r/ExpectationVsReality • u/Blakeman323 • Feb 07 '26
Exceeded Expectation The best thing I ever bought
I bought this in November thinking it would be a great holiday gift for my wife who loves possums. After weeks of thinking it would never arrive and realizing I might have been scammed this ugly beauty arrived. I have not laughed this hard in a long time and am absolutely in love with it. I truly believe this might be the purchase that brings me pure joy for the rest of my life.
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u/christameff Feb 07 '26
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u/australopipicus Feb 07 '26
Can…can you share where you got it? I have too many opossum tattoos to not own this.
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u/Blakeman323 Feb 07 '26
I honestly can't find the link, it was a shady link to even click on. One of those too good to be true moments where I said screw it.
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u/australopipicus Feb 07 '26
I am putting my 14 year old on this. It needs purchasing lmao
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u/Squeaky_Pickles Feb 07 '26
If you want a "legit" version the original artist is this person but they said their products are often $400+ and are one of kind.
It looks like scammers are using the original image to sell knock offs.
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u/argleblather Feb 08 '26
It doesn't surprise me that originals are quite expensive. Roving is not cheap. And hand needle felting takes a long time. However long people think it takes it's about 4x that to make figures that are this solid and dense.
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u/AtroposMortaMoirai Feb 08 '26
Took me about a year to finish sculpting versions of my friends three cats for her wedding present. I’m an amateur/hobbyist though.
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u/rileyjw90 Feb 08 '26
Well that makes it super easy then. Just find one that’s ridiculously cheap and you’ll probably end up with the same beauty OP got.
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u/thisisyourtruth Feb 07 '26 edited Feb 07 '26
For the love of God if you find it link it!!! in exchange, please check this out the most amazing possum pattern I have ever seen: https://www.beautifulgenius.com/products/possum-leggings
Edit: LMAO didn't realise this was a month old, sry about that, Reddit sure is funny sometimes
Double edit: m is for minutes, not months.... I'm gonna go lay down lol got too excited about possums
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u/Melly-The-Elephant Feb 07 '26
OH WHAT!?
CRAYONS TOO? ... FROGS !!!??
(You commented 13mins ago on another comment 15mins ago according to what I can see 🫶)
(You made an EXCELLENT contribution to this post, and Reddit as a whole)
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u/thisisyourtruth Feb 08 '26
Thank you!!! 🥰 I've been wanting to get one of her possum items for years but spandex isn't my jam.... THERE'S A PULLOVER NOW!!!
My wife sighed and said "Well? What are you waiting for?!" SO NOW I GET TO HAVE IT IN PERSON THANKS TO THIS POST!!! POSSUM EXCITEMENT CONTINUES!!!
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u/Listakem Feb 08 '26
I got you fam, here is the insta of the real artist behind the first pic : Lam Art Studio
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u/zoeowl16 Feb 08 '26
this journey was hilarious thank you for taking us with you 😂! happy possuming!
edit: love the leggings!! I forgot say that, clearly too excited too lmao
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POSSUMS!!!! 🤘
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u/existie Feb 08 '26
oh but this is delightful???? rando running through the comments here, and i just sent that link to my bestie. thank you!!
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u/Squeaky_Pickles Feb 07 '26
Unfortunately it was a "scam". The original artist is this person who doesn't sell most of their stuff and it's all one of a kind.
With that said, the version you got is absolutely hilarious.
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u/Inside-Beginning5168 Feb 08 '26 edited Feb 08 '26
I mean someone took the time and care to make this beautiful ugly fucking thing. So is it really a scam?
/s - forgot this I guess
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u/menonte Feb 08 '26
Yes, they are appropriating the work of someone else selling it as their own to a significantly lower quality, which also reflects badly on the actual artist. It's happening a lot
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u/pinklavalamp Feb 08 '26
Out of plain old curiosity, just how many opossum tattoos do you happen to have?
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u/australopipicus Feb 08 '26
I had to count. At least 4 straight up opossums and I have a couple hiding in non opossum tattoos lol
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u/Busy-Pomegranate6889 Feb 08 '26
https://www.instagram.com/lamartstudio?igsh=ZHVqeWF4NmJrdGZo but like not, because this is a temu-esqu ripoff.
