69 'Everyday' Icons

From Surfing Santas to Fairytale Boob Jobs, No Famous Figure is Safe from the

— December 27, 2009 — Pop Culture
On the surface, this slideshow of everyday icons is slightly titillating; you'll see a real-life version of Jessica Rabbit, Cinderella with an IV drip and Belle from Beauty and the Beast going under the plastic surgery knife. Dive deeper, though, and there's something else beneath these 'everyday' icons--a theme of humanizing famous pop culture figures.

What is it about seeing 'everyday' icons--like Santa surfing or checking out an aged, overweight Wonder Woman--that delights us so? Perhaps it's the realization that in real life, no icon, not even Superman, is perfect. During the 2008 election, we saw pundits from both sides hail Sarah Palin and Barack Obama as superheroes--clearly, there's appeal in both making superheroes ordinary and turning mere mortals into superheroes. Check out these and more 'everyday' icons below.
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68
Real Life Fairytale Heroes
Real Life Fairytale Heroes
Robin Hood Steals £7 Million from Rich
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67
Superhero Musicals
Superhero Musicals
Can "Spiderman: Turn Off the Dark" Conquer Broadway?
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66
Guerrilla Caped Crime Fighters
Guerrilla Caped Crime Fighters
The Cincinnati Superhero is Taking Care of Criminals
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65
Animated Urban Superheroes
Animated Urban Superheroes
"Mystery Man" by Gnarls Barkley
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64
Superhero Workouts
Superhero Workouts
Unleash Your Inner Green Lantern or Superman
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63
Superhero Prime Ministers
Superhero Prime Ministers
Putin Saves TV Crew From Tiger
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62
Celeb Superhero Fixations
Celeb Superhero Fixations
Ryan Reynolds to Play His Third Hero in Seven Years
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61
Humanizing Villains
Humanizing Villains
Showing the Softer Side of North Korea's Kim Jong-il
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60
Humanized Street Signs
Humanized Street Signs
The Pedestrian Project
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59
Inventing Hobbies for Fictional Characters
Inventing Hobbies for Fictional Characters
Showcasing Santa's (Photoshopped) Other Side
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58
Superfluous Superheroes
Superfluous Superheroes
'Superuseless Superpowers' Documents the Abilities of Anti-Heroes
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57
Everyday Royalty Shoots
Everyday Royalty Shoots
Domesticated Royal Pictures Capture What You Think They Do
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56
Real Women as Superheroes
Real Women as Superheroes
"Female Force" Comics Feature Sarah Palin and Hillary Clinton
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55
Wimpy Action Heroes
Wimpy Action Heroes
LA Times Picks Best of the Worst
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54
Domesticated Superheroes
Domesticated Superheroes
Gregg Segal's Super Photography
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53
Humanized Video Game Characters
Humanized Video Game Characters
Niko Bellic from Grand Theft Auto IV
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52
Animated Retooning
Animated Retooning
Turning People Into Humanized Cartoons
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51
Fashion-Challenged  Superheros
Fashion-Challenged Superheros
'The Spirit' Wears a Business Suit
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50
Everyday Hero Shoots
Everyday Hero Shoots
Dulce Pinzon Photographs Mexican Immigrant Workers as Superheroes
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49
Gay Superheroes
Gay Superheroes
Stan Lee Unveils Thom Creed, High School Basketball Player
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48
Reviving Iconic Superheroes
Reviving Iconic Superheroes
Is 'Wonder Woman' Animated Movie Setting Up Live-Action Film?
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47
Real-Life Superheroes
Real-Life Superheroes
Master Legend Joins Legions of Spandex-Clad Crime Fighters
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46
Elderly Fairytale Heroines
Elderly Fairytale Heroines
Sabugosa Ad Illustrates That Children's Books Last Forever
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45
Life-Sized Nintendo Heroes
Life-Sized Nintendo Heroes
Papercrafter Haywan Shows Major Love for the Legend of Zelda
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44
Superhero Presidents
Superhero Presidents
Obama in Comic Books from Spider Man to Savage Dragon
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43
Regular Superheroes
Regular Superheroes
Ian Pool Shows the Everyday Lives of Comic Book Stars
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42
Superman-Approved Shirts
Superman-Approved Shirts
Ads Show Stori is the Apparel Brand Preferred by Superheroes
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41
Superhero Changerooms
Superhero Changerooms
In NYC Posterchild Turns Public Eye Sores into Art
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40
Damsel in Distress Fashion
Damsel in Distress Fashion
‘Hero Saves the Day' in Love Magazine's Debut Issue
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39
Personalized Superhero Costumes
Personalized Superhero Costumes
Super You Helps Kids Officially Become Superhuman
