When I worked in a pet store the amount of people who asked for a pet that didn't need food or water made my head explode. I wish we had sold pet rocks for these idiots.
All my friends had Pet Rocks as did most of my school. Feeling like an outcast because my parents couldn't afford to buy me one, I went to a local beach, found a suitable candidate, brought it home and painted it. When I brought it to school everyone laughed at me. I still have it, though the paint has faded a bit 🌞👍
Are you kidding? Cats have been learning their techniques from Pet Rocks for decades. My security cat likes to sleep on the top stair of the staircase, and let me tell you: tripping over a cat that size while carrying my TV would almost assuredly kill you. A couple strategically-placed Pet Rocks could totally handle that. I want a Guard Rock. This would be a 300-400 pound rock that you train to sleep right behind your front door. I imagine it'd be one helluva deterrent.
As someone who's entire family used the flowbee during the entire decade of the 1990s, I can confirm that it was a fantastic invention. It sounds a little stupid when you first hear about it, but it really works very well once you get used to it surprisingly. My aunt and uncle still have their original generation one flowbee and my uncle still uses it to this day.
Whoa they need to modernize that. I would have used that for sure nearly my entire life. I use to buzz my head until the past few years. Only since I'm dying and getting older did I stop. Wanted to grow hair while I still could. Well it grew out, and I can't afford to go to the barbers. They are like 60$ plus for a buzz or simple hair cut. Anyway I use to cut my hair naked in the bathroom, lol. Wouldn't need to if I had this. Not a dumb invention. Especially if those guides worked. I just need on inch on the side, and three inches on top.
@@dianapennepacker6854 I've been to multiple hair cut places that have either a modern, more professional looking version of them, or they made their own (just tape a vacuum hose to the handle of an electric razor). The razor has a vacuum hose attached to it that they can turn on and off separately. I often wonder how that's not standard, at least for men, since one of the main reasons I get my hair cut at any time is because it has gotten so long that it gets very hot underneath, so the simultaneous removal of the hair and feeling of a nice breeze is just wonderful.
You should make an episode about the inventions (generally the As Seen On TV ones) that seem dumb (i.e. the Slap Chop & Snuggie) but are really useful for disabled people, but need to be sold to non-disabled people to be financially viable.
This would make a great episode! I spent at least a decade mocking those products "for idiots" until I realized how much one of them improved my grandmother's daily life
@@abezice my grandmother had a device like that from back in the 40s or 50s. My mom has had it forever now, and I said I want it next please. A glass, bell shaped jar with a screw on olive green lid with a plunger going down through the top /center, whose base is a " + " shape of sharpened metal. Nothing chops nuts, veggies, whatever, as easily as that and is easy to clean. When I saw the slap chop, I knew they'd grown up with or seen one of these things. Much easier than what I have to do (use a ziploc baggie and a hammer or canned good, which only works for nuts).
Oh, I loved my snuggie before I became disabled! I still love them now - I've got 4 of them, one with my favorite team logos, one with peace signs all over it, one with a bright, multicolored design like the old tie-dye t-shirts, and one just a deep, dark blue (the closest to midnight blue, my favorite color, that they came in). That's enough to wear one every day of a long-weekend camping trip without needing to wash any until I get back home, LOL!
I honestly think that whoopee cushions will never stop entertaining people, especially kids. I loved them as a kid, my son did too and I'm getting my six year old grandson one as part of his Christmas present this year - he's going to love it too!
They are great at listening and when told to stop barking it does immediately. So much so you can't tell if it's alive or not. Plus you can take if for walks too but it will only walk on steep hills. Sometimes it needs a bit of encouragement but it will get to the bottom.
I remember mom bringing home a Pet Rock when I was a kid - ours actually had a lanyard screwed into it. I was young enough to *almost* believe that rock was special and became rather attached to it lol
*or those notoriously aggressive pet bricks or cinder blocks that can rampage through cities during riots and then suddenly burst into flames...gotta be careful with those things and train them to behave and stay in place*
I literally witnessed a mid forties friend of mine bring himself to tears laughing by using the farting horn on my Tesla as people walked by at a drive in movie theatre. Our daughters were horrified. Lol
Funny story about the Flowbee: at least back in the 90's, it used to have a button that functioned as an emergency release for the device. Sounds like a pretty decent feature, right? Here's the catch-- it was a protruding button that spun while the device was operating. I promise nothing says "irony" like like your hair getting caught in the spinning emergency release, and winding straight up to your scalp with the mass of entrapped hair preventing the emergency release from actually functioning. Pro-tip: plug the vacuum into a socket that's operated by a wall switch plate and set up your cutting area within easy reach of said switch. If you get intro trouble, flip the switch; you'll scramble less than trying to shut off the whole vacuum.
Um, why not just turn off the switch on the handle? That's what powers the blades. Even using a commercial dust extractor as the vacuum, suction isn't an issue. There is no such release on the one I own, what's it supposed to release? Why would it spin? I haven't been able to find anything with Google supporting this.
@@troyclayton A good assortment of valid questions to which I don't have a valid answer. This happened twenty years ago, probably more now, so I'll admit I can't properly address your objections other than to say that if we had been quicker-thinking, those would have been good responses. I can tell you, though, that there was no handle switch as the flowbee had been hooked up to a shop-vac at the time.
I thoroughly enjoy your videos, thank you. Simon. You have to be the best narrator on youtube. My hearing is no longer so good but I can always understand you easily.
