Weird Universe Archive
March 2016
March 27, 2016
Happy Easter 2016!
Posted By: Paul - Sun Mar 27, 2016 -
Comments (3)
Category: Animals, Holidays, Easter, Headgear
March 26, 2016
The Slot Sisters
Those playing might be interested in the experience of the "Slot Sisters" who committed themselves BIG TIME to the game when it ran last year.
By making mass purchases of Ramen noodles, they managed to acquire 42,000 game tickets. They also toured through 6 states, driving close to 3000 miles, because they thought that getting tickets in different locations would increase their chances of winning.
Their final grand total of winnings was $365 in gift cards and $800 in free groceries. Not a great return on investment. As they note, it's "not a game for people on a food budget."
And yet they promised that they'll be playing again this year.
Posted By: Alex - Sat Mar 26, 2016 -
Comments (15)
Category: Gambling, Casinos, Lotteries and Other Games of Chance
Follies of the Madmen #278
Posted By: Paul - Sat Mar 26, 2016 -
Comments (4)
Category: Animals, Business, Advertising, Products, Religion, 1960s, Cars
March 25, 2016
Eggplant Mail
Eggplant Mail is the latest incarnation of the vegetable-mailing business fad. In a similar vein, we've recently seen Mail-a-Spud and Mail-a-Pickle (as well as Feces by Mail, though that's processed vegetable matter).The slight variation that Eggplant Mail offers is that customers can request that a message be written on the eggplant before it's shipped to the person of their choice.
But although the business is only about a month old, its owner has already decided to cash out and is auctioning off eggplantmail.com.
The lucky buyer is getting not only a site, but a business that has already raked in some $570 in sales. However, the owner has revealed to the German version of vice.com that he's not planning on accepting less than $10,000.
Posted By: Alex - Fri Mar 25, 2016 -
Comments (11)
Category: Business, Food, Postal Services
The Legend of Boggy Creek
Some weird viewing for your WU-vie weekend.
Posted By: Paul - Fri Mar 25, 2016 -
Comments (4)
Category: Cryptozoology, Movies, Regionalism, 1970s
March 24, 2016
Bill Ding
Continuing Paul's ongoing theme of strange corporate mascots — "Bill Ding" was a corporate mascot, created circa 1950, and shared by a number of building supply stores. But was he a giant robot, a wooden puppet, or a walking/talking building? I'm not sure.Seems to me he's gotta rank as one of the laziest efforts ever to come up with a corporate mascot. I mean, Bill Ding. Really? (Though, to be fair, he's better than Clippy, the Microsoft Office mascot).
The name wasn't even original, since Bill Ding was also the name of a popular children's toy, Bill Ding the Balancing Clown, introduced in 1931.
Pottstown Mercury - May 24, 1950
Lethbridge Herald - Jan 31, 1950
Bernardsville News - Feb 16, 1950
Update: Thanks to Bill G. for sending along a picture of some Bill Ding Balancing Clowns.
Posted By: Alex - Thu Mar 24, 2016 -
Comments (7)
Category: Advertising, Corporate Mascots, Icons and Spokesbeings
Predictions, Sponsored by the Weatherhead Company
World War II naturally had people thinking about what would come afterwards. Here are some experts offering us their visions of the future.
Original ad here.
Original ad here.
Original ad here.
Original ad here.
Posted By: Paul - Thu Mar 24, 2016 -
Comments (13)
Category: Design and Designers, Futurism, Technology, 1940s
March 23, 2016
Brigit the Underwear Thief
Most cats, if allowed out, will bring home birds, rodents, and other critters that they've caught. But Brigit, a 6-year-old tonkinese who lives in Hamilton, New Zealand, has been bringing home underwear and socks. Lots of them. Says her owner, "It's all men's. It's really, really weird. She's got really specific taste."Brigit's owner has distributed flyers on the street in an attempt to reunite the underwear with the person it belongs to. But so far no one has claimed it.
More info: NZ Herald
Posted By: Alex - Wed Mar 23, 2016 -
Comments (15)
Category: Animals, Cats
Cat Who Is Artist
Another animal artist, to complement Alex's canine.
Posted By: Paul - Wed Mar 23, 2016 -
Comments (3)
Category: Art, Cats
March 22, 2016
Castrato Music
By the 20th Century, the practice of castrating vocally talented young boys to preserve their singing voice had been abandoned. For which reason, the solo singing of only one "castrato" was ever recorded. These were the recordings of Alessandro Moreschi, made in 1902 and 1904 when he was already in his 40s, and some say past his prime. Wikipedia notes, "The dated aesthetic of Moreschi's singing, involving extreme passion and a perpetual type of sob, often sounds bizarre to the modern listener, and can be misinterpreted as technical weakness or symptomatic of an aging voice."
Posted By: Alex - Tue Mar 22, 2016 -
Comments (9)
Category: Music, 1900s
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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. Paul Di Filippo 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. Chuck Shepherd Chuck is the purveyor of News of the Weird, the syndicated column which for decades has set the gold-standard for reporting on oddities and the bizarre. Our banner was drawn by the legendary underground cartoonist Rick Altergott. Contact Us |
