Why has this tutu-clad man volunteered to be a tourist spectacle? Click the pic to find out.

Q: What do you call a hairy shirtless guy in a tutu lying on his back in the middle of the street?

A: If you’re in Times Square, you call it Tuesday.

Brooklyn photographer Bob Carey got some quizzical stares from New York City Police, who asked him if he was “well” based on his dress.  You might think that this costume would be a yawner for the cops, who see far more ludicrous fashions displayed every day in His and Hers versions.

Carey is the mastermind and fashion model for “The Tutu Project,” a fundraising campaign to honor his wife Linda’s ongoing battles with breast cancer. He’s done similar shoots in forests, corn fields, amusement parks, beaches and even an Italian castle.

What? You mean you DON'T dress like this when you're strolling the beach? Click the pic to learn what's motivating the Golden Gate Tutu.

(Bob Carey is the author of the upcoming photography book “Ballerina.” You can follow his tutu-fueled exploits on his Facebook page.)

Just another naked day in Times Square....

SUBMITTED BY: Erik Paulsen   LOCATION: Times Square, New York City (2012)

When posing for a Tacky Tourist Photo, it is usually customary to embrace the quirky statue or mascot as if you are best friends.

Yet, there is something rather skeevy about getting intimate with a Naked Cowboy you just met.

Enter the brilliance of Erik, who pensively looks to the heavens, so immersed in thought that he almost doesn’t even notice the scantily-clad gent in front of the Marriott.  There’s now a proven method to pose with people when getting too close would be embarrassing or downright unhygienic.

On a side note, TTP has been at the forefront of insightful Naked Cowboy coverage rivaling the New York Post, the NY Daily News and Gawker. We’ve faithfully covered the Naked Cowboy for President campaign, the legal battle with the Naked Cowgirl and her common bond with Lady Gaga.

We’re depending on Erik to covertly capture the next chapter.

(Erik Paulsen, not to be confused with the Minnesota Congressman, is a sports video editor and photojournalist who has covered the Stanley Cup and the Tour de France. He also is a militant vegan.)

Baseball Hall of Famer Luis Aparicio gets a little frisky outside U.S. Cellular Field, a.k.a. "The Cell," a.k.a. New Comiskey Park, before a White Sox game.

SUBMITTED BY: Diane Garnick LOCATION: Chicago, Illinois (2010)

Luis Aparicio’s Hall of Fame plaque mentions his 1956 Rookie of the Year Award, his nine Gold Gloves at shortstop, his nine stolen base crowns and his career fielding records for double plays and assists.

But it says nothing about his love for the ladies.  By the way, Diane’s shirt reads: “Real women don’t date Yankees fans.”

(Diane Garnick, the “Princess of Perseverance,”  is a Sox-loving — Bosox and Chisox — investment strategist and author of the upcoming career advice book “I’m Smarter Than My Boss. Now What?” You can follow her travel hijinks on her Facebook page).

Check out these other fun TTP poses at famous sports statues:

Bobby Orr: NHL hockey legends falling from the sky!
Kirby Puckett: Roly Poly Bronzed Enthusiasm.
Tiger Woods: Before he got caught.
Shaq O’Neal: The Human Statue.
Red Auerbach: A new definition of the basketball pick.

According to ancient Vietnamese custom, it is considered good luck to have at least two goofy American tourists in your wedding party.

SUBMITTED BY: Barrie and Ilya Mirman   LOCATION: Vietnam (2011)

If you think this picture is a cute affirmation of warm U.S.-Vietnam relations, wait till you see the honeymoon photos!

"I will NOT let your people go!"

SUBMITTED BY: Darren G.   LOCATION: Boston, Massachusetts  (2010)

You’d also go ballistic if all your buddies were entombed in gold and you got stuck with the LEGO funeral.

(ALSO SEE: “Top of the Pyramid: Egyptian Cheerleading Tryouts!“)

Animal Magnetism: There must be something appealing about Larry King if EIGHT women wanted to marry him.

SUBMITTED BY: Alice S.     LOCATION: Washington DC (2010)

Wow. We’re speechless.

Get ready for Season One of “News Junkies Gone Wild!”

We haven’t seen wax museum behavior this crass since the “waxual harassment” of Jessica Simpson.

The Titanic movie made more than $600 million. Couldn't James Cameron have pitched in with a real movie prop here?

SUBMITTED BY: Monica Brady-Myerov   LOCATION: California

Channeling the spirit of Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet in public takes a lot of guts, especially if there is an anxious line of 12-year-olds behind you!

(Monica Brady-Myerov is a senior reporter at Boston’s NPR affiliate, WBUR. She recently interviewed the Tacky Tourist Photos curators on the syndicated “Here & Now” show. The segment airs Monday, Aug. 23 — click here for times and stations near you.)

Yukking it up at Boeing Headquarters

SUBMITTED BY: Hector Alejandro Farias    LOCATION: Seattle, WA (2010)

In the shadows of crazed JetBlue flight attendant Steven Slater, here’s evidence that poor judgment at airports is now a national epidemic.

When was the last time you saw a marathon runner smile?

SUBMITTED BY: Brian Henderson  LOCATION: Boston, Massachusetts (2010)

In the proud tradition of Boston Marathon legend Rosie Ruiz, who took the subway to the finish line, Brian shows what running 26 miles would look like if you didn’t actually have to do the running.

When was the last time you saw a happy runner?

(Photojournalist Brian Henderson, a frequent contributor to Tacky Tourist Photos, also likes to pretend he’s Godzilla).

Getting chummy with Evel Knievel: Typical stiff pose at the Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum

Take a look at Tacky Tourist Photos co-founder and curator Darren Garnick in the picture above. Sure, he’s one of the world’s most knowledgeable authorities on kitschy travel snapshots. But even he can occasionally forget the basics. There’s nothing particularly bad about this photo, but there’s nothing especially creative about it either.

The best Tacky Tourist moments happen when the model immerses himself or herself into the scene — or to borrow a tired phrase from American Idol, when the TTP model “makes it their own.”

Now take a look at artist Chandra Leming ‘s contribution:

Chandra takes a wild spin

Chandra is comfortable with who she is and her confidence shows. Would Evel be upset if one of his fans acted recklessly with one of his bikes? Perhaps. He was known to have a slight temper in his day. But Chandra doesn’t care. She’s badass.

More badass than Evel.

Even if Garnick dyed his hair pink and got a tattoo and nose ring, he still couldn’t pull this scene off.

To go back to American Idol-speak, it’s all about picture (song) choice and knowing who you are.

Aside from the models’ acting talent, there is also a stark difference in the framing here. Leming’s photographer went for the retro 1970s logo as a backdrop, which would look fantastic on a lunchbox. Garnick’s photog went for the pretty blue background, not a horrible choice, but also not the best one available.

Bottom Line: It takes two to tango. Make sure that your Tacky Tourist Model and Tacky Tourist Photographer communicate with each other and push each other to do their best work.

(Have a Tacky Tourist Photography tip?  Send it in and make the world’s photo albums far more fascinating!)