Never thought id hear Simon mention Bloodhound Gang for any reason whatsoever... Such an awesome, inspiring group. Without them, i never would've realized a lap dance is so much better when the stripper is crying. Game changer.
depends on the dog actually? I think I saw Markiplier using one of these (or something LIKE it) on his dog. I had no idea it was an actual thing when I saw Wayne's World...
Don't Americans frequently have full home vacuums? That would keep the sound away from the animals, that would be appropriate for animal care places too.
Animals can be trained to not be afraid of the shrieking sucker. My brother had three kittens and used the vacuum as part of grooming them, and they loved it. They came running whenever it turned on.
Indeed it was. The humor of the manual was worth the price of the whole thing alone. I think some of the original manuals (especially complete with original Pet Rock) can fetch a not insignificant sum on eBay now and again.
@@HarryNicNicholas I inherited my dad's back in the 80's. When my dad caught me smoking pot in high school I told him that I got it from his pet rock. He looked at me with deadpan expression, and I thought he was going to beat me. Then he said "yeah, the bastard got me too, when I was your age" and walked away. I spent the next 30 minutes trying to figure out wtf had happened.
"Joy buzzer" does not refer to a whoopee cushion. It was a a small device worn on the finger that, when you shook someone's hand, would buzz and vibrate, startling the person whose had you shook. There was also a version that delivered a small shock.
Out of all this video.. Simon talking about whoopie cushions and the numerous names and like, is the best part, just because his surprise at it is so genuine.
I’ve had a Flowbee for maybe 10 years. I quit going to barbers back in the mid 70s and cut my own hair useing thinning shears and a razor comb. I thought a Flobee might be a good addition to my cutting tools, and despite my wife’s continued dismay with my self-cutting, I doubt I’ll ever go back to a barber. Now, a Flowbee operation every few months, with trimming in between, I figure I’ve saved $$$ over the past 40 years. I’m in my 70s now 😊
I could never get a barber, or stylist, to do what I wanted. Too many white walls. And when the hair looked good after the cut, I couldn't figure out how to make it look that way the next morning when I washed it.
Another happy user, some 26+ years, I've even had to send it back for repairs after the gear stripped after the 20 year mark. So, not a stupid invention.
The last time I went to a barber they gave me a mullet. That was 26 ish years ago. Since then I grew it long for awhile until I'd had enough of that. So these days my wife shears me with the clippers every few months. I don't trust her with the beard tho - that's a man thing.
The concept is strange so you may laugh at it, but the execution of the product is really smart. It makes hair cutting easier and removes the hair at same time, aswell not so pricey if you keep using it during the years because of how much you save from hair cutting appointment. I see the appeal in it, even though from an outside view you may look like hilarious:)
Incoming friendly fire is more accurate than incoming hostile fire There is no such thing as friendly fire A combat ready unit will never pass inspection, an inspection ready unit will never pass combat There is nothing more dangerous than a green officer in the dark with a book of matches
The Flow-bee is a great tool. I’ve used one for over 30 years. The deluxe unit has it’s own vacuum pump which is also very nice. Highly recommend them.
The great Britcom, "The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin" had a lot of this sort of thing. His boss, CJ, had whoopee cushions in the chairs of his office for ages until one day when Reggie sat down and nothing happened. "New chairs, from Japan. Silent, but deadly!" Then Reggie went on the found Grot, which guaranteed that everything it sold was useless, including his son-in-law's homemade wine, "Pea Pod Burgundy." To his intense disgust, sales of everything went through the roof.
The Flowbee essentially mechanized hair cutting techniques commonly used by hairstylists. In this way it reduces the possibility of error. Taking away the clippings at the same time is just a win-win.
"Givin myself a mullet, hook the flowbee to the Kirby" from the song Mope is the line he's talking about. I was thinking about that song as soon as he said flowbee.
As someone that worked in a store that sold only pet supplies, not pets, you would be surprised at how popular "mineral water for pets" in either 8 to 10 ounces were. They were crazy expensive (like 3.50 for 1) and the vendor told me it was his fastest selling product in the northeast. They sold in different flavors, like a Koolaid. I was kidding with him and asked if he sold any toilet water flavored mineral water because I hear that flavor is popular with dogs.
Pet rocks (and shell pets) have been available my whole life at every UK seaside town. I was born in the 80s so perhaps he did have the original idea but I find it hard to believe they didn't exist at all before then given that humans love drawing faces on inanimate objects.
Mrs Richards: "I paid for a room with a view!" Basil: (pointing to the lovely view) "That is Torquay, Madam." Mrs Richards: "It's not good enough!" Basil: "May I ask what you were expecting to see out of a Torquay hotel bedroom window? Sydney Opera House, perhaps? the Hanging Gardens of Babylon? Herds of wildebeest sweeping majestically past?..." Mrs Richards: "Don't be silly! I expect to be able to see the sea!" Basil: "You can see the sea, it's over there between the land and the sky." Mrs Richards: "I'm not satisfied. But I shall stay. But I expect a reduction." Basil: "Why?! Because Krakatoa's not erupting at the moment?
When this video started, I thought you would be mentioning the tv-advertised "Topsy Tail" , a thing which could turn a ponytail inside out to create a new hairstyle. The lady who invented it made millions selling this overpriced plastic coated loop of wire.
