# Stupid stuff I thought when I was a kid **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [November 14, 2021, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-stuff-i-thought-when-i-was-a-kid/954317 "2021-11-14T03:12:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 9
**Author:** ![lobotomyboy63](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobotomyboy63/32/2900_2.png) [@lobotomyboy63](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lobotomyboy63)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2021, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-stuff-i-thought-when-i-was-a-kid/954317/167 "2021-12-17T00:49:04Z")
Don’t you get a crown when you eat Imperial Margarine? [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/aHXJdD6weEU/hqdefault.jpg "Imperial Margarine (1997) - Commercial") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aHXJdD6weEU) ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2021, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-stuff-i-thought-when-i-was-a-kid/954317/168 "2021-12-21T22:11:11Z")
Charo and Elvis went by one name - and I thought Ann Jillian was the same, because I thought her name was Angillian ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2021, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-stuff-i-thought-when-i-was-a-kid/954317/169 "2021-12-21T22:15:59Z")
I hadn’t encountered anyone named Walt, so it was awhile before I realized that Waltdisney was actually a person’s name. ---
**Author:** ![Wheelz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wheelz/32/5718_2.png) [@Wheelz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wheelz)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2021, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-stuff-i-thought-when-i-was-a-kid/954317/170 "2021-12-22T15:20:51Z")
I don’t recall exactly how old I was, but definitely single digits. My parents borrowed a friend’s station wagon and drove us for two hours out to some farm because they had bought a cow. Imagine my disappointment when all we took home was a bunch of meat. ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2021, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-stuff-i-thought-when-i-was-a-kid/954317/171 "2021-12-22T19:10:11Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > > [@Limmin](#): > > > > (2) “No Minors.” When I was 8, I took a family trip up the Pacific coast into BC, where we boarded a car ferry that took us all the way to Skagway, AK. Among the various stops included at least one ghost town with (old) mines nearby, or so I heard. Aboard the vessel, at one point, I walked through a small bar on the way to the dining area. There was a small sign saying “No Minors” and I wondered why they’d be discriminating against miners. I could imagine that they’d be very thirsty… > > I had that exact same conversation with my mother when I was about 7 years old, and we were at the local bowling alley. There was a “No Minors” sign above the doorway to the alley’s bar, and I, too, didn’t understand why they would not allow miners. 😃 (Not that there were a large number of miners in the western suburbs of Chicago, mind you…) It wasn’t all that long ago - maybe 10 years or so - that a co-worker returned from a visit down south and relayed how shocked she was to learn that there was still segregation happening. She had seen a sign near the entrance to a bar that said “no colors”. mmm ---
**Author:** ![Push\_You\_Down](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/push_you_down/32/9095_2.png) [@Push\_You\_Down](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Push_You_Down)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2021, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-stuff-i-thought-when-i-was-a-kid/954317/172 "2021-12-22T19:59:24Z")
> [@DesertDog](#): > > In a similar vein, the line in “Silent Night” > _'Round young virgin, mother and child_ > > Well, of _course_ she’s round – she’s pregnant. …It’s…oh…but… oh… My mind is blown. ---
**Author:** ![Folacin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folacin/32/3195_2.png) [@Folacin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folacin)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2021, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-stuff-i-thought-when-i-was-a-kid/954317/173 "2021-12-22T20:01:29Z")
> [@DesertDog](#): > > Well, of _course_ she’s round – she’s pregnant. And she’s pregnant because she apparently got 'round, and not with Joseph. ---
**Author:** ![Limmin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f04885/32.png) [@Limmin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Limmin)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2021, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-stuff-i-thought-when-i-was-a-kid/954317/174 "2021-12-23T13:51:41Z")
> [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](#): > > She had seen a sign near the entrance to a bar that said “no colors”. I don’t get it? Does this mean “No gangs?” ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2021, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-stuff-i-thought-when-i-was-a-kid/954317/175 "2021-12-23T14:44:03Z")
> [@Limmin](#): > > Does this mean “No gangs?” No signs of gang affiliation. ---
**Author:** ![Mrs\_Ducky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrs_ducky/32/6227_2.png) [@Mrs\_Ducky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mrs_Ducky)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2021, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-stuff-i-thought-when-i-was-a-kid/954317/176 "2021-12-23T21:22:10Z")
I thought “Yield to Pedestrians” was “Yield to Presbyterians”. I was a little dyslexic. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2021, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-stuff-i-thought-when-i-was-a-kid/954317/177 "2021-12-23T21:38:58Z")
Did you lie awake at night wondering if there really was a dog? 😄 ---
**Author:** ![WildaBeast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wildabeast/32/6_2.png) [@WildaBeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildaBeast)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2021, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-stuff-i-thought-when-i-was-a-kid/954317/178 "2021-12-23T22:43:08Z")
In preschool one of my teachers was named Mrs. White. Mrs. White had white hair, so I assumed her name was a description of her hair color. The old commercials for Dow Bathroom Cleaner showed a bunch of anthropomorphic cartoon bubbles emerging from the bottle and cleaning a bathroom. I believed that is what would literally happen if we bought the product, so I begged my mom to buy some. I was extremely disappointed. ---