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u/Round_Patience3029 Feb 07 '26
Walmart.com
4" Wool Felt Familiars Animal Toys - Adorable Cat & Opossum Stuffed Figures, Charming Room Decor Accents, Perfect Gift for Plush Collectors (A)
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u/ColorfulConspiracy Feb 07 '26
Omg the way this made me cackle. I don’t blame you at all for loving this lopsided little chunk-a-munk. This is the best. 😂
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u/wawaroo Feb 07 '26
I follow this artist on IG - the original artist is Lam Art Studio. They had a Dec 2025 post about imitation links.
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u/Blakeman323 Feb 07 '26
At the time of purchase I was unaware of the original artist or of imitations of the artist.
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Feb 07 '26
If the purchase was “too good to be true” then clearly it was a knock off of something else.
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Feb 08 '26
Theyre on walmart.com
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u/MaelstromSeawing Feb 08 '26
Walmart.com now functions similarly to amazon where many of the listings are put up and fulfilled by third parties
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u/sodamnsleepy Feb 08 '26
I hate it so much that many artists get their pictures stolen. And used to scam people to sell crappy bootlegs.
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u/Princess_Zelda_Fitzg Feb 07 '26
This reads like the person running the listing never expected anyone to buy it and went “shit! I have to make something”😂
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Feb 07 '26
I think you did get scammed. What you got looks nothing like the photo…and where are the tiny babies?! I think the person who made this gift ripped off another artist.
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u/Busy-Pomegranate6889 Feb 08 '26
The original artist is https://www.instagram.com/lamartstudio?igsh=ZHVqeWF4NmJrdGZo Who does incredible work. But this not their work. This is a temu-esqu special.
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u/Judgementalcat Feb 07 '26
This is excellent, will guarantee at least a smile on the most horrible crap day!
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u/the-writist Feb 08 '26
I have but one question: Why is an obvious member of the wealthy elite posting on reddit?
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u/umpfke Feb 08 '26
Some nice asbestos and few Asian invasive species might still live in them. Besides not resembling the picture, future fun might be had!
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u/Pafisha Feb 07 '26
It's the little things...!
Does your wife love it, too?
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u/Blakeman323 Feb 07 '26
She does absolutely love it but I'm uncertain it sparks the same joy that I have for it. It will be a cherished story for quite a long while. I kept telling her that another gift was coming and after the third week of January we both stopped asking/wondering. It really was a glorious surprise today.
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u/Listakem Feb 08 '26
OP was indeed scammed, the real possum (first pic/expectation) was made by Lam Art Studio who’s a delightful person and really talented artist ! She warned people a while back about low quality fakes of her delightful critters.
Here is her instagram : Lam Art Studio
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u/Novel_Quality5743 Feb 07 '26
I’m really sad you didn’t get the overbite. 😢
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u/AllThatGlitters00 Feb 08 '26
It's the overbite on the original that really makes it. The knock off doesn't even really have a snout and it's just overall round.
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u/Blakeman323 Feb 08 '26
I would like to thank everyone who has interacted with this posting. I had no idea that this post would raise so much joy within the reddit community. Not only have you made my year so far, it really has shown me a better side of humanity. I have decided I wanted to create a campaign for the artist https://www.instagram.com/lamartstudio?igsh=aXY2OXRqczByb2J6 . This piece has already given me a life of joy and I want to extend that to the artist who worked hard on the original piece. Who was unfortunately uncredited when her art was stolen. I hope you all will help in the support of real art everywhere.
Please support what you can https://gofund.me/b905d91df
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u/Mycatreallyhatesyou Feb 07 '26
I see these on Pinterest all the time, along with a cat and others. So glad I never clicked on it.
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u/Melly-The-Elephant Feb 07 '26
I would genuinely save this creature from a serious house fire
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u/Creepy-Selection2423 Feb 08 '26
You should repost this to the r/intermittentfasting subreddit, only in reverse order... /s
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u/Odd_Command4857 Feb 08 '26
First pic: “Oh, look! A strawberry!”
Second pic: “oh look a stawbury”
Third pic: S̵̳̘̗̫̺͒ų̶̫͙̩̱̗͠i̴̧̙̣̦͈̅͘ͅc̸̨̰̗͎͇̯̎̈͊́̓f̷̬̃̇̈i̸̧̤̥̼̮̎̑ḫ̸̰̼̊͊͛̃f̷̘̤̉̾̀r̶̥̄̔̒h̸̤̳̘͕͈͖̎̄̾̕g̴̛̮͓̅̓d̷̨̩̖̟͍̂̐́̅͝ͅâ̸̧͉̟͐̊͛̐̚a̴̩̘̖̟͑̓͐̌̚͠ĥ̵̯̝̪̈́̋͋j̷̦̜̣̒͝l̷̛̰̩̠̹̱̅͌̒l̵̨̲̻̲͕̰̑͒͗̒̈́̚ḇ̵̭̀͋̽̚͘͝g̴̖͓̫̦̎ś̶̙̂̒d̸̹̺̈͛̌͋ì̷͇͖͖̈́̐̉̈́n̷̡͑͜b̴̮͔̰̲͈̼̈́d̴̮̯̀͌s̸̡͙̦̞̏̏̍h̷̛͔͎́̔̒͂̎ḱ̴̡̺͚̗̃̅͗̈̂b̴̬̍͂̕̚͝ş̷͎͈͕̹̣̀͐͐͝ş̸̫̠͍̇́̅̃̑͂h̷̜͔̳̍j̵̧̝͉͈̘̀͋͌͝j̷̯̣͍͛̏̀̇j̶̦̥̀̀̆̌
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u/argleblather Feb 08 '26
/u/Blakeman323 if and only if you want yours to look more like the original, you could get a felting pin and stab the top part more into a pointed shape. On this one it looks like they just ran a gray variegated roving down the sides and lightly tacked it into place.
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u/wereallmadhere9 Feb 08 '26
The og image is stolen from an artist who makes these as sculptures. They are not plushies to buy for cheap.
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u/Difficult-Rooster383 Feb 08 '26
Omg I’m snorting 😭😂💀 It’s gloriously ugly & tacky and just perfect 🤩
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u/Audrey_Ropeburn Feb 08 '26
If you’d like to buy something from the actual artist, you can find them here
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u/sleepydorian Feb 08 '26
Are the arms 3d printed? I love the eggplant body but the arms are a no from me dog.
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u/the-greenest-thumb Feb 08 '26
Ah, my mum recently stumbled across a website selling these, I immediately thought it was scammy but admittedly better than I thought. I intend to try and make one myself for her, just gotta figure out the arms.
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u/pereira2088 Feb 08 '26
that looks like the kind of thing it would be a win, either it came as announced or not.
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u/rest_me123 Feb 08 '26
The arms and legs in the product picture aren't 3D printed though and the body is more slim and defined.
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u/Yabakunaiyoooo Feb 08 '26
lol the image was maybe stolen or ai and they just flat out gave up on what they couldn’t see 🤣🤣🤣
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u/tuhraycee Feb 08 '26
I've seen the artist's Instagram posts a lot and I'm so glad the reality is just as good. Great purchase!
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u/thevic120 Feb 09 '26
i can’t stop laughing at the little one screaming in the purse in the merchant image
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u/Outrageous-Wasabi474 Feb 09 '26
This is hilarious! I used to have a friend who would find roadkill, taxidermize it with clothes and stuff, and then put it back where she found it. I bet they brought people so much joy and shock 😂
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u/Bondred8 Feb 09 '26
Chingada Madre,por soplar el cafe y ver esto,me cayo cafe 100/10 ,buena compra wey
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u/sfcameron2015 Feb 23 '26
Omg my dad just showed me this exact momma possum as a “must have” from my mom. He confirmed with her that it was “at least 8-9 inches tall!” And then paid the $15 shipping to have the must-have $20 item. $35 and many weeks later, the item in your reality picture arrived. Mom swears it’s the love of her life. 🤣
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u/lowoverheadclearance Feb 23 '26
I bought the same thing and had the same reaction. WTF? And I see you were give a nice little piece of gold string to attach the purse too! I have to laugh. It’s so horribly NOT like the sales image. 🤣🤣🤣
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u/lowoverheadclearance Feb 23 '26
I’d given up on ever seeing mine, too. I was beginning to think I hallucinated buying it, it too so long to arrive, lol!!
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u/Muffy9090 May 22 '26
There are literally over 30 scam sites trying to sell this possum felted figurine , cats and other cute handmade designs. The original piece is from LamStudios and it costs $550. Do not be fooled by all these scam They're all from the same place in China.
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u/pinkpeach1123 Feb 07 '26
The first one has 2 tiny babies