# Can someone explain the pic in this ad? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [February 9, 2009, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-explain-the-pic-in-this-ad/485107 "2009-02-09T18:46:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2009, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-explain-the-pic-in-this-ad/485107/1 "2009-02-09T18:46:27Z")
[The ad in question.](http://img.turn.com/img-data/160x600_22.jpg) What is that thing supposed to be? Is it in the ad just to attract attention? ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2009, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-explain-the-pic-in-this-ad/485107/2 "2009-02-09T18:49:59Z")
Ooh, that is weird. Rolled up towels, maybe? ---
**Author:** ![Gaudere](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e495f1/32.png) [@Gaudere](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gaudere)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2009, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-explain-the-pic-in-this-ad/485107/3 "2009-02-09T18:51:28Z")
Cruises like to make fancy towel critters with your towels in your room, so that’s probably the connection. ---
**Author:** ![Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9d8465/32.png) [@Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Swallowed_My_Cellphone)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2009, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-explain-the-pic-in-this-ad/485107/4 "2009-02-09T18:51:42Z")
Petrified monkey demon. ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2009, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-explain-the-pic-in-this-ad/485107/5 "2009-02-09T18:52:19Z")
My guess was someone on a cruise was so bored they started making vaguely erotic bunny shaped sculptures out of towels, blankets, and sunglasses. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2009, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-explain-the-pic-in-this-ad/485107/6 "2009-02-09T18:56:52Z")
Bored… or stimulated? Never seen anything like it. I guess it’s kind of like the tinfoil swans some restaurants will make for leftovers. ---
**Author:** ![HolyFreakingMoly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/7ba0ec/32.png) [@HolyFreakingMoly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HolyFreakingMoly)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2009, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-explain-the-pic-in-this-ad/485107/7 "2009-02-09T19:01:32Z")
I was sure I’d be able to explain it but, no, I have no idea. ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2009, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-explain-the-pic-in-this-ad/485107/8 "2009-02-09T19:04:16Z")
> [@HolyFreakingMoly](#): > > I was sure I’d be able to explain it but, no, I have no idea. Another great username/post combo. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![AngelSoft](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/angelsoft/32/440_2.png) [@AngelSoft](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AngelSoft)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2009, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-explain-the-pic-in-this-ad/485107/9 "2009-02-09T19:08:51Z")
It’s a towel monkey hanging on the door people! Visualize! It’s so obvious! The sunglasses are there for comedic effect. What’s funnier than a towel monkey in sunglasses hanging on your door? ---
**Author:** ![Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9d8465/32.png) [@Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Swallowed_My_Cellphone)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2009, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-explain-the-pic-in-this-ad/485107/10 "2009-02-09T19:12:09Z")
It will come to life and strangle you in your sleep. Mark my word. ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2009, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-explain-the-pic-in-this-ad/485107/11 "2009-02-09T19:12:16Z")
> [@AngelSoft](#): > > It’s a towel monkey hanging on the door people! Visualize! It’s so obvious! The sunglasses are there for comedic effect. What’s funnier than a towel monkey in sunglasses hanging on your door? It confuses and frightens me. And it might get molested once I’m in the room. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2009, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-explain-the-pic-in-this-ad/485107/12 "2009-02-09T19:14:18Z")
> [@AngelSoft](#): > > What’s funnier than a towel monkey in sunglasses hanging on your door? One flinging poo? ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2009, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-explain-the-pic-in-this-ad/485107/13 "2009-02-09T19:15:41Z")
Lately, I’ve seen ads for a book on Towel Origami, the art of making silly stuff like that. ---
**Author:** ![pravnik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8edcca/32.png) [@pravnik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pravnik)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2009, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-explain-the-pic-in-this-ad/485107/14 "2009-02-09T19:25:15Z")
It’s a towel rolled up to look like a monkey. Cruises and resorts are big on rolling up towels to look like animals to leave you a nice little surprise when they clean. The most common one is [towel swans](http://www.wikihow.com/Fold-a-Towel-Swan). ETA: From the same site: make your own [towel monkey](http://www.wikihow.com/Fold-a-Towel-Monkey). ---
**Author:** ![Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troy_mcclure_sf/32/4150_2.png) [@Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Troy_McClure_SF)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2009, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-explain-the-pic-in-this-ad/485107/15 "2009-02-09T19:27:52Z")
We had a bartender make a [chicken](http://www.flickr.com/photos/troymccluresf/35146557/) once. ---
**Author:** ![Hampshire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hampshire/32/4887_2.png) [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2009, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-explain-the-pic-in-this-ad/485107/16 "2009-02-09T19:31:53Z")
Our maids did that on a cruise once. Folded an elephant out of the towels and put my wife’s sunglasses on it. Kind of ticked off my wife that they were messing with her sunglasses. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2009, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-explain-the-pic-in-this-ad/485107/17 "2009-02-09T19:39:56Z")
I didn’t have the turndown service come into my cruise room very often, but when they did they left a different towel animal each time. One was a monkey like that, looking down from on top the cabinets. And yeah, they did the elephant with my sunglasses bit too. ---
**Author:** ![C3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/c3/32/3108_2.png) [@C3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C3)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2009, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-explain-the-pic-in-this-ad/485107/18 "2009-02-09T19:43:02Z")
My mom and I went on a cruise years ago and, in our rush to get out to the pool, we left the cabin a little messy. When I came back, the steward had folded my dirty underwear into a little bird. Grossed me out a bit. ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2009, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-explain-the-pic-in-this-ad/485107/19 "2009-02-09T19:45:44Z")
So what’s the deal with cruises and the staff messing with your stuff? ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2009, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-explain-the-pic-in-this-ad/485107/20 "2009-02-09T19:46:18Z")
Agreed that it’s supposed to be a towel monkey. There’s been a TV ad for some hotel chain, within the past year, in which the guests (who have a child) come back to their room, to find that the maid has placed a towel monkey on their bed, much to the enjoyment of the child. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-explain-the-pic-in-this-ad/485107.md?page=2)