take pride in how weird their city is and want to keep it that way. There has been a real cultural vacuum when it comes to weird in Portland since the Velveteria Museum of Black Velvet Paintings moved to LA and the 24 Hour Church of Elvis Museum shut down. Fortunately, Portland now has the Peculiarium to fill the void. It epitomizes weirdness. As one of my nieces said, "It's like what would happen if you scrunched all of Portland up into one shop." The Peculiarium is a store and a gallery of the strange and is chock full of interesting oddities. Do you like weird stuff? If so, check out these photos from our visit. 

As you walk down NW 23rd, you'll see this sign promising you hotdogs, ice cream, frankenballs and weirdness at the Peculiarium.

You're on the right track. Turn down Thurman and look out for the zombie in a wheelchair outside. You've arrived at the Peculiarium!

As you may know, zombies are a real problem in Portland. Fortunately, they have a handy zombie threat level sign on the outside of the Peculiarium so that you know whether to panic and head to the hills.

Did you know that raccoons can turn into vampires? Fortunately, they caught this one and turned him into a display to warn folks of the dangers of these little critters. See those bottles he is sitting next to? Each one has a human soul inside - prices start at $9.

Vampires have a hard time finding suitable toys for their little ones. The Peculiarium is there to help - like this vampire Barbie doll. You can't see the fangs too well in this photo, but trust me, they're there. She is both glamorous and deadly.

I had a dollhouse when I was little. It was nothing like this one. If you don't like gory scenes, you may want to skip over the next few photos.

Aliens attacking people in the bathroom. Always, always, always check the toilet and bathtub before you use them. You never know what can pop out from there.

 

I'm not sure if it was vampires or zombies that caused this chaos in the kitchen.

Okay, that has probably been too disturbing for you to look at. Let's move onto something more cheerful, like this alien squirrel.

The Peculiairum is very educational as well. You can learn about how alien autopsies are conducted. In this case, the aliens are in charge. Poor human. 

Of course, all this weird goodness needs to be funded somehow, so there are lots of strange and random stuff for sale in the shop. I bought a tiny alien baby for only 50 cents. I think he'll look great on our next boat. 

And if you're in the mood for an ice cream sundae with insects sprinkled on top, then this is the place for you. If you manage to eat one of these tasty treats, then you can join the elite Insectatarian Club. I passed.

And on your way out, don't forget to press the button on this door and look through the tiny hole. Totally worth it. 

Linked up with Bonnie for Travel Tuesday.