I lived in San Diego in the '80's and '90's. I bought my Flowbee in '97 and have been using it since. I do my wife's hair as well. Just two days ago I did my sister's and brother-in-law's. My father tried it and soon bought himself one. We all can afford "professional" haircuts, so economics isn't the reason. It's the convenience and consistency that are most attractive. It's a great product. Kudos Flowbee!
I love the Flowbee! Just got one a few months ago by mail order, I was glad it happened to be in stock. For me it works great. I should have bought one 20 years ago.
I designed, built and used my own version of a Flowbee over 20 years ago. Not knowing what it was, my wife threw it out. So, I bought a Flowbee, wore it our, I'm on my second.
@@stevesedio1656 I remember when the Flowbee first came out, I was in the military. I thought it was a good idea, but it wasn't capable of fully giving a regulation cut, I would have needed my wife to finish the job with a trimmer and she didn't like the idea so I just kept going to the barber. After I retired from the military I'd forgotten all about the Flowbee. I'm glad they are still in business making them. I imagine the patent has expired but haven't seen too many similar copycats on the market.
I remember seeing Chia Pet commercials back in the 80s and wondering, "can you eat those seeds?" Turns out you can; chia seeds are a big fad now. The biggest problems is they don't taste like anything.
No no no, what ypur seeing is the glare of his synth-skin. He's admitted that he's a cyborg, but I think that's a smokescreen to hide his fully robotic nature. How else do you explain all the channels he can run other than multiple Simon bots? I thought they were maybe clones for abit, but that just seems too far fetched, as they might rebel -- and the original Simon wouldn't take that risk. No, he would prefer the complacency of machines to do his bidding.
We had a Flowbee when I was growing up. My mom got a lot of use out of it, and I had many haircuts with it. It worked well enough, but eventually we quit using it.
More of a re-invention, my favorite is the corporation who made loyal customers who'd self-identify themselves as anti-corporate, used single-use paper and plastic for customers who'd identify themselves as ecologically conscious, and had a markup for a product these customers had in their wage-slave offices.
2:30 It's kind of ironic to thing about, but even with the world's biggest vacuum just on the other side of the wall, they still use a machine like the one in your utility closet. You don't want to dump bits of hair and dust into an orbit that matches your spacecraft.
I'd use a Flowbee, assuming it worked. Especially if you have kids (and pets), those haircut costs add up. And it's a PITA to vacuum after each haircut, given how much other cleaning up after a haircut you do. Thanks for the video!
when they were all the rage my uncle bought my grandmother a pet rock for Christmas thinking she would love the gag. her reply was 'great, a rock, thanks son' and tossed it straight into the kitchen bin
The hi tech version of the whoopi cushion, the fart machine was also very popular. You could change the sounds it made and some even came with remotes.
There is a vast difference between the meaning of "a good business idea" and "a good product". I doubt the pet rock cost more than $2 to put on to shelves (including packaging, shipping, ads, labor, and all the other overhead costs). At $4 per rock, and a million rocks sold in about six months, that means $2 million dollars in 1975 dollars. Or $10 million in 2021 dollars. $10 million net profit for six months of serious sales of a single *novelty item* ? That's Scrooge McDuck levels of money, given the circumstances. That's the epitome of "good idea".
My mom bought a flobee when I was a kid. She cut my hair one time, under protest from me. I wasnt happy with the results, so I tried fixing it. Which turned out horrendous worse. Then to come to find out we had family photos later that week🙄🤣. So ended up having to go to a barber to work some magic. She never tried to cut mine or my brothers hair after this. But turns out the flobee was amazing at cutting our cockerspanal's hair! He absolutely loved getting trimmed up by it 🤣
One of the gals I work with gave me sign to hang at my desk: “Farts are always funny.” While I try not to share at work, could she be trying to tell me something?
Aaahh, The Clapper! Had one of those, very handy in general. However, if a headboard hits the wall at the right rhythm the light goes on...and off...and on...
I looked them up. They were months behind in production in May 2020. What they do is essentially mechanize the same techniques used by hairdressers. You might not get that magic haircut, but if you followed directions you were unlikely to get a disastrous result.
About 50-60 years ago, a ”Joy Buzzer" in novelty stores was a wind up device that you could conceal in your palm when shaking hands. It had a button that released the spring in a way that was supposed to make you think you were being shocked, although there was no electricity.
SIMON. . . You need to update this one! The oldest recorded joke in history was from the Sumerians in 1900 BC and plays well into women finding the fart funnier. The joke reads: Something which has never occurred since time immemorial; a young woman did not fart in her husband’s lap It's perfect for this episode! Also, good job.
Tamagotchi should've been on this list. Basically a digital cross between the pet rock and Pokemon concepts. Full disclosure, I was gifted one by my after school program and I never kept it alive long enough to go through all the evolutions. So I was constantly having to reset it back to the ubiquitous black circle.
The Flowbee still gets talked about on a regular-enough basis to this day in my barber shop. And there are a couple of shops around here that use variations of the device.
When I worked in a pet store the amount of people who asked for a pet that didn't need food or water made my head explode. I wish we had sold pet rocks for these idiots.
No food or water. Did they pass grade school biology? 😮
@@Kiefsti I hope those dolts never had _children!_
Targidides?
Cockroaches? Bedbugs? Paperfish? Spiders? They'll get their own food and water :D
@@oldenweery7510 Actually birthrates are higher for uneducated people.
