Category:
Bathrooms

The Standard Toilet

Created to discourage employees from sitting on the toilet too long. As explained in wired.co.uk:

the StandardToilet sits at a downward angle of 13 degrees. After around five minutes of sitting, this will cause strain on the legs, similar to a low level squat thrust, but “not enough to cause health issues,” reassures Mahabir Gill, founder of StandardToilet. “Anything higher than that would cause wider problems. Thirteen degrees is not too inconvenient, but you’d soon want to get off the seat quite quickly.”

It was inspired by a series of annoyances. As a consulting engineer for 40 years, Gill sometimes discover workers asleep on the toilet, and in his free time, was increasingly annoyed by queues for public toilets. The final straw came while he was shopping in a department store the morning after a particularly heavy night out, and in desperate need for a toilet, could only find locked cubicles. Thus, the idea for the StandardToilet was born.

I can imagine this would do wonders for employee morale.

More info: standardtoilet.net

Posted By: Alex - Wed Dec 18, 2019 - Comments (5)
Category: Bathrooms

Velvet-Lined Bathtub

Back in 1936, interior decorators predicted a popular future for velvet-lined bathtubs.

I can only imagine they would have been a nightmare to clean.

Pottsville Republican and Herald - Dec 4, 1936



Emery County Progress - Nov 27, 1936



Update: Thanks to our knowledgeable readers, Floormaster Squeeze and KDP, for pointing out that Steve Martin had a line in one of his routines about buying a fur-lined sink. I found the clip on YouTube (audio only, unfortunately). The fur-lined sink reference occurs less than a minute in.

Posted By: Alex - Fri Sep 13, 2019 - Comments (7)
Category: Bathrooms, Baths, Showers and Other Cleansing Methods, 1930s

Another Exploding Toilet

In Port Charlotte, Florida, a lightning strike ignited methane in the sewer system, which then caused a toilet inside a house to explode. The plumber who later came to investigate noted: "This is probably the first time in history something like this has happened."

Well, maybe it's the first time lightning has caused a toilet to explode (I'm not sure... can't think of another example offhand), but it's definitely not the first time a toilet has randomly exploded. That's a recurring weird-news phenomenon. Other instances we've posted about here, here, and here.

More info: Wash Post

Posted By: Alex - Sat Aug 10, 2019 - Comments (1)
Category: Bathrooms, Explosives

Latchkey Incontinence

As defined by a 2015 study published in the journal Biomedical Research:

environmental cues are reported to be related to OAB [Overactive Bladder] symptoms. The cue that is most mentioned was upon arrival at an individual’s front door is defined as “latchkey incontinence”, which is a loss of urine that occurs when one arrives home and puts the key in the lock of one’s front door

Basically, it's the phenomenon that the closer you get to the bathroom, the more urgently you have to go.

Posted By: Alex - Sun Jun 09, 2019 - Comments (5)
Category: Bathrooms, Body Fluids

Hardcore Toilet for Wrestling Action Figures

It's a miniature toilet (3 inches tall) intended as an accessory for WWE Wrestling Action Figures. The product description notes: "Lids goes up and down and top lids is removable like a real toilet... Perfect for all past and present wrestling figures!"

I guess even action figures need to use a toilet every now and then.

Available on Amazon for $13.99.


via Worst Things for Sale

Posted By: Alex - Mon Apr 01, 2019 - Comments (3)
Category: Bathrooms, Toys

The Masculine Toilet

It's a toilet specially designed for men who suffer from being too well endowed. It's been in the news recently because the current acting Attorney General, Matthew Whitaker, once worked as the lawyer for the company that patented (or sought to patent) it. From the 2014 press release announcing the "Masculine Toilet":

The average male genitalia is between 5" and 6". However, this invention is designed for those of us who measure longer than that. I estimate that a 12" distance is adequate enough for most well-endowed men, though I would not be surprised if there are cases who need a greater distance. Nevertheless, for the time being, this is a good starting point.

The Masculine Toilet reminds me of the Toilet Sanitary Shield For Men, which we posted about back in 2015. That was another device designed for men with oversized equipment.

Posted By: Alex - Fri Nov 16, 2018 - Comments (2)
Category: Bathrooms, Inventions, Patents

Glow Bowl Fresh



Posted By: Paul - Mon Sep 17, 2018 - Comments (3)
Category: Bathrooms, Hygiene, Body Fluids, Excrement, Chindogu

Urinal Forehead Support


U.S. Patent No. 6,618,419.

Abstract: A forehead support apparatus for resting a standing users forehead against a wall above a bathroom commode or urinal or beneath a showerhead. The apparatus includes a mounting member adapted for attachment to an upright bathroom wall either above the commode or urinal or below the showerhead.

Posted By: Alex - Tue Mar 06, 2018 - Comments (8)
Category: Bathrooms, Inventions, Patents

Bathrooms walls as teaching tool

1980: At the annual meeting of the American Society of Anesthesiologists, Alan Grogono reported on the results of an experiment to determine the efficacy of bathrooms walls as a teaching tool.

While teaching a class on CPR, he placed educational posters about CPR in the bathroom of one college dormitory, while placing no posters in the bathroom of another. Students housed in the dormitory with the bathroom posters subsequently scored significantly better on the CPR exam than those in the no-poster dormitory. In fact, students in the bathroom-poster dormitory who hadn't even taken the class scored as well as students in the no-poster dorm who had taken the class.

Grogono concluded that bathroom posters could be a useful supplement to CPR training. He also credited his "fascination with restroom communication" to his student days at London Hospital Medical College.

Philadelphia Inquirer - Nov 27, 1980



Chemical & Engineering News - Oct 27, 1980

Posted By: Alex - Tue Jan 24, 2017 - Comments (8)
Category: Bathrooms, Education, 1980s

Toilet Sanitary Shield For Men

Florida inventor Vladimir Laurent recently received a patent for a device which he describes as a "toilet sanitary shield for male genitalia." From his patent application:

The toilet sanitary shield for male genitalia is a device that is placed in the toilet to prevent the male genitalia from touching the walls of the toilet while in use. The toilet sanitary shield for male genitalia comprises a shield, a securing device, and a ball and socket joint.

Laurent told the South Florida Business Journal, "It's a home product and it's designed for a specific need, for something that I felt was needed, personally." He also said that he's spent "between $25,000 and $30,000" on developing the product.

His patent included a line drawing (below) which illustrates his device being used. I've put a purple circle over the male dangly bit, in order to avoid any risk of offending that company which pays our web hosting bill (because that company is easily offended). You can see the unaltered patent image at the South Florida Biz Journal link above.

Posted By: Alex - Mon Oct 05, 2015 - Comments (13)
Category: Bathrooms, Inventions, Patents, Genitals

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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, science-themed books such as Elephants on Acid and Psychedelic Apes.

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