If you think it's weird to see Miss USA dressed as Optimus Prime as part of the Miss Universe contest, just wait until you see these 11 beauty pageants. Above is Miss Dairy Cow and while I chose that image because it's the strangest, it's hard to choose the single oddest pageant.

Brazil's Miss Jail title is certainly strange, but perhaps even more strange is the fact that the concept is catching on and now countries like Russia, Columbia and Lithuania also hold prison beauty pageants. 

Easily the most controversial of all the competitions though is the Miss Holocaust Survivor contest, which some argue trivializes this tragic event by judging survivors based on physical beauty though organizers claim beauty is only a small part of the judging criteria. 

While John's collecting your images of facial hair for our Movember Madness Contest, those of us who are free of facial hair have to find other ways to celebrate. Fortunately, UK cupcake shop Hey Little Cupcake is there to help the mustache-impaired Movember revelers party with these adorable mustach cupcakes.

Of course, Movember isn't just about looking fabulous with your facial hair, it's also about helping to raise money for prostate cancer and Hey Little Cupcake is donating a portion of their proceeds to Movember UK to support the cause.

Via Cupcakes Take The Cake

What's better than a petting zoo? How about a petting zoo filled with only miniature animals? Welcome to the wonderful world of Georgia's Tanglewood Farms and while they operate a petting zoo, the farm is a full-scale, real farm...only with miniature versions of animals only.

The farm features mini goats, ponies, cows, alpaca, chickens, sheep and pigs, making it a perfect place for kids to visit and meet animals closer to their size.

Modern Farmer has a great story on the farm's founder about her work and why she chose mini animals, but if you live in Georgia, you ought to just visit the farm in person if you want to learn more.

Via Laughing Squid

Halloween may be over, but it's never too late to appreciate an epic piece of Halloween decor like this and it's never too early to start planning your display for next year. Halloween Forum user Raven's Hollow Cemetery made this impressive prop back in 2011. The skeleton climbing from a hell hole is even rigged to move and the whole thing is rigged with a fog machine so the glowing lava actually looks like it's smoking.

If you're wondering how he created that iconic lava glow, the secret is three shades of orange string lights that have a flicker effect on them so they look like they are varying in tempurature.

(Video Link)

Action, adventure, romance and geekery, somehow the Star Wars theme song invokes all of these feelings -even in those too young to know the film itself. This little baby is either a born geek or the world's first true Jedi. In fact, he'll stop crying if you just play him the Star Wars theme song. I guess we'll know either way if he starts moving his mobile with his mind and convincing his mother that "this isn't the baby she's looking for" when it's bath time.

I can't help but wonder if this baby would get along with the dog that loves the Star Trek theme song or if they'd be mortal enemies.

Via Geeks Are Sexy

(Video Link)

Thor may look like a full-grown man, but that's only because Asgardians physically mature a lot faster than us humans. In fact, he's only about to turn 16 and like any young prince would be, he's super pumped up about his super sweet 16 party. Unfortunately, after the whole New York debacle, Loki can't come because no one wants a party filled with drama. But will cutting Loki out cause trouble for Thor and will Odin get his favorite son the right gift for this big occassion? Find out in this great trailer for Thor 3.

Via Geekologie

Turkey is great and all, but all that chewing can just be so tiring, and there isn't nearly enough sugar in it. That's why this year, I'm ordering my Thanksgiving dinner from Portland ice cream joint Salt & Straw. 

The company offers a Thanksgiving Gift Pack for $65, which includes the following flavors: mincemeat pie; sweet potato and candied pecans;  pumpkin custard and spiced chevere; apple cranberry stuffing; and salted caramel Thanksgiving turkey. That's right, turkey ice cream and yes, it contains actual turkey juice and turkey-skin brittle -it actually makes stuffing ice cream sound tame.

