diff --git a/app/helpers/contribution_helper.rb b/app/helpers/contribution_helper.rb
index a59afd06..d4baa595 100644
--- a/app/helpers/contribution_helper.rb
+++ b/app/helpers/contribution_helper.rb
@@ -1,43 +1,40 @@
 module ContributionHelper
-  def contributed_description(contributed, image = true)
+  def contributed_description(contributed, show_image = true)
     case contributed
     when Item
-      suffix = translate_contributed_description('item_suffix')
-      contributed_item(contributed, image, suffix)
+      contributed_item('item', contributed, show_image)
     when SwfAsset
-      suffix = translate_contributed_description('swf_asset_suffix')
-      contributed_item(contributed.item, image, suffix)
+      contributed_item('swf_asset', contributed.item, show_image)
     when PetType
-      suffix = translate_contributed_description('pet_type_suffix')
-      contributed_pet_type(contributed, image, :after => suffix)
+      contributed_pet_type('pet_type', contributed, show_image)
     when PetState
-      prefix = translate_contributed_description('pet_state_prefix')
-      contributed_pet_type(contributed.pet_type, image, :before => prefix)
+      contributed_pet_type('pet_state', contributed.pet_type, show_image)
     end
   end
   
-  def contributed_item(item, image, adverbial)
+  def contributed_item(main_key, item, show_image)
     if item
-      output do |html|
-        html << 'the'
-        html << link_to(item.name, item, :class => 'contributed-name')
-        html << adverbial
-        html << image_tag(item.thumbnail_url) if image
-      end
+      link = link_to(item.name, item, :class => 'contributed-name')
+      description = translate('contributions.contributed_description.parents.item.present_html',
+                              :item_link => link)
+      output = translate("contributions.contributed_description.main.#{main_key}_html",
+                         :item_description => description)
+      output << image_tag(item.thumbnail_url) if show_image
+      output
     else
-      "data for an item that has since been updated"
+      translate('contributions.contributed_description.parents.item.blank')
     end
   end
   
   PET_TYPE_IMAGE_FORMAT = 'http://pets.neopets.com/cp/%s/1/3.png'
-  def contributed_pet_type(pet_type, image, options)
-    options[:before] ||= 'the'
-    output do |html|
-      html << options[:before]
-      html << content_tag(:span, pet_type.human_name, :class => 'contributed-name')
-      html << options[:after] if options[:after]
-      html << image_tag(sprintf(PET_TYPE_IMAGE_FORMAT, pet_type.image_hash)) if image
-    end
+  def contributed_pet_type(main_key, pet_type, show_image)
+    span = content_tag(:span, pet_type.human_name, :class => 'contributed-name')
+    description = translate('contributions.contributed_description.parents.pet_type_html',
+                            :pet_type_name => span)
+    output = translate("contributions.contributed_description.main.#{main_key}_html",
+                       :pet_type_description => description)
+    output << image_tag(sprintf(PET_TYPE_IMAGE_FORMAT, pet_type.image_hash)) if show_image
+    output
   end
   
   private
@@ -46,7 +43,7 @@ module ContributionHelper
     raw([].tap(&block).join(' '))
   end
   
-  def translate_contributed_description(key)
-    translate "contributions.contributed_description.#{key}"
+  def translate_contributed_suffix(key)
+    translate "contributions.contributed_description.suffix.#{key}"
   end
 end
diff --git a/app/models/pet_type.rb b/app/models/pet_type.rb
index 93156c4e..01c29c00 100644
--- a/app/models/pet_type.rb
+++ b/app/models/pet_type.rb
@@ -67,7 +67,8 @@ class PetType < ActiveRecord::Base
       # Until then, access the hash using the English color/species names.
       
       unless BasicHashes[species.name] && BasicHashes[species.name][color.name]
-        raise "basic image hash for #{species.name}, #{color.name} not found"
+        # TODO: use rainbow pool? some external service?
+        return 'deadbeef'
       end
       
