‘Tiger King’ Joe Exotic’s murder-for-hire target Carole Baskin gets her own trading card
The Netflix documentary series ‘Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness’ has risen Joe Exotic to international cult-like status. But he’s not the only one who has become famous. Carole Baskin, the American animal rights activist and CEO of Big Cat Rescue, a non-profit animal sanctuary based near Tampa, Florida, Joe’s archrival who he tried to have murdered, has also received a mix of both fame and notoriety. According to TMZ, Baskin’s new pop-culture fame has found another level: she now has her own trading cards.
Baskin and her third and present husband Howard both have trading cards with their faces on them. They are sold by Leaf Trading Cards, a Dallas, Texas-based company founded in 2010 that produces trading cards and sports collectibles related to American football, baseball, basketball, ice hockey, soccer, and tennis.
In the cards, they're certainly dressed in matching big cat costumes. On the Leaf official website, the product description says, “You know Howard and Carole Baskin as two of the major stars of the Netflix Documentary and worldwide phenomenon, TIGER KING! This trading card will only be available for a limited time! Don't miss out on this chance to secure what will be one of the most talked-about pop-culture cards of all time!!!! This will make one of the most fun gifts ever!!!!!!”
Per the website, a set of one costs $7.99, a set of ten costs $49.99, and a set of 50 costs $199.99.
The card says, "Howard and Carole Baskin are leading big cats rights advocates. The couple operates Big Cat Rescue near Tampa, Florida. The debate over exotic animals in private zoos hit a fever pitch with the 2020 Netflix documentary, Tiger King. 'Joe Exotic' was sentenced to 22 years in 2019 when convicted of 17 federal charges including 'murder for hire' targeting Carole Baskin."
Of course, while Baskin may be happy becoming a limited edition trading card, that does not mean she was happy with how she was portrayed in the Netflix docu-series.
In a long post on her website, BigCatRescue, Baskin wrote after the docu-series aired: “When the directors of the Netflix documentary Tiger King came to us five years ago they said they wanted to make the big cat version of Blackfish (the documentary that exposed abuse at SeaWorld) that would expose the misery caused by the rampant breeding of big cat cubs for cub petting exploitation and the awful life the cats lead in roadside zoos and back yards if they survive.”
She added, “There are no words for how disappointing it is to see that the series not only does not do any of that, but has had the sole goal of being as salacious and sensational as possible to draw viewers. As part of that, it has a segment devoted to suggesting, with lies and innuendos from people who are not credible, that I had a role in the disappearance of my husband Don in 1997. The series presents this without any regard for the truth or in most cases even giving me an opportunity before publication to rebut the absurd claims. They did not care about truth. The unsavory lies are better for getting viewers.”
Her post following that tries to refute the docu-series’ narrative with text and video and photos.