Monday, March 8, 2010

Toot Pillows & Bronx Cheers

In yesterday's post about my auction haul, I neglected to mention that the As Seen on TV collection was not the only item our household secured in the silent auction. Before I had fully committed to securing the cart of crap at any cost, I bid on a box of crap from a local, kitschy toy store. The box of crap of was not expensive, and I thought Bub and Little Bit would get a kick out of it. Plus, I didn't want to come home empty-handed and wanted to buy/donate something, you know, for the kids.

The box of crap included mostly crap with the highlights being a NKOTB travel mug, a rubber snake, various figurines (Bart Simpson, Big Bird, Donald Duck), and--drum roll please--a Whoopee Cushion.

The pleasure that Bub has taken in the Whoopee Cushion has made the entire purchase of the box of crap worth it. Hubby showed him how to inflate it and then Bub would say, "Mom, come sit at your computer." I would gamely sit down, activate the cushion, and then enjoy Bub's uncontrollable laughter about my indelicacy. Or, I would be sitting on the couch and he would ask me to stand up, place the Whoopee Cushion oh-so-subtly beneath me, and then again enjoy the results. Or, he would inflate it, place it under a pillow, and then jump on the pillow, proudly exclaiming, "I tooted!" Squeals of laughter from Bub and Little Bit every time.

I have to mention that "toot" is our verb of choice for flatulence around here. I don't have a problem with the word "fart" really, except that my dad did not like my siblings and I to say "fart" when we were little (no idea why he objected to the word). Thus, to this day, I still feel a little bit guilty if I use the word "fart," almost as if it's a bad word. My dad wanted us to use the term "boomer," which is strange but better, I suppose, than my sister's friend's mom who encouraged her daughter to use the term "panty bubble." Ick.

Anyway, because we say "toot," Bub soon dubbed the Whoopee Cushion the "toot pillow" (and sometimes the "toot balloon") which I find to be accurate and adorable names.

Unfortunately, due to too much tooting, our toot pillow has sprung a leak and needs to be repaired before Bub can trick any new suspects (warning to Grandma and Grammy . . . he has plans for both of you!).

I don't know how you feel about tooting at your house or whether or not you're comfortable having your preschooler amuse himself with a toot pillow, but I have to say, it definitely has kept him entertained. I don't know how much a toot pillow sold separately from a box of crap is, but I imagine not much. Cheap thrills!

By the way, has anyone ever heard the phrase "Bronx cheer"? If you note in the photo above, the Whoopee Cushion's old-fashioned illustration shows a woman in an evening dress sitting upon a Whoopee Cushion. The drawing has lines to show motion and two air (panty?) bubbles with the word "Poo" in each. Really! Then, the tag line is, "When anyone sits down it emits a REAL Bronx cheer." I wonder what a fake Bronx cheer is.

So, Bronx cheer . . . anyone? anyone?

7 comments:

Mrs F with 4 said...

Heaven only knows who started it - though I think it was number 1 child, and it just stuck around - but that particular 'f' word doesn't get used around here, either - but those particular involuntary gaseous emissions are known as 'bottom burps'.

Stacia said...

Oh, how I do love a good panty bubble joke. Thanks for the laugh!

E... said...

I believe a bronx cheer is the same as the sound you make when making raspberries with your tongue.
Strange illustration.
We have a "toot cushion" here that my nephews gave to my husband probably ten years ago. (He wrote "Uncle J's Toot Cushion" on it in Sharpie that Christmas so they wouldn't take off with it). It is always around our upstairs somewhere and both my kids get great joy out of "accidentally" stepping on it. May I recommend the self inflating version? It's sort of spongy and requires no set up.
We also use "toot" as my parents had the same aversion to fart. O. recently picked up that "f" word from one of his cousins and I was more annoyed than I thought I would be.

east coast bro said...

we went to bday party on our street for 4yr old boy last week. He got tons of presents. The only one he played with was the whoopee cushion from his uncle.
In addition, Grace told me this morning she farted as I was changing her diaper (like I hadn't noticed or something)

dusty earth mother said...

Okay, "panty bubble" is so awful, that I must begin using it immediately.

Congrats on winning such a divine boy-toy! What is it about guys that the height of humor is gas?

PITA said...

I kind of forgot about dad and his request to call a fart a boomer. I really cant stop laughing about it. Panty bubble still rubs me the wrong way.

CaraBee said...

Just a quicK toot story: whenever my husband toots in front of our daughter, he looks around and says "what was that?" As though the sound did NOT just eminate from his behind. So now Sophie has started doing the same thing whenever anyone toots. It's cute except when you are trying to sneak one out at the grocery store checkout and she calls attention to it. Not that I would ever do anything so unladylike. :)

 
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