       BasicHashes[species.name][color.name]
diff --git a/config/locales/en-MEEP.yml b/config/locales/en-MEEP.yml
index 4eca87cd..aa30af33 100644
--- a/config/locales/en-MEEP.yml
+++ b/config/locales/en-MEEP.yml
@@ -215,10 +215,16 @@ en-MEEP:
   
   contributions:
     contributed_description:
-      item_suffix: for the first meep
-      swf_asset_suffix: on a new body meep
-      pet_type_suffix: for the first meep
-      pet_state_prefix: a new meep for
+      parents:
+        item:
+          present_html: the %{item_link}
+          blank: data for an item that has since been meeped
+        pet_type_html: the %{pet_type_name}
+      main:
+        item_html: "%{item_description} for the first meep"
+        swf_asset_html: "%{item_description} on a new body meep"
+        pet_type_html: "%{pet_type_description} for the first meep"
+        pet_state_html: "a new meep for %{pet_type_description}"
     
     contribution:
       description_html: "%{user_link} meeped us %{contributed_description}"
diff --git a/config/locales/en.yml b/config/locales/en.yml
index 39518b4a..662f7e68 100644
--- a/config/locales/en.yml
+++ b/config/locales/en.yml
@@ -216,10 +216,16 @@ en:
   
   contributions:
     contributed_description:
-      item_suffix: for the first time
-      swf_asset_suffix: on a new body type
-      pet_type_suffix: for the first time
-      pet_state_prefix: a new pose for
+      parents:
+        item:
+          present_html: the %{item_link}
+          blank: data for an item that has since been updated
+        pet_type_html: the %{pet_type_name}
+      main:
+        item_html: "%{item_description} for the first time"
+        swf_asset_html: "%{item_description} on a new body type"
+        pet_type_html: "%{pet_type_description} for the first time"
+        pet_state_html: "a new pose for %{pet_type_description}"
     
     contribution:
       description_html: "%{user_link} showed us %{contributed_description}"
diff --git a/config/locales/es.yml b/config/locales/es.yml
index 2789c46b..dc18ad48 100644
--- a/config/locales/es.yml
+++ b/config/locales/es.yml
@@ -164,10 +164,15 @@ es:
     unlisted_name: No está en la lista
   contributions:
     contributed_description:
-      item_suffix: por primera vez
-      swf_asset_suffix: en un tipo de cuerpo nuevo
-      pet_type_suffix: por primera vez
-      pet_state_prefix: una nueva pose
+      parents:
+        item:
+          present_html: el %{item_link}
+        pet_type_html: el %{pet_type_name}
+      main:
+        item_html: "%{item_description} por primera vez"
+        swf_asset_html: "%{item_description} en un tipo de cuerpo nuevo"
+        pet_type_html: "%{pet_type_description} por primera vez"
+        pet_state_html: "una nueva pose para %{pet_type_description}"
     contribution:
       description_html: "%{user_link} nos ha enseñado %{contributed_description}"
       created_at_html: "hace %{created_at_ago}"
diff --git a/config/locales/pt.yml b/config/locales/pt.yml
index cbbbea10..43268c13 100644
--- a/config/locales/pt.yml
+++ b/config/locales/pt.yml
@@ -164,10 +164,15 @@ pt:
     unlisted_name: Não está em uma lista
   contributions:
     contributed_description:
-      item_suffix: pela primeira vez
-      swf_asset_suffix: em um novo tipo de corpo
-      pet_type_suffix: pela primeira vez
-      pet_state_prefix: uma nova pose para
+      parents:
+        item:
+          present_html: o %{item_link}
+        pet_type_html: o %{pet_type_name}
+      main:
+        item_html: "%{item_description} pela primeira vez"
+        swf_asset_html: "%{item_description} em um novo tipo de corpo"
+        pet_type_html: "%{pet_type_description} pela primeira vez"
+        pet_state_html: "uma nova pose para %{pet_type_description}"
     contribution:
       description_html: "%{user_link} nos mostrou %{contributed_description}"
       created_at_html: "%{created_at_ago} atrás"