Calling Captain Underpants
Thursday, August 3rd, 2006
Out of the pages of Dav Pilkey’s Captain Underpants and the Attack of the Talking Toilets and coming to a restroom near you – the talking urinal. Like the briefs-clad superhero, harried employees may soon find themselves confronted by motion-activated restroom fixtures with 15-second pre-recorded advertising messages and public service announcements. Described as “advertising you can’t help look at,” the waterproof
drain cover designed for urinals comes complete with a LCD screen and speaker capable of broadcasting a jingle while you tingle.
So what do we make of this new deodorizing, mesmerizing patented device? Is it the “perfect attention-grabbing medium” for everything from condoms, to beer to cigarettes? Or is it an intrusive invasion of privacy that gives new meaning to the expression “crappy advertising.” And what about its use for public service announcements like the one that currently urges: “Think you had one too many then it’s time to call a cab or call a sober friend for a ride home. It sure is safer and a hell of a lot cheaper than a DWI.” (Just the idea of a lecturing lavatory should be enough incentive to make most unsuspecting imbibers go on the wagon.)
Whatever your view, the day may be fast approaching when a trip to the “john” is so distracting that we forget what it was we came in for, leaving everyone to long for a superhero who can rescue us from the invasion of the terrible talking “Turbo Toilet.”
