Friday, December 05, 2008

Dr. Seuss and Flit: "Mosquitoville"

Just look at this estranged couple, he in his baggy, ill-fitting clothing and she with a figure so broken down that her breasts almost reach her waistline. This, apparently, is what happens when you waste away in Mosquitoville, lookin' for your lost sprayer of Flit.

This episode of "Dr. Seuss and Flit" brought to you by the May 11, 1929 issue of The New Yorker magazine.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the Jimmy Buffet earworm... Damn you!!

Adam Thornton said...

I couldn't help it...the Buffet made me do it!

Anonymous said...

Just for the record – that picture is not my wife and me hunting down a rogue mosquito in the middle of the night. Some weeks ago, one of the bugs (and maybe some of its cousins) did drive us to distraction, and – perhaps – we didn’t look as debonair as we tried to close in on the enemy, in the middle of the night, armed with an aerosol can of Lysol.

But, mosquitoes beware: now we possess the secret of your doom – this brand-new smart bomb, the weapon of the future – FLIT!! [drum roll].

Winged pests, we will give you a brief moment to obtain and raise your white flag. That is all. Over & out.

Adam Thornton said...

You actually bought Flit?

Wow, I thought it was a product of the past! I figured it was made of a ton of prohibited chemicals and needed to be quietly retired.

Anonymous said...

No. Didn't actually use that product. Apparently it's still in use (according to Wikipedia). The main ingredient is pyrethrum, and is used chiefly against adult mosquitos.

The Wikipedia article does mention the 1920's ad campaign and the Dr. Seuss cartoons.

I was just being funny about treating Flit like a new weapon.

I do remember seeing an old Flit-like insecticide sprayer at my parent's house many years ago. I wonder if it's still there - and what chemicals they used back then?