Political Satire Goes to the Dogs with 3D Printed Treats from Boneheads 2016

When the Fox News Republican debate was held last month in Cleveland, I was at home, mere miles away. My husband and I nestled on our couch, all set to watch…but we couldn’t, because the debate wasn’t airing on any of the free channels or being streamed online. (We watched Bride and Prejudice instead, because I grabbed control of Netflix while he refreshed debate highlights on his phone.) I wasn’t too torn up about missing it, honestly, and my non-excitement was only confirmed when I read the transcript online the next morning; I thought I’d clicked on The Onion by mistake, because some of the things said had to be satire, right? Well, not with Donald Trump as a serious candidate for candidacy, as it turns out. 

The second National Republican Primary Debate is airing tonight on CNN–complete with live stream!–and in celebration (?) of that, Chicago-based Funproductive, Inc. geared up with the launch of a Kickstarter campaign that’s for the dogs.

Literally.

“Watching the last debate, the clear thought that hit me over and over was that ‘these guys are boneheads,’” said Jack Knott, CEO of Funproductive, Inc. “Then I see my dog in the corner, chewing on a ball of ice made from an ice-tray mold in my freezer. I thought he’d love the ice even more if it was shaped like a bone, then I looked back at the debate on TV – lightbulb. I wanted to see my dog eat Donald Trump’s face.”

Boneheads 2016 is here to make Knott and his team’s dreams come true…and maybe your dog’s dreams, too! I don’t know about yours, but my dog always thinks he’s very tough (note he weighs an intimidating nine pounds) and is certain he could vanquish any human. Eating the faces of politicians will surely add to the power trip of any dog–and the way the treats are made will surely appeal to their conscientious owners.

Not only did the team behind Boneheads 2016 strive to include only real ingredients meant to serve up some integrity at treat time, but the process behind making them taught the Funproductive team a thing or two about the latest in technologies.

“We didn’t have a lot of experience with 3D printing before, but had watched from afar for a while and thought the technology was very interesting. There are no standard 3D printing applications that every single person is going to use on a daily basis (at least not yet), but there are limitless creative applications,” Knott told 3DPrint.com. “We figured out how to use a variety of 3D modeling software like Blender and FaceGen, and found some makers through 3D Hubs. After that, we molded the prints with food-grade silicone putty, and started cranking out Boneheads.”

Intended as a “light-hearted demonstration of First Amendment rights,” the dog biscuits feature caricatures in the likenesses of potential Presidential candidates Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton, Chris Christie, Jeb Bush, and Ted Cruz, all designed–and used with permission–by DonkeyHotey. The selected Presidential hopefuls, the team notes, all have “circus-like campaigns”…and in keeping with the satirical spirit, the only potential difficulty they note on Kickstarter is simply: “Donald Trump might sue us. But otherwise, we got this.”

The dog biscuits are available via Kickstarter in candidate flavors, each made with real, simple ingredients such as whole wheat, coconut flour, eggs, and peanut butter, as Funproductive strove to ensure that “these Boneheads have integrity” in their makeup. The simple ingredients strive to ensure that these dog treats expand “beyond the novelty of the imagery evoked by dogs eating politicians.” Most of the treats I get my dog are shaped like bones or little green toothbrushes; it might be fun to see him chew on something a little more…substantial?

The Boneheads 2016 Kickstarter campaign seeks to raise $5,000 by October 15th. Backers (well, backers’ dogs) will be rewarded with various treats, from a single Bonehead treat for $5 to a 2lb box of treats for $15, among other reward levels. Check out the campaign video below for more information on Boneheads 2016 (and another look at Bill Clinton’s famous definition questioning).

We’ve seen some impressive uses of 3D printing before to satirize politics, and I have to admit–these dog biscuits are far from the most inflammatory pieces out there this election season.

Will you be watching the Republican debates this evening?  Let us know your thoughts on the debate and these 3D printed treats.  Discuss in the 3D Printed Dog Treat forum thread on 3DPB.com.

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