"Disgruntled customers." They bought a rock. What, exactly, were they expecting?
I was expecting a Best Friend when I bought one, But Ended up kicking Rocks
@@FatRescueSwimmer04 I’m calling PETA on you. They will take your pet away from you a euthanize it. Because that’s how PETA rolls.
All my friends had Pet Rocks as did most of my school. Feeling like an outcast because my parents couldn't afford to buy me one, I went to a local beach, found a suitable candidate, brought it home and painted it. When I brought it to school everyone laughed at me. I still have it, though the paint has faded a bit 🌞👍
@@backalleycqc4790,I did basically the same thing. Told everyone to be careful around it as it was feral rock,and hadn't been tamed yet.
@@bethyeary8995
Yup, awesome!! 🌞👍
The Pet Rock 32-page manual wasn't overkill. It was the entire value of the product.
Right, the point of it is the manual and packaging and whatnot; it was no different than someone buying a joke book or something
The pet rock is brilliant! When somebody knicks your wallet and runs off you can still yell
" Get'em Boy ! "
As you trow it at him.
This comment is brilliant
Awesome
Security Rocks
rofl well done
Are you kidding? Cats have been learning their techniques from Pet Rocks for decades. My security cat likes to sleep on the top stair of the staircase, and let me tell you: tripping over a cat that size while carrying my TV would almost assuredly kill you. A couple strategically-placed Pet Rocks could totally handle that.
I want a Guard Rock. This would be a 300-400 pound rock that you train to sleep right behind your front door. I imagine it'd be one helluva deterrent.
Pet rocks are amazing! I've had my Sherman since Christmas 1975. He's the most loyal companion a person could ask for. And he does about 10 tricks!
Eileen, what does your psychiatrist think about that?
@@Richard-zc1cj rock on. Sherman
As someone who's entire family used the flowbee during the entire decade of the 1990s, I can confirm that it was a fantastic invention. It sounds a little stupid when you first hear about it, but it really works very well once you get used to it surprisingly. My aunt and uncle still have their original generation one flowbee and my uncle still uses it to this day.
Whoa they need to modernize that. I would have used that for sure nearly my entire life.
I use to buzz my head until the past few years. Only since I'm dying and getting older did I stop. Wanted to grow hair while I still could.
Well it grew out, and I can't afford to go to the barbers. They are like 60$ plus for a buzz or simple hair cut.
Anyway I use to cut my hair naked in the bathroom, lol. Wouldn't need to if I had this.
Not a dumb invention. Especially if those guides worked. I just need on inch on the side, and three inches on top.
@@dianapennepacker6854 I've been to multiple hair cut places that have either a modern, more professional looking version of them, or they made their own (just tape a vacuum hose to the handle of an electric razor). The razor has a vacuum hose attached to it that they can turn on and off separately. I often wonder how that's not standard, at least for men, since one of the main reasons I get my hair cut at any time is because it has gotten so long that it gets very hot underneath, so the simultaneous removal of the hair and feeling of a nice breeze is just wonderful.
You should make an episode about the inventions (generally the As Seen On TV ones) that seem dumb (i.e. the Slap Chop & Snuggie) but are really useful for disabled people, but need to be sold to non-disabled people to be financially viable.
This would make a great episode!
I spent at least a decade mocking those products "for idiots" until I realized how much one of them improved my grandmother's daily life
lol, the Slap Chop. "You'll love my nuts."
@@abezice my grandmother had a device like that from back in the 40s or 50s. My mom has had it forever now, and I said I want it next please. A glass, bell shaped jar with a screw on olive green lid with a plunger going down through the top /center, whose base is a " + " shape of sharpened metal. Nothing chops nuts, veggies, whatever, as easily as that and is easy to clean. When I saw the slap chop, I knew they'd grown up with or seen one of these things. Much easier than what I have to do (use a ziploc baggie and a hammer or canned good, which only works for nuts).
Oh, I loved my snuggie before I became disabled! I still love them now - I've got 4 of them, one with my favorite team logos, one with peace signs all over it, one with a bright, multicolored design like the old tie-dye t-shirts, and one just a deep, dark blue (the closest to midnight blue, my favorite color, that they came in). That's enough to wear one every day of a long-weekend camping trip without needing to wash any until I get back home, LOL!
No idea what you’re talking about but I like the idea of video
Can we get a Chia Pet in the shape of Simon's head? Then we could use a Flowbee on it.
YES! Simon I would totally buy that. MAKE IT AND THE MERCH WILL BE PERCH(D).
Only if the chia part is his beard.
@@QBCPerdition My thought exactly - the chia part has to be his beard!
🤣😂🤣🤣
They did have Chia beards ones that were bald on top.
I honestly think that whoopee cushions will never stop entertaining people, especially kids. I loved them as a kid, my son did too and I'm getting my six year old grandson one as part of his Christmas present this year - he's going to love it too!
My pet rock is very clever. Over the years, I taught it to speak, a few basic words at first, "yes", "no" but now we converse quite well every night.
They are great at listening and when told to stop barking it does immediately. So much so you can't tell if it's alive or not. Plus you can take if for walks too but it will only walk on steep hills. Sometimes it needs a bit of encouragement but it will get to the bottom.
My pet rock had a lot of accidents on the carpet.
Somewhere a psychiatrist is missing you on his couch. Make it happen.
