50 Years Of Glam From His Holiness David Bowie, In A Single GIF

50 Years Of David Bowie Hairdos, In One Singularly Perfect GIF

Last week marked David Bowie's 68th birthday, so naturally there's an animated GIF circling the internet that chronicles the most glam of rockers and his many, many makeovers.

Twenty-two-year-old Helen Green is the brilliant mind behind this moving masterpiece, chronicling every single one of Bowie's iconic looks from 1964 to 2014. There are mullets, there are eye patches, there are baby scarves, there are fake moles, there are perms. There are so many high cheek bones.

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"In celebration of David Bowie's birthday this month, I created a little animated portrait of Bowie through the years," Green wrote to The Huffington Post, "in appreciation of his mesmerizing evolution and reinvention." May Bowie keep revamping his look for fifty years to come. Happy belated birthday, beautiful!

Before You Go

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Artifacts from David Bowie's early years on display, including a replica of the plastic Grafton alto saxophone his mother gave him for Christmas in 1961. Geoffrey Marsh, co-curator of "David Bowie Is" at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, said the actual saxophone was the only item they requested from Bowie's massive archive that they were not given, due to its fragility.
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More early artifacts -- from before Bowie became Bowie -- include a pencil sketch Bowie did of his mother (right) and an early school photo (center).
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Neon sign in the MCA Chicago's fourth floor, introducing "David Bowie Is..."
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Bowie paid close attention to his on-stage wardrobe from the very start of his musical career, playing in bands including the Kon-rads (which he formed at the age of 15 in 1962), the King Bees and the Riot Squad.
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A photo of a young Bowie (center) accompanies some of the artist's earliest releases as Bowie, after he changed his name to distinguish himself from the Monkees' Davy Jones in 1965. At right, his self-titled debut album, released in 1967.
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Bowie's meeting of dancer and mime artist Lindsey Kemp in 1967 proved instrumental for his career's theatrical, often character-driven trajectory. He took classes from Kemp and created mime performance pieces, including "The Mask," which is featured in the exhibition.
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Bowie's first commercial hit, "Space Oddity," was released in 1969. Bowie was reportedly inspired by the feelings of isolation in the Stanley Kubrick film "2001: A Space Odyssey."
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A "Hunky Dory" promotion photo from 1971 where Bowie was styled to look like the early 20th century British occultist, poet and painter Aleister Crowley.
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Bowie's performance of "Starman" on BBC One's Top of the Pops in 1972 cemented his new Ziggy Stardust persona. The iconic jumpsuit, designed by Freddie Burretti, he wore for that performance is on display. Another Kubrick film, "A Clockwork Orange," inspired this look.
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The green and white suit Bowie wore on the cover of "The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust" (which was later tinted turquoise for the cover art).
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A promotional poster showing a cartoon Bowie as Ziggy Stardust.
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The slender blue suit worn for Bowie's "Life on Mars?" 1972 video. Bowie reportedly had a 26-inch waist at the time.
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Bowie wore his famous leotard-style "Woodland Creatures" garment for a show at London's Rainbow Theatre in 1972.
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Handwritten lyrics to "Ziggy Stardust" in 1972.
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After Ziggy came the "Aladdin Sane" album (1973) and tour. This cloak covered in kanji characters was worn on the tour.
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"Tokyo Pop" vinyl bodysuit from 1973 that Japanese designer Kansai Yamamoto created for Bowie.
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A costume, designed by Kensai Yamamoto, from Bowie's Aladdin Sane era.
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A cobweb costume designed by Natasha Korniloff that Bowie wore for a television appearance in 1973. The show's producers reportedly ordered a third fake hand over Bowie's crotch be removed from the design prior to the show's airing.
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Bowie's notes for his makeup during the "Diamond Dogs" era.
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Handwritten lyrics to "Rebel Rebel," the first single off "Diamond Dogs."
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After Bowie moved to the U.S. in 1974, living for a time in New York City, came "Diamond Dogs," an album inspired by George Orwell's "1984" and ideas of a musical based in a post-apocalyptic city. A set model for the "Diamond Dogs" tour.
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Bowie's "black-and-white" era --corresponding with the release of the "Station to Station" album (1976) -- is depicted with a range of variations on the black and white suit.
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In 1976, Bowie starred in his first feature film, "The Man Who Fell to Earth." At right, a manipulated film still.
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The clown costume from Bowie's "Ashes to Ashes."
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Bowie created these paintings after he moved to West Berlin in the late '70s.
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At left, handwritten lyrics to "Fashion," the second single off 1980's "Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps)."
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Bowie starred in "The Elephant Man" in Chicago and later on Broadway in 1980.
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In 1986, Bowie's film work continued with another high-profile role as Jareth the Goblin King in Jim Henson's "Labyrinth." Here is the crystal ball that belonged to Jareth.
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Alexander McQueen's Union Jack coat creation for Bowie (right). The coat was worn on the cover of Bowie's 1997 "Earthlings" album.
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The capstone of the show is the final room, which features an immersive array of live Bowie performances spanning 1973 to 2004, and an impressive display of more of the artist's iconic fashions.
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A retrospective of Bowie's album covers through the years.

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