Six years ago, D.C. offered a toast to its renowned friends on the Hill and asked artists to create “Party Animals,” elephants and donkeys decorated in various ways. Later they were auctioned off for charity.

D.C. residents have a love-hate relationship with politicians. We want to be known as being a city that is more than just one tourist stop after another. We resent when pundits say “D.C.” but really mean “the national government.” Yet, we are a city where powerful things happen and where tvs in bars are at least as likely to be tuned to CSPAN and CNN as to ESPN. And we’re proud of that, too. (Frankly, we’d be more proud if we had a legitimate vote in Congress. Could you guys get on that, please?)

So as a D.C. resident with conflicting feelings about politicians and politics, I find the Party Animals that remain around the city cute but not necessarily photoworthy.

That is until I was walking home past the University Club — a hoity toity private club — one night and found that their Party Animals were protected by knitwear. Yup. This Donkey and Elephant are wearing scarves.

The closer statue is the Grand Old Pachyderm, which apparently has 51 stars adorning it in deference to a hope for future D.C. statehood. I’m not sure what the name of the Donkey is. Anyone?