My pet rock got out one day and was crushed by the car. I was devastated at the time, and still tear up when I think about it.
Timothy Leary, I've been waiting to hear from you.
I remember mom bringing home a Pet Rock when I was a kid - ours actually had a lanyard screwed into it. I was young enough to *almost* believe that rock was special and became rather attached to it lol
Problem with pet rocks is when they get out they can break the neighbors windows.
*or those notoriously aggressive pet bricks or cinder blocks that can rampage through cities during riots and then suddenly burst into flames...gotta be careful with those things and train them to behave and stay in place*
Mine broke a window in my house when it commited suicide
"pet rocks dont break windows, people do"
@@davidewhite69 It's a joke ... (The Above) get a life
@@janefrost1856 LOL
0:40 - Chapter 1 - Flowbee
3:30 - Chapter 2 - Pet rock
6:15 - Chapter 3 - Chia pet
8:40 - Chapter 4 - Million dollar homepage
11:25 - Chapter 5 - Whoopee cushion
13:40 - Bonus whoopee cushions facts
Simon, you’re supposed to put the length guards on your flowbee
Savage
That truly is a flamethrower grade burn.
He overdid the dome while completely missing the chin.
I literally witnessed a mid forties friend of mine bring himself to tears laughing by using the farting horn on my Tesla as people walked by at a drive in movie theatre. Our daughters were horrified. Lol
Some people always find a way to shoehorn the fact they drive a douche-mobile into a conversation. Get over yourself 😂
Forever proof that farts are always funny
I’m crying just reading it 😂🤣😂🤣
@@ismarwinkelman5648you sound jealous, bro
@@rmeredithm If you could see my driveway you would know I am not
12:53 "armed with this ground breaking information"
Me: don't you mean WIND breaking information.
no, i will not leave. Get your hands off of me!
Rofl
* bonk * *bonk * * bonk * PUN POLICE! OPEN UP!
Funny story about the Flowbee: at least back in the 90's, it used to have a button that functioned as an emergency release for the device. Sounds like a pretty decent feature, right? Here's the catch-- it was a protruding button that spun while the device was operating.
I promise nothing says "irony" like like your hair getting caught in the spinning emergency release, and winding straight up to your scalp with the mass of entrapped hair preventing the emergency release from actually functioning. Pro-tip: plug the vacuum into a socket that's operated by a wall switch plate and set up your cutting area within easy reach of said switch. If you get intro trouble, flip the switch; you'll scramble less than trying to shut off the whole vacuum.
I cannot even imagine having to make that journey to the emergency room...
@@comettamer trust me... As long as its not stuck up your ass... They've seen worse
@@roscojenkins7451 Of course that would depend on what hair you where trimming...... :)
Um, why not just turn off the switch on the handle? That's what powers the blades. Even using a commercial dust extractor as the vacuum, suction isn't an issue. There is no such release on the one I own, what's it supposed to release? Why would it spin? I haven't been able to find anything with Google supporting this.
@@troyclayton A good assortment of valid questions to which I don't have a valid answer.
This happened twenty years ago, probably more now, so I'll admit I can't properly address your objections other than to say that if we had been quicker-thinking, those would have been good responses.
I can tell you, though, that there was no handle switch as the flowbee had been hooked up to a shop-vac at the time.
I thoroughly enjoy your videos, thank you. Simon. You have to be the best narrator on youtube. My hearing is no longer so good but I can always understand you easily.
Never thought id hear Simon mention Bloodhound Gang for any reason whatsoever... Such an awesome, inspiring group. Without them, i never would've realized a lap dance is so much better when the stripper is crying. Game changer.
Only cause your pretty when I'm drunk
Rofl
Dammit! Stuck in my head "quicker than you can say shallow grave."
Flowbee for dogs, because we know how much they love being around running vacuums.
My sisters 4 cats would flee in terror if she even wheeld the vacuum out of the utility room
😂 My dogs already assume the vacuum is attacking them. I can’t imagine..
depends on the dog actually? I think I saw Markiplier using one of these (or something LIKE it) on his dog.
I had no idea it was an actual thing when I saw Wayne's World...
Don't Americans frequently have full home vacuums? That would keep the sound away from the animals, that would be appropriate for animal care places too.
Animals can be trained to not be afraid of the shrieking sucker.
My brother had three kittens and used the vacuum as part of grooming them, and they loved it. They came running whenever it turned on.
The Bob Ross Chia Pet is the most 80s/90s thig ever and I love it. The pet rock guide book is exactly why I think it succeded, it made a cute package.
Definitely a novelty item. Just like the hillbilly pencil eraser that made it look like he was having a wank lol
From what I understand about the Pet Rock, the manual was the real "content". More like a humorous book with very elaborate packaging.
mine escaped on the first day, i cried and cried.
Indeed it was. The humor of the manual was worth the price of the whole thing alone. I think some of the original manuals (especially complete with original Pet Rock) can fetch a not insignificant sum on eBay now and again.
A few years my Dad told me he had a pet rock that he bought. I thought he was joking😳
@@HarryNicNicholas I inherited my dad's back in the 80's. When my dad caught me smoking pot in high school I told him that I got it from his pet rock. He looked at me with deadpan expression, and I thought he was going to beat me. Then he said "yeah, the bastard got me too, when I was your age" and walked away. I spent the next 30 minutes trying to figure out wtf had happened.
