Have you ever had something so odd happen to you that, although you know it's true, you almost doubt yourself in the retelling of it?
Set the scene: 1998, about Easter time, if memory serves. I was taking a year out between school and uni, and was working in Coalville. Erica lived locally and one hot spring weekend, Erica decided we needed to go rampaging for ice-cream. This is common for Erica. Drugs keep the rampaging gene under control, but she can never be fully cured.
Me, I don't like ice-cream. I know that's weird. Also I don't like chips or birthday cake. You may throw your best insult at me now.
So, off we went to the drive-thru McDonalds. Erica was driving. As we pulled up to the window, Erica ordered an ice-cream sundae. I think this may have been the days before McFlurries.
"We ain't got any spoons," said the McDonalds Coalvillian.
"Oh," said Erica. "Have you got a fork?"
"Hang on. Drive up to the next window."
Erica was handed an ice-cream sundae... and a plastic knife. This in itself is a mildly-amusing anecdote. But not unbelievable, not really, not unless you have a really bad imagination.
What was strange was this...
As we pulled up at the second window, McDonalds were advertising their latest Happy Meal toy - in this instance, little cuddly Wombles. Waiting for the order to be despatched (with its knife), we idly read the advert. I swear on my life, that the following lettering appeared at the bottom of the Womble poster:
"Warning: Wombles' coats may contain prawns."
Prawn-coated Wombles? I am pretty sure that you don't usually make children's toys out of seafood. The only thing I could possibly think of is that the design agency was having a laugh and accidentally forgot to remove it before it went to print.
However, I ran a Google search this morning... Nothing came up for Wombles and prawns, but there was this: http://www.scottishresearch.com/WhatsNew/News/Older/tcm-26-39140.asp. You can make textiles out of shellfish after all!
So perhaps Wombles really are made out of prawns. But very probably, only in Coalville.
3 comments:
Unfortunately the link gets stopped at a uni holding pen? (Note Californian interrogative statement)
Oh no! My only proof that you could make clothing from Wombles is ruined! Ruined!
Nice uptalking. Stop it now.
L x
Not Wombles. I meant prawns. Obviously you can make clothes from Wombles. You just skin one, wash its fur to get most of the blood out, and hey presto, a nice soft winter coat.
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