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38
‘Everyday' Celebtography
‘Everyday' Celebtography
Marianne Rosenstiehl Humanizes Portraits of Famous Faces
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37
Objectified Fairytale Characters
Objectified Fairytale Characters
Pinocchio Gets Hunky in an Unbuttoned Shirt for Mr. Min
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36
60 Year Old Superheros
60 Year Old Superheros
Age-Defiant Grace Jones Photo Shoot
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35
Geek Fashion Fusion
Geek Fashion Fusion
Shirts Feature Iconic Superhero Mashups
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34
Stylish Superheroes
Stylish Superheroes
Damien Blottiere Gives 'The Man of Steel' a Makeover
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33
Superhero Hipsters
Superhero Hipsters
Adrian Reimann Re-Designs the Masters of the Universe into Hipsters
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32
Laundromat Superheroes
Laundromat Superheroes
Paris Hilton Tells Tatler Her Shopping Will Save the Economy
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31
Superhero Makeup
Superhero Makeup
Supermodels at the Met Ball
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30
Senior Superheroes
Senior Superheroes
Aging Comics by Donald Soffritti
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29
Superheroed Celebrities
Superheroed Celebrities
Real Life Movie Stars Juxtaposed With Comic Characters
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28
Humanized Movie Characters
Humanized Movie Characters
Everyday Darth Vader
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27
Un-Fantasy Photoshoots
Un-Fantasy Photoshoots
'Super Not So Super' Makes Superheroes Look Ordinary
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26
Desert Superhero Fashion
Desert Superhero Fashion
Cat Power in V Magazine
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25
Superhero Accessories
Superhero Accessories
Fringe Cuffs, Riveted Belts & Lace Dresses by Bec & Bridge
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24
Naughty Superheroes
Naughty Superheroes
Culture Magazine's Boy Wonder Packs the Heat
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23
Superhero Editorials
Superhero Editorials
Superman Returns in Vogue
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22
Superhero Fashion Advice
Superhero Fashion Advice
'What Not to Wear: Superheroes & Villains' is an Insightful Critique
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21
Renaissance SuperHeroes
Renaissance SuperHeroes
Worth1000 Masterpieces Showcase Quirky Creativity
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20
Real Life Barbies
Real Life Barbies
Evelina Bratell's 1959 Doll Fashions
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19
You as An Action Figure
You as An Action Figure
Japanese Toy Company Puts Your Face on Superhero Body
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18
Heroine Haute Couture
Heroine Haute Couture
Numero Korea Captures Sexy Supermodel Jessica Stam
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17
Humanized Cartoons
Humanized Cartoons
Homer Simpson and Mario in the Flesh?
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16
Humanizing Celebrities
Humanizing Celebrities
Childhood Snaps of Famous Faces Show Teen Angst is Universal
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15
Fairytale Fashion Ads
Fairytale Fashion Ads
Meltin Pot Campaign
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14
Humanized Cartoons II
Humanized Cartoons II
Jessica Rabbit Untooned
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13
Dressing As Video Game Heroes
Dressing As Video Game Heroes
Slobs Of Gaming Costumes
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12
Superheroes Stripped
Superheroes Stripped
Claudia Schiffer Covers German Vogue
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11
Reimagined Fairytale Art
Reimagined Fairytale Art
The Fantasy-Filled Photography of Emily Nathan
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10
Superhero Fashion
Superhero Fashion
Fantasy Exhibit at the Met
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9
Grimm Fairytale Photography
Grimm Fairytale Photography
Dead Princess by Bruno Vilela
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8
Using Fairytale Heroes to Promote Reading
Using Fairytale Heroes to Promote Reading
Literacy Foundation Ads
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7
Scarytale Photography
Scarytale Photography
Miwa Yanagi's ‘Fairytales' Series Will Keep You Up At Nigh
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6
Fairytale Boob Jobs
Fairytale Boob Jobs
Dina Goldstein Unveils Modern Truths in the Fallen Princesses Project
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5
Real Life Cartoon  Pets
Real Life Cartoon Pets
$925 Million Living Pokemon Pikachu
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4
Humanizing Famous Portraits
Humanizing Famous Portraits
Untooneds by Mataleone
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3
Naughty Fairytales
Naughty Fairytales
Melissa's Modern Heroine Photography
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2
Dark Fairytale Heroines
Dark Fairytale Heroines
Disney 'Twisted Princess' Series from Artist Jeffrey Thomas
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1
Underwater Fairytale Photography
Underwater Fairytale Photography
Little Girl Mermaid Imagery by Elena Kalis
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