@@SkunkApe407 Dad Level: Master
"So, how does the Suk-Kut work, exactly?"
"Well, as you can see, it sucks as it cuts!"
"It certainly does suck!"
Be glad our G/F's don't.
"Joy buzzer" does not refer to a whoopee cushion. It was a a small device worn on the finger that, when you shook someone's hand, would buzz and vibrate, startling the person whose had you shook. There was also a version that delivered a small shock.
Had 2 Pet Rocks as a teenager, both gifts.
Second one was a freakin' Drama Queen! "Stonie" the rock was always demanding affection/attention. ;)
Which drugs were you doing at the time, acid, peyote, masculine, weed?
Out of all this video.. Simon talking about whoopie cushions and the numerous names and like, is the best part, just because his surprise at it is so genuine.
I’ve had a Flowbee for maybe 10 years. I quit going to barbers back in the mid 70s and cut my own hair useing thinning shears and a razor comb. I thought a Flobee might be a good addition to my cutting tools, and despite my wife’s continued dismay with my self-cutting, I doubt I’ll ever go back to a barber. Now, a Flowbee operation every few months, with trimming in between, I figure I’ve saved $$$ over the past 40 years. I’m in my 70s now 😊
I would never go back to a barber after 20 years of happilly having a flo bee.
I could never get a barber, or stylist, to do what I wanted. Too many white walls. And when the hair looked good after the cut, I couldn't figure out how to make it look that way the next morning when I washed it.
Another happy user, some 26+ years, I've even had to send it back for repairs after the gear stripped after the 20 year mark. So, not a stupid invention.
I like how you use two spaces after each full stop. I might continue to do that.
The last time I went to a barber they gave me a mullet. That was 26 ish years ago. Since then I grew it long for awhile until I'd had enough of that. So these days my wife shears me with the clippers every few months. I don't trust her with the beard tho - that's a man thing.
everyone laughs at the flowbee until they go into quarantine
The concept is strange so you may laugh at it, but the execution of the product is really smart. It makes hair cutting easier and removes the hair at same time, aswell not so pricey if you keep using it during the years because of how much you save from hair cutting appointment. I see the appeal in it, even though from an outside view you may look like hilarious:)
Someone send Simon a Chia Pet so he can experience the awe that is growing pottery.
Someone make a Simon chia pet where the sprouts are the beard rather the scalp.
❤❤
"If something looks stupid but works, it isn't stupid." - Murphy's laws of combat.
Incoming friendly fire is more accurate than incoming hostile fire
There is no such thing as friendly fire
A combat ready unit will never pass inspection, an inspection ready unit will never pass combat
There is nothing more dangerous than a green officer in the dark with a book of matches
Yeah but it could still look stupid
“The pet rock isn’t selling”
-“what if we make them look like animals and grow sprouts on them”
LOL
What exactly does a disgruntled purchaser of a pet rock look like? What did it not do for you that you expected it to? I'm genuinely curious.
I wanted mine to roll over and play dead. It wouldn’t roll over😡🤣
It didn't LOVE ME! 😭😭😭
Mine had a broken leg and worms. I had to take it right to the vet.
I gasped in shock as Simon informed us that he was bald. I’ve been told not to trust my own eyes the past couple years…
Lol
The Flow-bee is a great tool. I’ve used one for over 30 years. The deluxe unit has it’s own vacuum pump which is also very nice. Highly recommend them.
The Bob Ross Chia Pet is the only Chia Pet I ever wanted
“Windy Blasters” sounds so wonderfully British with your accent, Simon.
The great Britcom, "The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin" had a lot of this sort of thing. His boss, CJ, had whoopee cushions in the chairs of his office for ages until one day when Reggie sat down and nothing happened. "New chairs, from Japan. Silent, but deadly!"
Then Reggie went on the found Grot, which guaranteed that everything it sold was useless, including his son-in-law's homemade wine, "Pea Pod Burgundy." To his intense disgust, sales of everything went through the roof.
The Flowbee essentially mechanized hair cutting techniques commonly used by hairstylists. In this way it reduces the possibility of error. Taking away the clippings at the same time is just a win-win.
"Givin myself a mullet, hook the flowbee to the Kirby" from the song Mope is the line he's talking about. I was thinking about that song as soon as he said flowbee.
Such a good song from a great album!!
As someone that worked in a store that sold only pet supplies, not pets, you would be surprised at how popular "mineral water for pets" in either 8 to 10 ounces were. They were crazy expensive (like 3.50 for 1) and the vendor told me it was his fastest selling product in the northeast. They sold in different flavors, like a Koolaid. I was kidding with him and asked if he sold any toilet water flavored mineral water because I hear that flavor is popular with dogs.
The title definitely sounds like an OGBB vid.
If Simon were made a chia pet you’d put the seed mixture on his face for a growing beard.
I think this needs to be on the BrainBlaze store.
Yes!! Make it so! 😵😁👍
They did have bald ones with beards. 😉
@@sylviahoffman9440 😂 Simon is a chia pet
Make it, you may make millions, or a 100 Grand or two.
Pet rocks (and shell pets) have been available my whole life at every UK seaside town. I was born in the 80s so perhaps he did have the original idea but I find it hard to believe they didn't exist at all before then given that humans love drawing faces on inanimate objects.
Like most things, it's probably not the first to invent it, but rather the first to successfully market it.
Mrs Richards: "I paid for a room with a view!"
