#38   26 Sep 86  23:14:46
From: L.A. Hussey  To: All
Subj: Tarot Deck Review

This is a review of a deck which I am still not positive exists.  I kinda
hope it doesn't.  But anyway, it's by Arthur Hlavaty of Golden APA fame, as
part of his page in APA-Tarot, "Tickets to the Devil".  Here we go:


                             THE CUTENESS TAROT

With this deck, US Games Systems may have reached the absolute nadir in its
efforts to popularize the ancient deck.  To see a Cabbage Patch Kid seated
upon the Emperor's throne, or wearing the Hermit's robe, is to wonder if
anything is safe from Creeping Cutification.  The CPK representing
Fortitude holds the mouth of a Hello Kitty, while the whole point of the
Moon card is lost when both domestic dog and wolf are replaced by Pound
Puppies.  The Tower is of course a TransFormer; the lightning is turning it
into a smiling robot, or perhaps a dump truck.  As in French and Italian
decks, Trump XIII is not named, but it clearly represents not Death, but
Grown-upness.

     And yet I must admit that the nameless creator of this deck (the
signature is unreadable, as all of the letters closely approximate circles;
my guess would be that the first name is "Buffy") has a vision, of sorts,
and is true to it.  As the minor arcana in the traditional deck represent
the four elements of the Universe (Earth, Air, Fire, and Water), so the
minor suits in this deck represent the four elements of the Cuteness
universe.  The Smurfs signify smallness; the Care Bears, niceness; the
Wuzzles, fuzziness; and the My Little Ponies, simple-mindedness.  The
imagery is fairly consistent.

     The Cuteness Tarot cannot be recommended for serious readings, but it
may attain a certain amount of success with children and cheerleaders.


In a word: gag.  The Fortitude card has me stumped, though: Hello Kitty has
no mouth to hold!  Well, anyway, I'm going to talk to Arthur this weekend,
so I'll find out if it's all a cruel hoax cooked up by him and his equally-
twisted spouse...

 "I know, let's Cooperate!"
 Leigh Ann


#72   27 Sep 86  17:31:35
From: L.A. Hussey  To: All
Subj: Cuteness Tarot

Well, I found out today: Arthur made it up.  Boy is he sick!

-LA
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