you think THAT’S funny?
According to a 1978 survey, “Mr. Whipple” was the third best-known American, behind only the recently-ousted President Nixon and evangelist Billy Graham. Another survey put “Mr. Whipple” at No. 2.
Times have changed and squeezing rolls of toilet paper does not rise to the same level of hilarity it did in 1965. Consider what some marketers more recently concluded would leave customers laughing and, presumably, in the mood to buy: a Bud Light commercial where a horse loudly breaks wind into the face of a woman who is about to make out with her boyfriend on a sleigh ride; an announcer tells the audience that Outpost.com will fire gerbils from a cannon to help people remember its name; singer Robert Goulet has an apparent nervous breakdown due to a craving for Emerald Nuts; a robot fired by General Motors commits suicide by jumping from a bridge; two garage mechanics eating the same Snickers bar come together in a kiss, then decide to rip out their chest hair to compensate by doing something manly; a caveman takes offense when his IQ is attacked by a Geico insurance spokesman. Funny stuff, right?