# Has there ever been a more idiotic.. **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 21, 2000, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-more-idiotic/23070 "2000-06-21T04:05:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Asmodeus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8dc957/32.png) [@Asmodeus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asmodeus)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2000, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-more-idiotic/23070/1 "2000-06-21T04:05:16Z")
Thing for sale than that “Boogie Bass”? Would you hang one of those on your wall? Seen anything more dumb? ---
**Author:** ![stuyguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ec9cab/32.png) [@stuyguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stuyguy)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2000, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-more-idiotic/23070/2 "2000-06-21T04:43:09Z")
I’ll tell you in a couple of days. I just found out tonight that my best friend got me one and it’s due to arrive any day. ---
**Author:** ![paigeb25](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/b38774/32.png) [@paigeb25](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/paigeb25)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2000, 4:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-more-idiotic/23070/3 "2000-06-21T04:46:15Z")
It was in the harriet carter mag…It’s called “Toliet Bowling”. The only thing I can figure out is how do you set the pins back up after you knock em down…Or better yet, how do you get your ball back if you don’t?.. ---
**Author:** ![Fyodor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/958977/32.png) [@Fyodor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fyodor)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2000, 4:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-more-idiotic/23070/4 "2000-06-21T04:51:15Z")
There was a big article in the newspaper here today on that fish. I guess they are selling out like crazy. The factories in China are churning them out 24 hours a day to meet American demand. There are now plans for a singing trout and a singing gopher to cash in on this very popular novelty item. In my town the price ranges from $29.95 to $39.95. SOMEBODY loves having plastic singing fish to hang on the wall. All I can think of is the good old “more money than brains” syndrome. ---
**Author:** ![wolfseyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/97f17d/32.png) [@wolfseyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfseyn)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2000, 5:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-more-idiotic/23070/5 "2000-06-21T05:13:18Z")
What IS a Boogie Bass? I’ve never seen one… I saw a Hosie cow for sale at Ames (or was it Kmart?). You know the things advertised on Letterman? ---
**Author:** ![Lagged2Death](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ac8455/32.png) [@Lagged2Death](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lagged2Death)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2000, 5:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-more-idiotic/23070/6 "2000-06-21T05:31:47Z")
Last Christmas season, there was that horrid singing Christmas tree with built-in motion sensor. It would burst into song when someone got near it, complete with animated mouth and eyes. I hated those so much, I made it my mission to unplug every one I found. Usually, the store employees (who had been listening to it for hours on end) thanked me. ---
**Author:** ![manhattan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/manhattan/32/7_2.png) [@manhattan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/manhattan)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2000, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-more-idiotic/23070/7 "2000-06-21T13:49:29Z")
“Survey-style” questions such as this really belong in the forum “In My Humble Opinion.” I’ll send the thread there, where I have complete confidence that the locals will know of _dozens_ of things even more dumb than the “Boogie Bass.” ---
**Author:** ![Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/50afbb/32.png) [@Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duck_Duck_Goose)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2000, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-more-idiotic/23070/8 "2000-06-21T14:15:04Z")
Evidently the latest craze is a plastic fish that has one of those motion-activated sensors in it, and when you walk past, it plays songs at you. [http://www.boogiebass.net/](http://www.boogiebass.net/) To answer the OP: golly, **Asmodeus,** you must lead a sheltered life. I see dumber stuff than this about every 3 to 6 months, when a new one comes down the pike. A short list: Furbys, pet rocks, lava lamps, Tickle Me Elmo, Pokemon, instant iced tea in cans, toenail art, bellybutton piercing, underwear on the outside of clothes, Marky Mark with his pants falling down, huge platform shoes, New Coke, Jello already made up in those little pudding cups, Cookie Crisp breakfast cereal (“part of this complete breakfast”), the entire Seattle “grunge” movement (just for the obnoxious way they seemed to think they’d invented tatty blue jeans), Lunchables (it’s just cheese and crackers, and they want $3.99 for it?), driveway “alarms” that chime when somebody pulls in your driveway (why?), doormats that have dumb things printed on them (consult the Harriet Carter/Sunset House catalog for examples), ugly terracotta gnomes and rabbits to put in your garden (maybe it’s to frighten away the burglars who have pulled into your driveway), the women’s “Big Shoulder” look, push-up bras (50 years of women’s lib, for this?)… Well, I’m getting tired so I’m going to stop. Notice that I left inflatable sex dolls off the list, because I think they serve a useful social purpose, also those multi-purpose tools for escaping from your car, because you never know. ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2000, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-more-idiotic/23070/9 "2000-06-21T14:16:47Z")
> [@](#): > > \*\* > What IS a Boogie Bass? > I’ve never seen one… > > I saw a Hosie cow for sale at Ames (or was it Kmart?). You know the things advertised on Letterman? > \*\* It’s a fish mounted on a plague. It’s hooked up to speaker that plays certain songs like ‘Take me to the river’. The head seems to mouth the words while the tail flaps in time. It can keep you amused for all of 5 minutes. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Cynical](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ee59a6/32.png) [@Mr.Cynical](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Cynical)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2000, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-more-idiotic/23070/10 "2000-06-21T14:34:12Z")
