Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
Arts & Entertainment
Still Life: Dead Rat With Lollipop
By
John Del Signore
Published Dec 18, 2012
Modified Dec 18, 2012
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
John Del Signore
Published Dec 18, 2012
Modified Dec 18, 2012
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
In 2009, Gothamist mesmerized an easily-distracted city with this iconic photo depicting a dead rat inexorably trapped in a sidewalk crevice. The original undoctered photo spawned hundreds—nay, millions—of reader-submitted Photoshop alterations, turning the Sad Rat into a darkly humorous tribute to one rodent's unusual demise. Now a new dead rat has landed in the Gothamist inbox, and, as you can see, this bad boy passed beyond the Curtain of Eternity in a blaze of saccharine glory, sucking every last drop of sweetness out of his final moments on Earth's bitter crust.
Or maybe some joker just planted the lollipop there as a gag? It goes without saying that comedy is totally worth risking bubonic plague. We shared this skepticism with the tipster who submitted the photo, and he replied, "Why the hell would someone do that??? I mean, I've looked at it a few times, and the blue is around its mouth like its been eating it for awhile. I'm almost wondering if it died from a sugar overdose, BUT I'M NOT A VETERINARIAN."
So are lollipops fatal to rats, like chocolate is for dogs? Or is there a batch of poisonous blue lollipops in circulation? Should the city start using these things to get a handle on New York's booming rat population? Is it time for us to get real jobs? Let us know in the comments! And of course, if there's something ELSE you're inclined to Photoshop into the dead rat's mouth, well, we'd have no choice but to inspect it at photos(AT)gothamist(DOT)com. Life is short!
Tagged
candy
rats
original
John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE arts-entertainment
How the Village Halloween Parade keeps its soul
A visit to the community-driven pre-parade puppet preparations.
By
Hannah Frishberg
Published Oct 28, 2026 at 12:38 p.m. ET
'You Can See Everything' … as long as you go to Staten Island
Nathan Fielder’s Elizabeth Holmes documentary has been selling out across Manhattan and Brooklyn. Tickets to see the film, however, are very much available in other boroughs.
By
Sonia Rao
Arts & Entertainment
'You Can See Everything' … as long as you go to Staten Island
Nathan Fielder’s Elizabeth Holmes documentary has been selling out across Manhattan and Brooklyn. Tickets to see the film, however, are very much available in other boroughs.
By
Sonia Rao
Inside the hidden chamber that controls Lincoln Center's magnificent fountain
By
Sonia Rao
In the algorithm age, NYC college radio DJs are still broadcasting the funky stuff
By
James Ramsay
A Queens prop shop shutters, bunnies find a home uptown, and more openings and closings
By
Hannah Frishberg
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .