10 Jun 2016

Trex Tuesdays Turn Out for a Prehistoric Party

Posted in Events By Lydia Karch On June 10, 2016

Twin Cities Geek was lucky enough to interview the Trex Tuesdays dinos way back in January, when their videos first exploded onto the scene. Since then, they have been capturing hearts and likes around the world with a new video adventure every Tuesday. On May 28, the T-rexes set their sights on the world record for Largest Gathering of People Dressed as Dinosaurs, and TCG was invited to attend and cover the event at Benilde-St. Margaret’s High School.

A group of humans in T-Rex costumes stand gathered on a football field. A woman with a megaphone stands in front of them, speaking into the megaphone.

Kicking off with a T-rex roar.

“Try not to eat anyone—we want to keep the headcount high!” announced the Dino Director. T-rex heads bobbed in agreement as 50-plus assembled dinos prepared for an afternoon of prehistoric partying. Many participants added their own flair to the inflatable T-rex costume made famous in the weekly videos: Just Married Rexes, Cowboy Rexes, Birthday Rex, Luau Rex, and (appropriately for the Memorial Day weekend) Patriotic Rex.

First on the prehistoric party agenda: the Running Man challenge, which the Internet had challenged Trex Tuesdays to attempt. Not only did the T-rexes meet the challenge as a duo, they also brought a few friends along to help.

Two humans in inflatable T-Rex costumes jog side-by-side on a football field.

The T-rex Running Man challenge.

A group of humans in inflatable T-Rex costumes job side-by-side on a football field, some better than others.

All the dinos join in.

Check out the finished product:

After completing the running man challenge, a celebratory dance circle was in order.

A group of humans in inflatable T-Rex costumes dance on a football field. One T-Rex is wearing a hula skirt, and another is hatching out of its egg.

Hula Rex breaking it down!

A group of humans in T-Rex costumes dances on a football field. Three T-Rexes with colored feather boas dance in the center of the photo.

A unique trio takes center stage.

Next, the assembled dinos split into two teams for a rousing game of prehistoric football. The Dinomite Dinos squared off against the Prehistoric Predators, complete with cheerleaders, paper banners to burst through, a T-ref to administer the coin toss, and a dramatic kick-off event (carried out by some of the lighter, more maneuverable dinos present).

T-ref with the rex-sized coin for the flip.
Let’s play some football!
Kickoff.
The postgame ice dump.

Post–field goal it was time for a break, and many dinos shed their skins upon exiting the field. One participant compared running around in the suits to “chemical warfare defense training”—the air vents in the front of most costumes do not appear to offer very much in the way of circulation.

While the dinos were resting, we seized the opportunity to interview a few of the participants.

California Rex (Human Name: Jennifer)

A woman stands inside of an inflatable T-Rex costume, with the costume un-inflated and un-zipped down to her waist. She is smiling, and wearing a page boy hat and a t-shirt with a T-Rex on it that says "If ur happy & u know it clap your ... oh"

Jennifer, a.k.a. “Cali Rex.”

Lydia Karch (TCG): How did you hear about this event?

Jennifer: From the Facebook page.

TCG: Did you have the costume before, or did you get it specifically for today?

Jennifer: I actually picked it up today. I’m from California, so I was able to order the costume online and then grab it here.

TCG: Oh, wow! So you haven’t ever worn it before?

Jennifer: No! It’s really awesome, but also really hot.

TCG: I can imagine. Just one final question before you go grab some water and cool off—what is your favorite dinosaur?

Jennifer: Oh, I can’t remember the name, but the one in Jurassic Park that looks docile but then flares up and is scary? [Author’s note: If that description doesn’t ring a bell, that would be the Dilophosaurus. Sorry, Nedry.]

Hatching “Egguanadons” (Eggry and Legga)

Two humans in dino costumes are sitting on the ground. The dino costumes are only partially hatched, so from the knees up to the head the humans are inside of an egg shell. The shell breaks at the knees to allow the dino legs to emerge.

The Egguanadons.

TCG: These costumes are amazing! Did you guys make them?

Egguanadons: We hatched them.

TCG: Oh, really? How long ago was that?

Egguanadons: Just recently.

TCG: And you guys are down here at the party already?

Egguanadons: Well, we wouldn’t want to be bad eggs!

TCG: Fair enough. I’m going to let you both rest and recover, but before I go, can you share something you’ve learned today?

Egguanadons: People should eat more raptor eggs. Raptors taste like chicken! Stop eating Iguanodon eggs.

A human dressed in a hatching dino costume walks across a football field. The hatching egg portion of the costume covers the dino from the knees up, leaving only the legs and tail revealed.

Egguanadon on the move.

Mom and Son Dinos (Human Names: Felicia and James)

A mother and son, both dressed as T-Rexes, pose for the camera. The son is smiling and making T-Rex hands at the camera, while the mother smiles and looks down at her son.

Felicia and James, a.k.a. Mom and Son Dino.

TCG: How did you guys hear about this event?

Felicia: Oh, he follows Trex Tuesdays on Facebook. He loves them!

TCG: Where did you get these costumes?

Felicia: We ordered them off the Internet! His actually came first.

James: Because it’s smaller!

TCG: Would you mind telling me your favorite dino?

James: Mosasaurus.

TCG: Is that the one with flippers?

James: Yes. [Author’s note: Son Dino was concerned about my ability to correctly spell Mosasaurus, based on the number of times I asked him to repeat it. It was hard to hear past those teeth!]

TCG: Fantastic. Thank you both for your time!

A mother and son are dressed in T-Rex costumes. The mother kneels on the ground so that the son can adjust the scales on her back.

Son Dino helping out Mom.

After the break, the T-rexes returned to the field for four more events: Stampede, Walk the Dinosaur, Dance Party, and Conga Line. Thunderstorms forced the group inside by early afternoon, but spirits remained high in the face of adverse weather. The Dino Director and Trex Tuesdays supporting crew reported being thrilled with the turnout, and very pleased that people wanted to get so creative with their idea.

To the left!
T-rex socializing.
Birthday Rex.
The Dino Director, who was in charge of all the action.
T-rexes battle for dominance.
Dan the Prehistoric Safari Man takes a rest.
Just Married Rexes and company.
Cowpoke Rex gets some assistance from a human helper.
One of the comfiest-looking costumes at the event.
Some outfits were more breathable than others.
The littlest rex.
Another tiny dino enjoying the fun.
Love the lab coat.
Some attendees brought pets with them.

To follow the latest T-rex happenings in the Twin Cities, follow Trex Tuesdays on their various social media channels:

All photos by Madeleine Vasaly.

About the Author

Lydia Karch

Lydia works in public health, which involves lots of time spent making graphs and arguing about correlation versus causation. Her favorite books are all YA fantasy, so she never runs out of things to talk about with other people's teenage kids.

Comments

  1. By Linda

    Loved the article and wish I could have been there. i have been nicknamed t-rex for over 20 years due to extremely short arms, so the current trend is whipping all my friends into lots of jokes and video clips. These people are awesome if for no other reason that they make so many people smile and laugh and bring nothing but happy to the world.

    Reply

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