spooje sez: > [@](#): > > \*\* > It’s a fish mounted on a plague > \*\* I have not seen a more fitting description yet. ---
**Author:** ![jayron\_32](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/41988e/32.png) [@jayron\_32](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayron_32)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2000, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-more-idiotic/23070/11 "2000-06-21T18:19:47Z")
Don’t forget that ass-shakin’ Santa Clause that came out a few years ago. What an annoying piece of crap THAT little “pokeman” for adults was. Generally, anything’s intrinsic value is inversely proportional to the number of people infatuated with it… and things that already start off with a low intrinisc value, like singing fishes, dancing Santas, and Country music, are worthy of mass destruction. ---
**Author:** ![mojopitch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/2bfe46/32.png) [@mojopitch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mojopitch)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2000, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-more-idiotic/23070/12 "2000-06-21T20:26:18Z")
Cant leave out Chia-pet and The Clapper. ---
**Author:** ![Silver\_Fire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e4f/32.png) [@Silver\_Fire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silver_Fire)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2000, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-more-idiotic/23070/13 "2000-06-21T20:53:28Z")
> [@](#): > > \*\* > Cant leave out…The Clapper. > \*\* But which was more idiotic? The Clapper itself, or the commercial? I JUST now saw a commercial, (yeah JUST now) for a diet pill called “Diet-X” or something that they are giving you free. You get 4 months FREE!!! FOUR MONTHS!! Wow, what a deal. And in tiny print at the bottom of the screen: Only $13.90 S&H each month. For a pill bottle?? Are you CRAZY? Oh yeah. About that singing fish, my friend’s parents had one and they showed it to me. I laughed, I cried. My first impulse though was to throw it out a 60th story window just to see if it would bounce. ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2000, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-more-idiotic/23070/14 "2000-06-22T02:42:24Z")
What I can’t figure out is that even if you thought this was a good, wacky, entertaining idea; even if you laughed your ass off in the commercial; what on earth makes you think that it could possibly remain entertaining for more than 10 minutes?? I already want to feed the damn thing to the trash compactor, and I’ve only seen the commercial! ---
**Author:** ![rowrrbazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rowrrbazzle/32/414_2.png) [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2000, 5:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-more-idiotic/23070/15 "2000-06-22T05:43:07Z")
The Boogie Bass is such an idiotic idea that there’s a knock-off of it already! It’s called “Louie the Large-mouth Bass.” Different voice, faces to the left, different jokes. ---
**Author:** ![DoctorJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctorj/32/2904_2.png) [@DoctorJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DoctorJ)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2000, 5:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-more-idiotic/23070/16 "2000-06-22T05:53:04Z")
> [@](#): > > There was a big article in the newspaper here today on that fish. I guess they are selling out like crazy. The factories in China are churning them out 24 hours a day to meet American demand. There are now plans for a singing trout and a singing gopher to cash in on this very popular novelty item. That’s it. I’m never leaving my house again. Dr. J ---
**Author:** ![Edwardina](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Edwardina](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Edwardina)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2000, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-more-idiotic/23070/17 "2000-06-22T21:39:05Z")
> [@](#): > > \*\* > Cant leave out Chia-pet and The Clapper. > \*\* C’mon, Chia Pets aren’t _that_ bad. It’s that Chiad-_Head_ thing that freaks _me_ out! ---
**Author:** ![Edwardina](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Edwardina](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Edwardina)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2000, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-more-idiotic/23070/18 "2000-06-22T21:39:20Z")
> [@](#): > > \*\* > Cant leave out Chia-pet and The Clapper. > \*\* C’mon, Chia Pets aren’t _that_ bad. It’s that Chia-_Head_ thing that freaks _me_ out! ---
**Author:** ![2nd\_Law](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/2/f475e1/32.png) [@2nd\_Law](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/2nd_Law)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2000, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-more-idiotic/23070/19 "2000-06-22T23:40:42Z")
> [@](#): > > There are now plans for a singing trout and a singing \*\*gopher > \*\* Why does this impress me as the perfect gift for Scylla, the OP in the “Evil nazi groundhogs” thread? ---
**Author:** ![Arnold\_Winkelried](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Arnold\_Winkelried](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arnold_Winkelried)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2000, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-more-idiotic/23070/20 "2000-06-23T01:20:46Z")
I’ve just got a great idea: a boogie bass with chia pet hair, hooked up to the clapper so you can turn it on and off without getting out of bed. The anus of the fish could be enlarged and served as a holder for your set of ginsu knives, and when you pull out a ginsu knife it “dances” like the butt-shaking Santa Claus that we all know and love. Would this be patent infringement? I think the excellence of my idea and the fact that I brought together previously unrelated elements of kitch would be enough to qualify it as a brand-new idea. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-more-idiotic/23070.md?page=2)