20101210

Dec 10 2010

"Where's the suitcase? The one filled with tampons. Mmmm, mice on the mouse organ. Baaaaaah. All together. All together."
 or click here
"No, don't say 'I love you.' Never set yourself up for disappointment."
 or click here
_________

Karen's notes: Ok, I know that first one seemed all over the place. But after much discussion, we managed to make some sense of it.
suitcase full of tampons: This might sounds like one of those bizarre, fanciful dream-images. But— how can I explain this— when I visit the States twice a year, I buy lots of things that are less expensive, or that I like better from the States. So, you see, a suitcase full of tampons is only a slight exaggeration from reality.

tampons and mice?: Well, think about it. Surely you can imagine how that connection gets made.

mice on the mouse organ: This meant nothing to me, but I bet it has brought back a flood of memories for all you 30-something Brits out there. Adam got EXTREMELY excited to tell me all about Bagpuss, the cloth cat who comes to life, and his mousy friends who live on the organ, and are, it would seem, genetically programmed to repeat every single word they say three times. Yes, he made me watch an episode.
Now, if you have WAY too much time on your hands, you can listen to Adam regress into childhood as he narrates the Bagpuss theme for me.
 or click here
Here are all the Bagpuss characters:



And here are the mice on the mouse organ (note the mouse detail on the cabinets, which Adam made absolutely sure I didn't miss):

48 comments:

  1. I love the way you say "oh god, no, no" at the end there, as if you couldn't imagine anything more awful than actually seeing an episode! I have to admit that listening to the theme again after a gap of about 20 years does expose it's flaws. It was a pretty odd little programme.

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  2. Thank you, Karen & STM, for causing me to watch an episode of Bagpuss again for the first time in nearly 30 years. I feel all warm and fuzzy!

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  3. bagpuss is now on stage

    http://www.officiallondontheatre.co.uk/london_shows/show/item112244/Bagpuss/

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  4. Intro: There was a little girl, called emily.
    Adam: TOLD YA!

    I laughed so much at that. It was like he had actually reverted back into a little boy XD

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  5. the part with the bottle was the point when every pice of the puzzle found their place both visually and mentally. well that was fucking INTENSE :D

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  6. oh and I see your second point10 December 2010 at 10:42

    I hate you.

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  7. I already found the place of your story's pieces weeks ago.

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  8. I didn't watch the episode yet, but that show sounds creepy. It probably would have given me nightmares as a child. I wasn't fond of the idea of inanimate objects coming to life.

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  9. "Oh, God, no. No!" LOL!! That. Was. Hilarious. The conversations you guys have in the mornings crack me up. Kudos!

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  10. While Adam is remembering his childhood TV programmer tell him that they're making a 'Rentaghost' movie! See http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-11959863

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  11. Karen, the mouse organ comment actually has its roots in a Monty Python sketch in which Terry Jones hits mice that have been trained to squeak a certain note with a sledgehammer. The trained mice, when hammered in the correct sequence, will play The Bells of St. Marys. Here's the sketch! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_OXfAPPckQU&feature=fvw Enjoy!

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  12. ...Just watched "Ship in a Bottle". I'm guessing he has a part of his brain all locked up with goodies like this...

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  13. ...No, actually, I can't think of any way to link mice and tampons. Part of me is curious, part of me is perfectly content to wallow in ignorance.

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  14. I don't know how tampons and mice are connected either...

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  15. well, think of the shape. With enough imagination, couldn't that string be a cute little tail?

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  16. I'm American and Bagpuss looked really familiar. It turns out it used to be one of the things shown on Nickelodeon's "Pinwheel", which I watched all the time as a kid.

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  17. I adore bagpuss, they really should bring it back.

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  18. Pinwheel, pinwheel, spinning around! Look at my pinwheel and see what I found! Pinwheel, pinwheel, where have you been? Hello, how are you and won't you come in? Thanks, Anonymous, from another American who loved that show as a child (:

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  19. Loved Adam's glee at being right about the theme tune and Karen, your reaction to the quaint little British Kids program, classic. If Adam would like to revisit more shows from his youth I'd suggest giving http://www.thechestnut.com/ a visit. Full of yesteryear goodiness ;-)

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  20. No, no, no, Anonymous #2, the second verse is "Pinwheel, pinwheel, breezy and bright, spin me good morning, spin me goodnight."

    (I had completely forgotten this Pinwheel sketch, but recognized and placed it as soon as I saw it as well. *smile*)

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  21. There's also the Young Ones episode where the boys throw a party and Rik goes through a girl's purse, finds a tampon, misunderstands it as a present, unwraps it and proclaims it a mouse, plays with the mouse, offers it a drink and dunks it in a cup, whereupon, I think the house blew up from unrelated circumstances.

    Ergo, mouse clearly = tampon.