**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:** [December 23, 2021, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-stuff-i-thought-when-i-was-a-kid/954317/179 "2021-12-23T22:53:49Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > No signs of gang affiliation. And, relatedly, when I was younger, in Wisconsin, I used to see signs at the bars that said “No Club Colors,” which was specifically referring to motorcycle jackets or other gear that signified membership in a motorcycle club (some of which apparently had a bad reputation for fighting). ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2021, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-stuff-i-thought-when-i-was-a-kid/954317/180 "2021-12-23T23:27:03Z")
It’s not a gang, it’s a club. ---
**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:** [December 24, 2021, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-stuff-i-thought-when-i-was-a-kid/954317/181 "2021-12-24T00:13:13Z")
I never said otherwise. But, my understanding was that there was enough of a history of members of _some_ of those clubs getting into fights with each other at local bars, that many bars in Green Bay started putting up those sighs. ---
**Author:** ![P-man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/p-man/32/3606_2.png) [@P-man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/P-man)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2021, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-stuff-i-thought-when-i-was-a-kid/954317/182 "2021-12-24T00:45:25Z")
I haven’t thought about that SNL skit in a while. ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2021, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-stuff-i-thought-when-i-was-a-kid/954317/183 "2021-12-24T02:37:10Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > > [@kayaker](#): > > > > No signs of gang affiliation. > > And, relatedly, when I was younger, in Wisconsin, I used to see signs at the bars that said “No Club Colors,” which was specifically referring to motorcycle jackets or other gear that signified membership in a motorcycle club (some of which apparently had a bad reputation for fighting). Yes, this is the type of sign it was. I’ve seen plenty of “no colors” signs back when I used to visit bars. To be clear, my co-worker thought “no colors” meant no people of color allowed. mmm ---
**Author:** ![Limmin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f04885/32.png) [@Limmin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Limmin)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2021, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-stuff-i-thought-when-i-was-a-kid/954317/184 "2021-12-24T03:07:34Z")
> [@WildaBeast](#): > > The old commercials for Dow Bathroom Cleaner showed a bunch of anthropomorphic cartoon bubbles emerging from the bottle and cleaning a bathroom I, too, was really disappointed in the “scrubbing bubbles.” What came out of the bottle was boring. So sad. ---
**Author:** ![Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/son_of_a_rich/32/5439_2.png) [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Son_of_a_Rich)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2021, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-stuff-i-thought-when-i-was-a-kid/954317/185 "2021-12-24T03:13:16Z")
Speaking of cleaners, I was seriously creeped out by the four armed character logo of a cleanser called “Handy Andy”. ---
**Author:** ![lobotomyboy63](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobotomyboy63/32/2900_2.png) [@lobotomyboy63](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lobotomyboy63)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2021, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-stuff-i-thought-when-i-was-a-kid/954317/186 "2021-12-24T03:16:06Z")
> [@Limmin](#): > > I, too, was really disappointed in the “scrubbing bubbles.” What came out of the bottle was boring. So sad. Paul Winchell as the voice… > **[Paul Winchell](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Winchell)** > > Paul Winchell (né Wilchinsky; December 21, 1922 – June 24, 2005) was an American ventriloquist, comedian, actor, humanitarian, and inventor whose career flourished in the 1950s and 1960s. From 1950 to 1954, he hosted The Paul Winchell Show, which also used two other titles during its prime time run on NBC: The Speidel Show, and What's My Name? From 1965 to 1968, Winchell hosted the children's television series Winchell-Mahoney Time. > He made guest appearances on Emmy Award-winning television s... > Winchell provided the voices of Sam-I-Am and the unnamed character Sam pesters in _[Green Eggs and Ham](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_Eggs_and_Ham)_ from the animated television special _[Dr. Seuss on the Loose](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dr._Seuss_on_the_Loose)_ in 1973. He played Fleabag on _[The Oddball Couple](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Oddball_Couple)_ , Fearless Freddy the Shark Hunter on the _[Pink Panther](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Pink_Panther_(film_series))_ spin-off _[Misterjaw](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Misterjaw)_ in 1976, as well as a number of one-shot characters in _[The Blue Racer](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Blue_Racer)_ series. In commercials, he voiced the character of [Burger Chef](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burger_Chef) for the fast food chain of the same name, the [Scrubbing Bubbles](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scrubbing_Bubbles) for Dow Chemicals and Mr. Owl for [Tootsie Roll Pops](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tootsie_Roll_Pops).[[14]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Winchell#cite_note-14) I had a friend who, when we were ten, thought that the “signature” on the end of a baseball bat meant the player had used it. Um, 1. It isn’t signed…it’s stamped on and ink was added 2. All the signatures look like they’re in the same hand…generic 3. The small bats a ten year old would use were hardly big enough for a major leaguer 4. How many bats would he have to use to keep all the stores supplied? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-stuff-i-thought-when-i-was-a-kid/954317.md?page=8) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-stuff-i-thought-when-i-was-a-kid/954317.md?page=10)