September 2019
September 30, 2019
The Meteor Bag
The latest offering from the brand Off-White is the Meteor Bag which has large holes in its sides, as if it’s been hit by meteors (or, perhaps, meteorites?). As a result, anything put into the bag will likely fall out.The brand says that the bag is intended to be “unfunctional," and that it is, in fact, “challenging the concept of a bag itself.” What a relief someone is finally challenging the tyranny of functional bags!
The cost of the Meteor is a mere $1,665.
More info: vogue.com
Posted By: Alex - Mon Sep 30, 2019 -
Comments (0)
Category: Fashion, Overpriced Merchandise
Follies of the Madmen #446
Source.
Posted By: Paul - Mon Sep 30, 2019 -
Comments (1)
Category: Business, Advertising, Stereotypes and Cliches, Tobacco and Smoking, 1960s, Men, Women
September 29, 2019
Arm Fall Off Boy
One of the lesser-known superheroes in the DC Comics universe. Though to DC fans he's apparently fairly well-known, or notorious, as arguably the weirdest DC superhero. His superpower: being able to remove either of his arms (or his legs) and use them as weapons.More info: wikipedia
Posted By: Alex - Sun Sep 29, 2019 -
Comments (6)
Category: Comics, Superheroes
Charles Bowers
And one more.
His Wikipedia page.
Posted By: Paul - Sun Sep 29, 2019 -
Comments (1)
Category: Movies, Cartoons, Stop-motion Animation, Special Effects, Outsider Art, Surrealism, Twentieth Century
September 28, 2019
The Adequate Wiring Bureau
Nowadays, to describe something as 'adequate' sounds like it's damning with faint praise. It doesn't come across a ringing endorsement. It's like getting a 'B' on a homework assignment instead of an 'A'. It's merely adequate, not great.But evidently the word once had a much stronger positive association in general usage, as seen in the existence of the National Adequate Wiring Bureau. Many states also had their own Bureaus of Adequate Wiring. Their goal was to encourage homes to have proper, code-compliant electrical wiring.
As far as I can tell, the National Adequate Wiring Bureau came into existence as early as the 1890s, but there is no such thing today. By the 1970s, Adequate Wiring Bureaus had quietly begun to change their names, dropping the word 'adequate'.
It reminds me of the "Miss Typical" awards that used to be bestowed on young women. In today's culture, being typical or adequate no longer sounds like a compliment.
Brandon Times - Mar 12, 1953
I like this 1974 ad from the Adequate Wiring Bureau of Western New York, which used the idea of the sun suddenly going out, and the Earth being plunged into a freezing-cold apocalypse, as a way to promote the need for adequate wiring.
Wellsville Daily Reporter - Feb 13, 1974
Posted By: Alex - Sat Sep 28, 2019 -
Comments (1)
Category: Languages, Odd Names, Public Utilities, Power Generation
Freedom Highway
The bus as time machine.
Posted By: Paul - Sat Sep 28, 2019 -
Comments (0)
Category: History, PSA’s, 1950s, North America
September 27, 2019
Champion Chicken Picker Ernest Hausen
Ernie Hausen, of Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin, had one great talent. He could pick the feathers off of chickens really, really fast.When he started picking chickens, in 1904, it took him a full half hour to defeather one. Since he was paid 5 cents per chicken, he wasn't making much money. Over the years he sped up. By 1922, he won a Chicken Picking Championship by picking his chicken clean in 6 seconds. He topped this in 1939, upping his time to 3.5 seconds. As far as I know, that record stands to this day.
His technique:
-Ithaca Journal - Feb 7, 1946
More info: Hoard Museum
Wisconsin State Journal - Jan 2, 1946
Appleton Post-Crescent - Jul 28, 1936
McAllen Monitor - Oct 28, 1946
Posted By: Alex - Fri Sep 27, 2019 -
Comments (1)
Category: Animals, Farming, Human Marvels, World Records
Mystery Illustration 86
What is the nature of the fabric of this gown?
The answer is here.
And beyond the jump.
More in extended >>
Posted By: Paul - Fri Sep 27, 2019 -
Comments (5)
Category: Fashion, 1930s
September 26, 2019
Scented Scissors for kids
Hey kids, wanna sniff some scissors?Available from Westcott
Posted By: Alex - Thu Sep 26, 2019 -
Comments (3)
Category: Products, Perfume and Other Scents
Ten Minutes of Commercials
A fascinating variety of items you can't live without, reflective of the era, culminating in a long laundry drama.
Posted By: Paul - Thu Sep 26, 2019 -
Comments (0)
Category: Business, Advertising, Twentieth Century
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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 |
