The most disturbing product advertisment since yesterday

[jack]

Today, grocked from nakedtoes' lj is the concept of a usb vibrator http://www.livejournal.com/users/nakedtoes/66267.html. From her link: "USB powered!?? *is curious and afraid* Is this one of those you hook up to an X-box? (I'm not kidding -- there's totally a game-controlled vibrator... being marketed under the idea that this way the girlfriend will let her boyfriend play as much video games as he wants, and she will get off on it, and the man will feel Extra Super Powerful because him blowing up video game baddies makes his girlfriend scream for God.)"

Normally, that would handily qualify as the most disturbing bodily-function related toy I've heard about all day, but I made the mistake of turning the telly on during children's time, and there was an advert for a doll that pisses. And showed these little girls making her drink, and then, uh, lifting her dress, bending her legs, holding her over the toy toilet, squeezing her, and, well. It was called "Somebody Tinkles who really tinkles."

I SWEAR I'M NOT MAKING THIS UP!

And I know we're supposed to be comfortable with our bodies, and teaching children that excretion (or, for that matter, eating, sex, operations, etc) is dirty just causes problems, but this just freaked me out. Am I mad? Is this real? Is it weird or normal?

Comments

[cartesiandaemon.livejournal.com]

Well, no-one ever told me, and I was happy like that :)

[mair_in_grenderich]

you get a regular doll, and put it in the bath when the bath's got a load of water in, and water seeps in through the little holes.

then you take it out of the bath. magic!

[cartesiandaemon.livejournal.com]

Isn't that more "leaking" than "weeing" which is disturbing in a whole 'nother way :)

[uqx.livejournal.com]

I'm sure there was an amazing weeing doll in my household when I was a kiddywinkle.

[nakedtoes.livejournal.com]

I definitely had one too - though I thought it was sick and refused to play with it. My friends liked it though *sigh*

[cartesiandaemon.livejournal.com]

I suppose kids are fascinated by that sort of thing. Apparently I am an old prude despite everything.

[nakedtoes.livejournal.com]

And you're more out of the loop than I am! *grins*

[cartesiandaemon.livejournal.com]

To be frank, I never really played with any sort of doll. I liked things that could be counted, or poured, or had interesting shapes, because I was a sad geek from the year dot :)

Only recently I have a redescovered soft toys :)

[nakedtoes.livejournal.com]

I remember the soft toy discovery - how is Emily, anyway?

I actually meant the USB-vibrator loop, referring back to my original comment way back. I think I can forgive you for not playing w dolls. I was going to make a flippant comment about you and ActionMan, but then reconsidered. I don't see you as the AM type. More meccano or brainteasers

BTW, apologies for mis-spellings - I think googling toys to look up their names is taking procrastination a step too far.