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  22. "Oh God, no, no..." I agree, Karen. Must be a British thing. I forced myself to make it to about 3:12 and then had to stop...
    Sorry Adam...Bagpuss sucks!

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  23. Bagpuss, dear Bagpuss
    Old Fat Furry Catpuss
    Wake up and look at this thing that I bring
    Wake up, be bright, be golden and light
    Bagpuss, oh hear what I sing


    And, of course, when Bagpuss goes to sleep,
    All his friends go to sleep too.
    The mice were ornaments on the mouse organ.
    Gabriel and Madeleine were just dolls.
    Professor Yaffle was a carved, wooden bookend in the shape of a woodpecker.
    Even Bagpuss himself, once he was asleep, was just an old, saggy cloth cat,
    Baggy, and a bit loose at the seams,
    But Emily loved him

    (Thanks Wikipedia!)

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  24. the mouse-connection was obvious in the first second, but when the other mice tried to force the poor guy into the bottle...
    btw the python-one was really good.

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  25. Karen, Bagpuss was made by children's television geniuses Oliver Postgate and Peter Firmin. Oliver Postgate was also responsible for Pogle's Wood, Ivor the Engine, Noggin the Nog and the Clangers. All of them are magical and wonderful and quirky and beautiful and strange and delightful and not at all creepy. Although the witch in Pogle's Wood can be a bit scary.

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  26. "Oh God, no, no..." Loved it... hahaha I was CRACKING UP when you said that...

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  27. Ah, I found that delightful. I'm neither British nor a little boy, so I must just have weird taste...

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  28. The duck was mighty creepy though.

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  29. Actually Adam sounds very British in all this--as in old, formal and stuffy--it's Karen who sounds young and childlike....

    (Just call me the instigator lady)

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  30. I just watched 'Ship in a bottle' - fantastic! I am crying with laughter and yes, it's brought back memories, I remember loving that episode. The mouse voices are particularly hilarious. "Heave, heave, heave!!" lol.

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  31. I don't suppose this particular episode was aired in the US; or if it was, it would have been censored......."Bare breasted mermaids - on a CHILDREN'S show?!!" The Decency Police would have been frothing at the mouth...... 7@=Q

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  32. yay Bagpuss! :D

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  33. I apologize in advance for the mental image I'm about to create.

    I have a theory about the connection between tampons and mice. You see, I've always felt that when you take the tampon out of the little plastic applicator, it looks like a small rolled up white mouse. And a used tampon looks even more like a white mouse. Like a white mouse covered in gore. So, maybe that's the connection.

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  34. and I have to add that talking about mice it's impossible to associate the saggy feline as a final destination of the snowwhite rodents... stressing this WHOLE thing as if it was an issue

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  35. I meant the particular characteristics of the cat as a whole - and it's a lot more than the sum of the parts. and its importance reduces as everything adds up. i d owt.

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  36. I's fine as long as you imagine the tampon is a mouse. Just be sure not to think the other way around.

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  37. Bagpuss is an icon in this house as it made my daughter cry every time he went to sleep at the end. Bagpuss will be making an appearance at her wedding next Spring.
    Emily is Oliver Postgage's daughter and she still owns Bagpuss. I saw her interviewed on TV a few weeks ago.
    My husband and I cried with laughter at today's blog. Thank You.

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  38. omg that karen XD 1:44 of bagpuss i just about died, it really is that bad!

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  39. It reminded my BF of the clangers
    http://www.bbc.co.uk/cult/classic/clangers/

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  40. Oh I adore Bagpuss! Watching Bagpuss is a joy, not a chore :D.

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  41. You can buy your own Bagpuss in Hawkin's Bazaar. There's a larger one which talks and a smaller one which yawns and plays the theme tune.
    http://www.hawkin.com/rkmain.asp?PAGEID=36841

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  42. ~shakes head in disgust at Karen~
    That's my childhood you're mocking!!! My Mum bought me a singing Lizzy-mouse from a shop near work a few years ago and sent it to me. I was extatic and spent many a bored day at work singing along. "We will fix it, we will fix it, we will fix it with glue, glue, glue..." I also have all the episodes on DVD, courtesy of Mum. I'm not quite sure who is trying to recapture the past - her or me.

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  43. Karen, you should get a mooncup http://www.mooncup.co.uk/

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  44. Actually, a lot of plumbers refer to tampons as "sewer mice." Urban Dictionary explains it better than I can.

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  45. This vaguely reminds me of something I watched when I was little here in the states. Has a rather "Mr. Roger's Neighborhood" feel doesn't it? I like it. But Karen's horrified "Oh, God, no" was hysterical too. XD I still don't get the tampons-mice deal. Maybe I don't want to though.

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  46. I'm with Alison..Divacup.com rocks and will save room in your suitcase for other things :)

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  47. Keep up the good writing. Pretty good posts

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