Weird Universe Archive
April 2014
April 25, 2014
The art of Uwe Max Jensen
Some of Uwe Max Jensen's previous work includes his groundbreaking, self-explanatory piece titled, "For one complete week, I will only use the Aarhus Museum of Art when having a shit."
And there's also his 2005 piece titled "Raising the water level in a sculpture by Olafur Eliasson." This involved urinating in Eliasson's 'Waterfalls' sculpture.
[Copenhagen Post]
Posted By: Alex - Fri Apr 25, 2014 -
Comments (9)
Category: Art, Performance Art
Fresh-Up Freddie
Disney characters have touted much merch. But rarely has the studio designed a character expressly as a corporate spokesman. The exception is Fresh-Up Freddie for 7-Up.But what a godawful mess he was, all over the stereotype map.
In this non-embeddable commercial Freddie is manic like Woody Woodpecker or Daffy Duck. Then he does a Maurice Chevalier imitation. There are real humans and teenybopper birds.
Still manic, but now he's also a "teenager" Fred Astaire.
Some kind of socialite William Powell/Richie Rich.
Texas oil baron.
Now he talks like Speedy Gonzalez, as a bullfighter.
Cowboy.
And last but not least, Freddie has a sex change.
Posted By: Paul - Fri Apr 25, 2014 -
Comments (5)
Category: Anthropomorphism, Business, Advertising, Products, Stereotypes and Cliches, Soda, Pop, Soft Drinks and other Non-Alcoholic Beverages, Cartoons
April 24, 2014
Big-Hole Golf
Fewer people are playing golf, which has the golf industry worried. One solution being proposed is to make the holes bigger. A lot bigger. 15 inches wide. The idea is that if the game is easier, more people will play. Although personally I don't think people are not playing because the game is too hard. I think they're not playing because it's too expensive. More details at wsj.com.
Posted By: Alex - Thu Apr 24, 2014 -
Comments (13)
Category: Sports, Golf
Beetle Game
I want to see Hasbro or Mattel market this game today.
Original article here.
Posted By: Paul - Thu Apr 24, 2014 -
Comments (6)
Category: Games, Insects and Spiders, 1930s
April 23, 2014
Digital eyes
A Japanese inventor, Hirotaka Osawa, has created glasses (which he calls AgencyGlass) that display a pair of digital eyes, sparing wearers the burden of having to express emotion with their eyes. The NY Daily News reports:Just as robots can reduce the need for physical labour, the AgencyGlass — which looks like two small TV screens set in spectacle frames — aims to cut down its user's emotional demands by carrying out their eye movements for them.
Posted By: Alex - Wed Apr 23, 2014 -
Comments (5)
Category: Inventions, Chindogu
The Seagram’s Nightmare
Does this bout of insane tedious bickering make you want to purchase Seagram's liquor?
Posted By: Paul - Wed Apr 23, 2014 -
Comments (9)
Category: Business, Advertising, Products, Dreams and Nightmares, 1970s, Alcohol
April 22, 2014
Fumble Parties
Back in the early 1950s, fumble parties became all the rage, according to Life magazine (July 14, 1952), which offered this description of them:
A person is chosen 'it' by drawing the high card from a deck. 'It' goes to another room while the other players add and subtract clothes, put on masks or disguise themselves in other ways.
When everyone is disguised, they all fling themselves down into a huddle on the floor, making a confused tangle of bodies, arms, and legs. Then the lights are turned off. 'It' reenters the room and, by fumbling among the tangled bodies, tries to identify a person. If someone is identified, then he or she becomes 'it'. But if the fumbler makes an error he must pay a penalty decided upon by the group.
When everyone is disguised, they all fling themselves down into a huddle on the floor, making a confused tangle of bodies, arms, and legs. Then the lights are turned off. 'It' reenters the room and, by fumbling among the tangled bodies, tries to identify a person. If someone is identified, then he or she becomes 'it'. But if the fumbler makes an error he must pay a penalty decided upon by the group.
So it was a bunch of adults feeling each other up in the dark. Sounds like a swinging good time!
Posted By: Alex - Tue Apr 22, 2014 -
Comments (8)
Category: 1950s
Mike Gilhooley, Champ Stowaway
It's one thing to repeatedly slip across the Mexico-USA border. Dangerous, but in wide-open spaces. It's quite another to stowaway five times across the Atlantic on a confined ship. (Of course, stowing away in a jetliner's wheel well is another matter entirely.)
Original article here.
Little Mike found a sponsor for his immigrant desires, but eventually wore out his welcome.
Original article here.
Posted By: Paul - Tue Apr 22, 2014 -
Comments (5)
Category: Emigrants, Immigrants and Borders, Travel, Teenagers, 1910s
April 21, 2014
World’s Fastest Lawnmower
Clocked at 116 mph. Although I think a more relevant test would be how fast it can go while simultaneously cutting grass. More info at gizmag.com.
Posted By: Alex - Mon Apr 21, 2014 -
Comments (4)
Category: Motor Vehicles, World Records
Johnson Smith Catalog Item #31
From the 1930s catalog.
Posted By: Paul - Mon Apr 21, 2014 -
Comments (16)
Category: Etiquette and Formal Behavior, Johnson Smith Catalog, Sexuality, Books, 1930s
| Get WU Posts by Email | |
|---|---|
| Who We Are |
|---|
| 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 |
