The Post-Crescent, Michael P. King

*

This is not the first time a company has employed a national treasure as a means of advertising its products.

*

In the Spring, 2005 a public relations team decided that Yosemite’s El Capitan looked like Marv from Sin City. Within weeks, the face of the peak bore the painted image of Mickey Rourke.

*

In order to celebrate the Diamond Jubilee of its candy, marketers arranged for all pillars at Mount Vernon to be re-constructed from over-sized packs of actual Chuckles in 1996. Only when the Washington area weather became very hot in August did the pillars have to be replaced…with tweny-two foot shards of Bonomo’s Turkish Taffy.

*

For breathtaking elan, nothing outdoes the tribute to Niagara’s American Falls by the American Standard Company. These massive urinals were able to handle the incredibly high volume of water plunging into their modern design. Each urinal cake weighed thirty-two tons and was held in place by a royal blue rubber strainer with the immortal words:
‘We don’t p*** in your ashtrays; Don’t throw butts in our urinals.’

*

At night, when colored lights bathe the falls in an ethereal glow, the polar white plumbing fixtures shimmered with an inviting hue.

*

Images: (Sin City title) via wallpaperbase.come; (American Falls) axla.lbl.gov;(Sin City Marv) upload.wikimedia.org via wonderduck.mu.mu; (Mt. Rushmore) 4english.cn;(El Capitan) astronomynotes.com; (Mt. Vernon) fhsu.edu; (American Standard urinal) plumbersurplus.com;(Chuckles) timelesscandy.com;

This entry was posted on Monday, July 2nd, 2007 at 6:02 pm and is filed under Business, Society, Movies, Oddity, Cuisine.