Via Food Beast

Most americans have only enjoyed sesame seeds on the top of their cheeseburger buns, but they have a delightfully rich, peanuty taste when eaten alone. That's why this new black sesame McFlurry from McDonald's sounds so darn delicious. Unfortunately, it's only available in Korea (my bad) Singapore, so we won't be able to do any Neatorama taste tests any time soon.

If you're looking for a new McFlurry flavor that's available stateside though, try the limited edition Pralines & Cream. I had it and it was utterly fantastic, which was really great, since I can't even eat most things at McDonald's.

Via Food Beast

Are you ready for Thanksgiving and Christmas? I know, you have a while to get ready, but if you're looking to add something new to your holiday rotation, this cranberry eggnog tart is a great idea. It incorporates some classic winter flavors into a delicious treat from Epicurious. 

The tart, sweet, creamy flavors and silky texture is certain to please your guests and even balance out your menu if it leans towards newer flavors like roast beef, salad and other less "Thanksgiving-y" foods.

(Video Link)

We all know that cats love boxes and bags -often more than the goodies and gifts that come inside them, but did you know putting a small hole at the end of a bag can make it even more incredibly fun for your feline? Here's Munchkin proving how fun a small vantage point can be in the end of a gift bag. If only it were this easy to please everyone on your Christmas list, but hey, at least now you know what to do with the wrappings.

Via Cute Overload

What's better than a usual animal rescue story? How about one that also involves LEGOs? That's just what you get when you read about Schildi, a pet turtle that was found wandering the streets of Germany. 

Unfortunately, during his journey, Schildi lost one of his legs. Vets were able to amputate it and to help the little turtle get around, they gave him a wheel that uses a LEGO base glued to the bottom of his shell. The vet expects to have to change his wheel once a year as it wears down, but the LEGO detail should make that process fairly easy and painless for everyone involved.

Via Geekologie

If you like art with a decidely cartoonish style and ubergeeky subject material, you'll love the work of Spencer Brinkerhoff II. While the artist hasn't updated his site since the 2012 San Diego Comic Con, he still has plenty of great pieces up there to entertain.

While Spencer is best known for his work on the Star Wars Celebrations, I'm a particularly big fan of his takes on classic cartoons, which really work with his animated, cutesy style. Maybe if we give him enough love we'll get him to head back to his site and update it with some more recent work.

Via Geeks Are Sexy

I don't know about you guys, but I've been disappointed with the quality of Animal Planet programing as of late, as it lacks the whole animal perspective I am looking for. But it sounds like they're trying to woo us animal program lovers back now -at least, for a short while. That's because they're introducing a new 8-part show called Meet the Sloths that takes place at the Costa Rica Sloth Sanctuary we've covered before.

The show is supposed to be in the style of Meerkat Manor, which means it will be highly animal-focused, so if you're like me and miss the animal side of Animal Planet, you might just want to tune in.

If you're familiar with Edward Gorey's Ghashlycrumb Tinies, you'll immediately recognize the art style DeviantArt user Eat Toast was inspired to use in this Doctor Who parody. While the pieces are a bit small to see in this preview picture, you really should click through to Eat Toast's page to see all of the great pictures full sized.

C & D here are a few of my favorites -particularly Cassandra, who later took over The Doctor's body in a hilarious manner. Dont' worry though Whovians, you're certain to see at least one of your favorite characters listed in this alaphabet. 

Via Giant Freakin Robot

What's could possibly make a rich, creamy, custard-y vanilla ice cream even better? How about a warm, crispy sugar shell like that found on creme brulee. Lindsey, who writes Cafe Johnsonia, says this ice cream treat is her favorite dessert and it's easy to say why.

Because it's so high in egg yolks, the ice cream says nice and creamy, even after you torch the sugar coating to create a great creme brulee crust. The site also has a suggestion on how to make a similar candy to put in the ice cream if you'd rather not prepare things right before eating -though the presentation is pretty hard to beat when you do it fresh.