Wing Socks: Menace or Marvel?

Originally designed to provide winged pets with a bit of normality and warmth, they seem like the perfect pal. They adjust to fit your wing, and come with a funky green stripe. Their made of 97% cotton, 3% something else, so provide a snug feel. They truly seem like a marvellous invention.

Winged pets from all over Neopia ran to buy these when they first came out at the Clothing Store. They were sold out for at least a month! After this ‘honeymoon period,’ the problems started to occur.

Several Neopets, while flying, started complaining of an itching sensation in their wing area. On closer inspection at the Neopian Hospital, it was diagnosed as the Itchy Scratchies. As we all know, the cure for this does not come cheap. Whether this vile disease was caused by the fabric in the wing socks or not is unknown, but we can safely assume that the wing socks were a factor in getting this disease.

Secondly, in one case, a poor Lenny couldn’t get the sock off his wing. The fact that he had been super gluing beforehand had absolutely nothing to do with it, as the sock comes with a guarantee that super glue does not affect it. Is this a pure accident or a manufacturing problem?

Another contemporaneous incident occurred. An Acara was innocently going about her everyday business when a wing sock fell on her head from the sky and knocked her out. This obviously proves to us that they actually don’t stay on during flight, or how would this have happened? The Acara in question had to spend several days in the Neopian Hospital and was treated for severe concussions, black outs and memory loss. If she had had her memory, trust me, she would be suing!

On yet another occasion, we see a feeble and weak little baby Pteri trying to wear one; to keep up with his older brothers. He was trying so hard to get it to fit over his shell, the shell ended up cracking. It took weeks for the damaged shell to be rebuilt, and his orange speckle will never ever look the same again. Who would do this to such a fragile creature?

Next, we move onto the Buzz’s complaint. Because they have four wings, that mean double the price. So they can keep up with the fashion, this means paying out. A family of four Buzz would have to pay out roughly 5000np- costing around 300np a sock. This seriously cuts into their savings, meaning that they would have to go short on food to afford the socks. The sock manufacturers may say that it’s the Buzz’s own decision, but who wants to be left behind in a fashion trend? Some Buzz who do not have the wings socks develop NeoPhobia, as they're afraid to be seen without them.

Additionally, the socks have to be replaced every month or so, due to wear and tear. The poorer families can’t keep up with this, so resort to other methods like ‘dirty dealings,’ which everyone knows is not good for Neopia. Old socks are usually discarded, so all around Neopia now are thousands of drifting socks. Some make their way to the Money Tree, but many Neopians don’t like the thought of wearing someone else’s socks.

This links to another issue- in gym class at school the socks all look the same, so inevitably confusion is going to occur. At the end of gym class lurks the desperate struggle to find which wing socks are yours. Some Neopets resort to sniffing, but other see this as unseemly and just put on any old pair. Wearing other wing socks can lead to diseases being spread, which in turn can lead to an epidemic. No one wants another Kikoughela outbreak.

Other reports suggest the wing socks can lead to Chickaroo, for non-winged pets who try to wear them. We ask ourselves, why would non-winged pets want to wear them? The answer to that question is simply that many non-winged pets see winged pets as the beauty of the Neopia and want to copy in whatever way they can, or simply that they have a winged friend who has a pair of wing socks, either one.

Despite all these problems, wing socks are still viewed by many as wondrous inventions. At slumber parties, winged Neopets no longer have to be the odd one out and at beauty contests, the socks can add to their glory. Furthermore, bullies can no longer pick on winged pets for not wearing socks.

Wing socks can go great with many of the Clothing Store outfits. For instance, what self-respecting winged Neopet would buy a pair of wing socks without a red bandana? Ok, maybe Neopets that don't like red, but the blue bandana can easily substitute.

Alternatively, if you don’t want to wear the wing socks, they can make great substitute cooking pots. For younger Neopets, they can also be used to concoct potions.

Many of the great famous Neopian have been rumoured to own a pair or wing socks. For instance, Lord Kass was apparently seen to have at least 4 pairs in his wardrobe. Also, Queen Fyora has allegedly been seen wearing a pair to the annual Faerie Festival.

As much as some people love wing socks, there will always be a great majority who don’t. Who in their right mind would flap around in something that looks like a tea cosy? This is why my friends say that the wing socks were only in fashion for a month (two in some parts of Neopia) at the most.

Today you will still see a small majority of pets flying around in them. Not deterred by fashion trends or accident reports, this majority are the true fans of the wing sock. To them, the wing sock is a true marvel. To the rest of Neopia, however, it is a fashion menace!