But Can He Carry a Tuna?
Written: Aug 22 '00 (Updated Dec 16 '00)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Hilarious to the unsuspecting
Cons: Motion sensor too sensitive. There's no getting away from him.
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| johnshepler's Full Review: Electronic Big Mouth Billy Bass |
I was in need of a laugh the day we pulled into the Marengo, IL Shell truck stop. As I got in line to buy a frozen cappuccino to help my sinus headache, I noticed a fish mounted on a plaque by the register. That might not be so unusual, but this fish had a sign that said something like "push the button to hear Billy Bass sing."
OK, I’m game for a singing fish. So I pushed the button on his name plate and, all of a sudden, the fish starts banging his tail on the plaque and playing a song. "Big Deal," I thought. It’s a toy fish that plays music. Then the fish turned his head toward me, and his mouth moved as he sang "Take me to the river. Put me in the water."
Oh, that was too much. I busted right out laughing. It must have been contagious, because a half dozen other people started chuckling, too. The idea of a fish asking you to take him to the river and put him in the water is hilarious because ...well, isn’t that what a fish would say if he could?
When the music stopped, I pushed the button again for a replay. This time, Billy sang "Don’t worry, Be happy." That was amusing, too, but nowhere near as funny as "take me to the river."
After a few plays, I looked around for the stock of singing fishes and found a dozen or so in boxes marked $30. My wife and I laughed about it all the way home and started seriously thinking of to whom we might send a Big Mouth Billy Bass as a birthday or Christmas present. The next week, we went out of our way to visit the same truck stop and have another listen to the singing fish. To my horror, he was gone. No display. No boxes. I asked the lady at the counter what happened and she said they all sold out within a couple of days and she had no idea if they would get any more.
That was a bitter disappointment, but I found him for sale on the Internet and, within a few weeks, Billy started showing up in stores in town. When my birthday came around in June, I jokingly expressed surprise that I hadn’t gotten a Billy Bass, considering how much kidding around about it we had done the last couple of months. Before I knew, my wife, Barbara, presented me Billy himself, and I got out the screwdriver and level to mount him on the wall.
He looks good in the family room. Billy Bass can be set to sense motion and sing whenever anyone moves in the room, but that’s a bit too much. I have him switched to manual. Now, whenever I need a pick-me-up, I push the Billy button and still get a charge out of whichever song he sings. Our yellow nape Amazon parrot, Pepper, likes to squawk along with the music. Who knows, maybe he’ll pick up the lyrics, too. Oh, no. A bird that sings "take me to the river." I don’t think that would sound quite natural.
If you’re looking for the ideal gag gift for a fishing enthusiast, Big Mouth Billy Bass has to be it. Mount one in the kid’s room and let them stay out of trouble singing along with the fish. Just be sure you can close the door after a few repetitions. The good news is that you can buy Billy for $24.99 now, and under $20 if you shop around. I saw them at Cracker Barrel Restaurant for $20 including the AC adapter. Billy takes 4 C-batteries, which works great for occasional use. But, if you are going to leave him on motion sense or be pushing the button all the time, you’ll save a fortune with AC power rather than batteries.
CAUTION: There seem to be two packaging versions of Big Mouth Billy Bass. One comes with the AC adapter, one does not. Look carefully at the description on the box to know what you are getting.
Now, here’s the latest scoop. I just saw another version of Billy Bass wearing a Santa hat. Now he’s singing Christmas Carols! How long before this fish shows up on the Grammy Awards?
By the way, Billy has a new friend, Max Mallard. He'll quack you up! Read all about his antics at:
http://johnshepler.epinions.com/kifm-review-162C-26A13E7B-3A3C0E11-prod2
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
johnshepler
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Member: John Shepler
Location: Rockford, IL
Reviews written: 18
Trusted by: 14 members
About Me:
Hey, I hope that big guy behind me only sinks his teeth into these reviews!
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