Weird Universe Archive

July 2014

July 19, 2014

Arnold



IMDB entry. Full movie below.

One reviewer there says:

The whole thing takes on the air of a ninety minute game of "Clue" played in reverse, as greedy, grasping relatives and hangers-on are dispatched in the most gory and inventive ways possible for a dead guy to come up with. Amongst the suspects/victims are THE Elsa Lanchester, Roddy McDowall, Patric Knowles, Farley Granger, the witchy Ms. Wallis, who gets to sample some of the hottest "cold cream" on the market, Jamie Farr (yeah, Klinger from M*A*S*H himself,) and Victor Buono, in a hysterical cameo as the 'lucky' minister who gets to officiate at the nuptials.


Posted By: Paul - Sat Jul 19, 2014 - Comments (1)
Category: Death, Horror, Humor, Movies, 1970s

July 18, 2014

Rude Baby Jumper

Several people who purchased (or were given) a baby jumper sold by the fashion chain Next have complained after they noticed it was "covered in penis drawings." The store admits that, yes, this does appear to be the case, but explains that the original design was "over simplified by the printer and has unintentionally become something else." [NorthDevonJournal.co.uk]

Posted By: Alex - Fri Jul 18, 2014 - Comments (14)
Category: Babies, Fashion

Lord Timothy Dexter

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I just learned about a famous New England eccentric named Lord Timothy Dexter. People like this make me proud to be a Yankee.

Just one of his whimsicalities, from this write-up:

In 1798, Mr. Dexter returned to Newburyport, and August 15th of the same summer he bought the large house on High street that had been erected by Jonathan Jackson in 1771. Its situation is high, and commands an extensive view of the coast and the Isles of Shoals. The grounds were laid out by intelligent landscape gardeners. Everything about the house was in excellent order; but not to his wish. He raised minarets on the roof, and surmounted them with gilt balls. He caused it to assume a gaudiness and cheapness that was most undesirable to a person of taste.

Directly before the front door of the house, on a Roman arch, he erected a figure of Washington in his military garb, and on his left, a figure of Jefferson, and on his right one of Adams, the latter being hatless. On columns erected in the garden were figures of Indian chiefs, generals, philosophers, politicians, statesmen, and goddesses of Fame and Liberty. He changed the name of the statues by the aid of the painter's brush as he pleased. General Morgan was thus transformed into Bonaparte, and to the latter Dexter always touched his, hat. There were more than forty of these figures, including four lions, two couchant, and two passant. These images were of wood, life size, and fairly well carved. The lions were open-mouthed and looked fierce. The figures were made by a young ship carver who had just come to Newburyport, named Joseph Wilson, and were gaudily painted. The images were all in good condition when Dexter died, and the first to fall was an Indian. The remainder stood until the great September gale of 1815, when all but the presidents were cast prostrate upon the earth. The images were sold at auction, the specimen that brought the most money, five dollars, was the goddess of Fame. William Pitt was sold for a dollar, and the "Travelling Preacher," fifty cents. It is said that the arch and figures of the three presidents, all the presidents there had been in Dexter's day, cost at least two thousand dollars, the lions two hundred dollars apiece, and the other images a similar amount.

Posted By: Paul - Fri Jul 18, 2014 - Comments (8)
Category: Eccentrics, Landscaping, Eighteenth Century, Nineteenth Century

July 17, 2014

The Art of S. Clay Wilson

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Surely some of the weirdest underground comix were produced by S. Clay Wilson. Now there's a great new compilation of his work, with more volumes to come. Add it to your Xmas List now.

Posted By: Paul - Thu Jul 17, 2014 - Comments (7)
Category: Comics, Outsider Art, Surrealism, 1960s

Stuff for your cat

I can't imagine a cat ever using this cat exercise wheel (apart from the one cat in the video whom they've somehow convinced to demonstrate it). And yet, the creators of this have not only met their funding goal on Kickstarter but have gone well over it.


And in other unusual cat products, here's a cat feeder that uses "cat facial recognition technology" while dispensing the food so that, if you have multiple cats, you can make sure each one gets the proper amount. No more, no less.

Posted By: Alex - Thu Jul 17, 2014 - Comments (9)
Category: Cats

Crazy Clock Game





Everyone knows Mouse Trap. But who recalls its sister game, Crazy Clock? Why would one become famous, the other forgotten? The vagaries of play....

Posted By: Paul - Thu Jul 17, 2014 - Comments (3)
Category: Games, Rube Goldberg Devices, 1960s

July 16, 2014

Waitress There’s A Cockroach In My Salad


When a customer in a Chinese restaurant complained about a cockroach in his salad the waitress showed him it was safe to eat by eating it. Delightful!

Posted By: Alex - Wed Jul 16, 2014 - Comments (6)
Category: Insects and Spiders, Restaurants

Pro Basketball Player Eaten by Cannibals?

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Vanished forever in Africa while visiting Idi Amin. Surname suspiciously close to "brisket." 'Nuff said.

Contemporary account from 1985.

Article from 2007.

Wikipedia.

Posted By: Paul - Wed Jul 16, 2014 - Comments (8)
Category: Cannibalism, Sports, 1980s, Africa

July 15, 2014

Gurney on road

The Bucks County Coroner's Office says it "deeply regrets" the malfunction that caused the door on the coroner's van to open, sending a dead body on a gurney rolling down a busy road in Feasterville, Pa. The errant gurney was photographed and posted on Facebook by Jerry Bradley, and, of course, immediately went viral. [syracuse.com]

Posted By: Alex - Tue Jul 15, 2014 - Comments (9)
Category: Death, Travel

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Alex Boese
Alex is the creator and curator of the Museum of Hoaxes. He's also the author of various weird, non-fiction books such as Elephants on Acid.

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Paul has been paid to put weird ideas into fictional form for over thirty years, in his career as a noted science fiction writer. He has recently begun blogging on many curious topics with three fellow writers at The Inferior 4+1.

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