Basil: (pointing to the lovely view) "That is Torquay, Madam."
Mrs Richards: "It's not good enough!"
Basil: "May I ask what you were expecting to see out of a Torquay hotel bedroom window? Sydney Opera House, perhaps? the Hanging Gardens of Babylon? Herds of wildebeest sweeping majestically past?..."
Mrs Richards: "Don't be silly! I expect to be able to see the sea!"
Basil: "You can see the sea, it's over there between the land and the sky."
Mrs Richards: "I'm not satisfied. But I shall stay. But I expect a reduction."
Basil: "Why?! Because Krakatoa's not erupting at the moment?
This has me in tears...I can see the scene so vividly in my head!! Thanks for the laugh!! 🤣🤣🤣
@@Terri_MacKay SORRY WE ARE RIGHT OUT OF WALDORF'S
@@fredflintstoner596 🤣🤣🤣
@@Terri_MacKay YOU NAUGHTY MOOSE !
@@fredflintstoner596 OMG!!! I think I'm going to have to go and binge watch the entire series now!! 🤣🤣
I must register my complaint that I have damaged my keyboard from too much "smash that like button" after binge-watching Simon's channels all week. 🥰
There's your problem. You're supposed to use the mouse.
This is a gift. Thank you.
When this video started, I thought you would be mentioning the tv-advertised "Topsy Tail" , a thing which could turn a ponytail inside out to create a new hairstyle. The lady who invented it made millions selling this overpriced plastic coated loop of wire.
I had one of those!! 🤣
@@Cat-tastrophee Dare I guess it just sat in the bottom of a drawer all these years?
My 14-yo niece has the one my sisters and I used as kids. She loves it.
I lived in San Diego in the '80's and '90's. I bought my Flowbee in '97 and have been using it since. I do my wife's hair as well. Just two days ago I did my sister's and brother-in-law's. My father tried it and soon bought himself one. We all can afford "professional" haircuts, so economics isn't the reason. It's the convenience and consistency that are most attractive. It's a great product. Kudos Flowbee!
It's pretty rad that the Flowbee Is still made and actually made in the US.
I love the Flowbee! Just got one a few months ago by mail order, I was glad it happened to be in stock. For me it works great. I should have bought one 20 years ago.
I designed, built and used my own version of a Flowbee over 20 years ago. Not knowing what it was, my wife threw it out. So, I bought a Flowbee, wore it our, I'm on my second.
@@stevesedio1656 I remember when the Flowbee first came out, I was in the military. I thought it was a good idea, but it wasn't capable of fully giving a regulation cut, I would have needed my wife to finish the job with a trimmer and she didn't like the idea so I just kept going to the barber. After I retired from the military I'd forgotten all about the Flowbee. I'm glad they are still in business making them. I imagine the patent has expired but haven't seen too many similar copycats on the market.
Garth: IT'S SUCKING MY WILL TO LIVE!
Wayne: The Suckut. Well it certainly does suck.
Came here to comment, "As you can see, it sucks as it cuts" but your reference makes mine unnecessary.
I remember seeing Chia Pet commercials back in the 80s and wondering, "can you eat those seeds?" Turns out you can; chia seeds are a big fad now. The biggest problems is they don't taste like anything.
that bob ross painting himself with cress almost made me nose-coffee. i invented the term nose-coffee by the way.
"You don't need to be smart to laugh at a fart, but you have to be an idiot not to." - Louis CK
The Flowbee left behind by a friend worked well enough for a military haircut and not having hair everywhere was a bonus. Used it for years.
Keeps saying he's bald like everyone's believing it. The smoothness is green screened in! Don't think I won't do a sub reddit
I know he just applied few layers of smooth texturing
@@PersonManManManMan Once in a while his smooth-texturing gets a nice self-inflicted scab on top that makes me laugh at him in "Annoying Orange". 😆😂🤣
No no no, what ypur seeing is the glare of his synth-skin. He's admitted that he's a cyborg, but I think that's a smokescreen to hide his fully robotic nature. How else do you explain all the channels he can run other than multiple Simon bots? I thought they were maybe clones for abit, but that just seems too far fetched, as they might rebel -- and the original Simon wouldn't take that risk. No, he would prefer the complacency of machines to do his bidding.
@@MF-R I don't know man. Robots don't normally keep people in a basement.
@@dillydoor his rules of robotics is broken.
Great video. More like this one would be awesome!
We had a Flowbee when I was growing up. My mom got a lot of use out of it, and I had many haircuts with it. It worked well enough, but eventually we quit using it.
This sounds like a business blaze topic.
Brain Blaze*
Business Blaze is no more.
Simon, you can always use the Flowbee on your beard lol
More of a re-invention, my favorite is the corporation who made loyal customers who'd self-identify themselves as anti-corporate, used single-use paper and plastic for customers who'd identify themselves as ecologically conscious, and had a markup for a product these customers had in their wage-slave offices.
Who needs a flowbee? 🤣 I just let my hair grow ‘til it stops by itself.
I am surprised by the shout out to the Bloodhound gang, nice research.
" It sure does Suck!" Wayne Campbell of Waynes World
2:30 It's kind of ironic to thing about, but even with the world's biggest vacuum just on the other side of the wall, they still use a machine like the one in your utility closet.
You don't want to dump bits of hair and dust into an orbit that matches your spacecraft.
