Nick Saade is a taxidermist, so he's used to working with animal skin for art. It's a passion and one he's been working on for 18 years.
From his blackjack table featuring a raccoon, squirrel, possum and groundhog, to his couch-potato muskrat, Saade can get creative with his projects.
"I basically do this because I love to do it, and I don't like to see any parts of animals wasted," said the Lansing, Michigan native.
He's come up with many different ways to display the animals, but his latest work is drawing a lot of attention from the sporting world. Saade has recreated the Michigan State/Michigan rivalry using chipmunks.
It's certainly a unique sight. And, according to Saade, it was a very difficult production.
It takes five to six hours to skin, stuff and sew each chipmunk, Saade says. The body of the chipmunk gets a styrofoam treatment, while the legs use putty and wires to help create passing, throwing, catching and tackling positions.
With the help of his son Eddie, who coaches high school football, Saade organized the players into the correct formations. He's waiting on the referee uniforms from a relative who is a doll-maker.
After the figures were formed, he added miniature Wolverines and Spartans helmet for the 22 positions on the field. Then, the rivalry was on.
And if you're wondering: Saade doesn't kill the chipmunks solely for his project. He collects his skin from "road kill, trapped nuisance animals and leftover parts from hunting and fishing trophies."
Saade is a self-taught taxidermist and says that the job can actually be quite lucrative. He works his own hours out of his garage.
As for the chipmunk display, it will eventually be on the market. The price will end up somewhere near $1,500.
"I'm going to have as much fun as I possibly can, then sooner or later it will end up for sale," Saade said.
However, Saade is not depending on the game to make the big bucks. He's not even worried about it selling.
"I don't even care if it sells or not," he said. "It's just a cute thing."