I'd use a Flowbee, assuming it worked. Especially if you have kids (and pets), those haircut costs add up. And it's a PITA to vacuum after each haircut, given how much other cleaning up after a haircut you do. Thanks for the video!
Never heard of a Flowbee. But we used to use something called a flogee all the time. Also called bong-buster.
Flowbee works great. I do everyone in my family’s hair.
My nephew is a hair stylist. He said the haircuts look very professional.
The suck cut. It sucks as it cuts.
The Bob Ross chia pet looks like a very happy Thanos
Thanos post snap
I use a Flowbee to trim my beard and body hair. Just be cautious on the hang- down parts fellas...
This would have been a good video for Business Blaze, when it was called Business Blaze! 😄
when they were all the rage my uncle bought my grandmother a pet rock for Christmas thinking she would love the gag. her reply was 'great, a rock, thanks son' and tossed it straight into the kitchen bin
The logic behind these ideas: "There's a sucker born every minute."
The hi tech version of the whoopi cushion, the fart machine was also very popular. You could change the sounds it made and some even came with remotes.
if this video gets 50,000 likes, then Simon has to trim his beard with a flowbee
“You think the ‘pet rock’ was a really great idea?” “He made a million dollars!” - Office Space
There is a vast difference between the meaning of "a good business idea" and "a good product".
I doubt the pet rock cost more than $2 to put on to shelves (including packaging, shipping, ads, labor, and all the other overhead costs).
At $4 per rock, and a million rocks sold in about six months, that means $2 million dollars in 1975 dollars. Or $10 million in 2021 dollars.
$10 million net profit for six months of serious sales of a single *novelty item* ? That's Scrooge McDuck levels of money, given the circumstances.
That's the epitome of "good idea".
My mom bought a flobee when I was a kid. She cut my hair one time, under protest from me. I wasnt happy with the results, so I tried fixing it. Which turned out horrendous worse. Then to come to find out we had family photos later that week🙄🤣. So ended up having to go to a barber to work some magic. She never tried to cut mine or my brothers hair after this. But turns out the flobee was amazing at cutting our cockerspanal's hair! He absolutely loved getting trimmed up by it 🤣
One of the gals I work with gave me sign to hang at my desk: “Farts are always funny.” While I try not to share at work, could she be trying to tell me something?
I had a woopie cushion when I was a kid that my brother popped and I'm still bitter about it.
I am so happy the Bloodhound Gang got a mention here.
If only there was a business based channel to put this on
There was such a channel. Was.
Aaahh, The Clapper! Had one of those, very handy in general.
However, if a headboard hits the wall at the right rhythm the light goes on...and off...and on...
Loved this random Side Projects! Along the lines of Brain Blaze...great job!
Favourite video so far...Thanks you Simon.
That was fun! I hope there's more installments in the future.
3:24 If you take care of your PET ROCK, your PET ROCK will take care of you. 😂😂
My nine-year-old daughter thinks whoopie cushions are the height of humor!!
The Pet Rock's true brilliance was the "instruction manual", which was incredibly self-aware and hilarious. I strongly recommend giving it a read.
We had a flowbee growing up... It was really convenient
When my dad was serving in the Air Force I remember one of the barbers at the BX using a Flowbee for his haircuts.
Don't diss Flowbee. I haven't paid for a haircut in over 25 years. That's more than $4,000 in my pocket.
Subject does well on Blaze. Simon to all other writers. "Make me that exact script for my other channels!" Hahaha 🤣
The hair one sounds good for during lockdown. If only they made the blades sharper.
*quietly dialing 911*
I realize now you were being serious at first I thought this was a morbid joke about suicide lol. WHOOPS.
I just use the same razor that barbers use. I cut my hair over an open floor space so its easier to sweep up with broom and pan.
@@frank124c I do it over the bathroom sink and put some paper towels in it to catch the hair. Then just wrap up the paper towels and no mess.
I looked them up. They were months behind in production in May 2020. What they do is essentially mechanize the same techniques used by hairdressers. You might not get that magic haircut, but if you followed directions you were unlikely to get a disastrous result.
Love your voice. Love the script and it’s delivery and love that beard! Suits you!
Bernie in locked down Sydney
I still kinda want a chia pet tbh. Surprised no anime company has done any licensed ones with how batshit the hair designs can be tho lol.
About 50-60 years ago, a ”Joy Buzzer" in novelty stores was a wind up device that you could conceal in your palm when shaking hands. It had a button that released the spring in a way that was supposed to make you think you were being shocked, although there was no electricity.
SIMON. . . You need to update this one! The oldest recorded joke in history was from the Sumerians in 1900 BC and plays well into women finding the fart funnier. The joke reads:
Something which has never occurred since time immemorial; a young woman did not fart in her husband’s lap
It's perfect for this episode!
Also, good job.
12:10 I think that was teenage Emperor Heliogabalus.
"There's a sucker born every minute" - - PT Barnum
Tamagotchi should've been on this list. Basically a digital cross between the pet rock and Pokemon concepts. Full disclosure, I was gifted one by my after school program and I never kept it alive long enough to go through all the evolutions. So I was constantly having to reset it back to the ubiquitous black circle.
In fact all video game devices should be on this list. Entertainment is useless and should be heavily restricted 🌈
The Flowbee still gets talked about on a regular-enough basis to this day in my barber shop. And there are a couple of shops around here that use variations of the device.