Kitsch and tell: a poll of extreme importance

[slipjig3]

Among the umptillion books we keep in our bathroom is a copy of The Encyclopedia of Bad Taste by Jane and Michael Stern, an exhaustively researched and more-than-a-little-snarky tribute to all the prepackaged kitsch and pop-culture crap that we as Americans have been subjected to over the decades—everything from Lawrence Welk to aerosol cheese to Hawaiian shirts to mud wrestling.

It also comes with a table of contents. [insert Cackle of Evil here]

Behind the cut is a ginormous poll, listing every item the Sterns included in their invaluable reference work. Please check the boxes of all items that you have a secret (or not-so-secret) fondness for. And don't lie; the only person who can view responses is me, so you have no excuses. (If you have any questions about what a given item entails, feel free to ask in comments.)


[Poll #1525610]


Oh, and feel free to pimp this poll out as well. The more, the merrier! *raises glass of Tang*

Comments

[ewin.livejournal.com]

If I could eradicate troll dolls AND bobbleheads from the face of the Earth, I SO WOULD. They squick me like sour milk.

[hammercock.livejournal.com]

OMG, I know, right? Frakking bobbleheads, man. They're creepy!

[slipjig.livejournal.com]

*shudder*

[tigerstriped86.livejournal.com]

Maybe you're just a Black Lantern?

[slipjig.livejournal.com]

That would tend to put a damper on one's sunny outlook, I would imagine.

[malefica-v.livejournal.com]

Tattoos and bumper stickers currently lead. Your pals are people with something to say!

Me, I like accordions and don't care who knows it.

[chris-walsh.livejournal.com]

And how could I like "Weird Al" Yankovic without liking accordions?

[malefica-v.livejournal.com]

Woooo, now it's beer and mini-golf in the lead! That sounds like an excellent way to kill an afternoon.

[slipjig.livejournal.com]

Amen. *accordion fist-bump*

[nonethewiser.livejournal.com]

And when I say Jell-O, I mean the platonic ideal thereof, because it never quite lives up to my memories, somehow...

[slipjig.livejournal.com]

...I've just spent way too much time contemplating the phrase "platonic Jell-O." I blame sleep dep.

[spoothbrush.livejournal.com]

Took me a minute to realize that "Gabors" probably referred to Zsa Zsa and Eva, and not Gabor patches, which I am kind of interested by. Hi, I'm a cognitive psychologist.

[tigerstriped86.livejournal.com]

*sings the Green Acres theme song to the cognitive pathologist*

[slipjig.livejournal.com]

Hi! *handshake*

[rubian77.livejournal.com]

Much kitsch has its place. Would I love these things on a 24/7 basis? Hell no. But occasionally, at times, it's great just by virtue of its kitsch factor. ;)

[slipjig.livejournal.com]

See, now, I can appreciate a lot of these things as long as they're not in my apartment.

[light-in-motion.livejournal.com]

So.. I clicked cozies, but only for tea cozies, which rock. Toilet paper cozies? Right out.

[intuition-ist.livejournal.com]

yup! ew. :\

[ultra-lilac.livejournal.com]

See, what you have here is a list of things that are AWESOME so I just had to tick the ones that were more awesome.
But I did find myself spiritually revived by considering each item. My happy meter is full.

[slipjig.livejournal.com]

And this is part of why the Universe adores you. *hugs* (And look! We can duel Mr. Boogalow icons!)

[guiltyred.livejournal.com]

If we start putting the more popular items together, we find folks indulging in nude accordion heavy metal after a refreshing dinner of fish sticks and beer with Jell-O and Cool Whip for dessert. :3 Sounds good to me!

[slipjig.livejournal.com]

All of a sudden, my weekend plans have fallen into place! Thank you!

[thunderpigeon.livejournal.com]

I'm entertained that Parton, Dolly is more popular than Breasts, Enormous. Not sure whether it's for her talents as a musician or her status as a pop cultural icon. I presume it's not for her talents as an actress.

[slipjig.livejournal.com]

Hey, now! She was actually quite good in 9 to 5.

[elionwyr.livejournal.com]

Liberace has always seemed very creepy to me...except for his role in The Loved One.

[slipjig.livejournal.com]

And when he sledge-hammered a baby grand on The Monkees.

[laliari.livejournal.com]

i need to find more tom carvel loving chihuahua enthusiasts. for serious. so many of you deeply disappoint me... ;)

[slipjig.livejournal.com]

I'm surprised Carvel didn't tear up the runway on this one. No accounting for taste, I s'pose.

[laliari.livejournal.com]

i am the only waltzing waters fan. i win at dork

[slipjig.livejournal.com]

I'll be brutally honest with you: you may be the only person here who knows what Waltzing Waters is. (Or at least in a very narrow minority.) You have, however, saved the item in question from the Charlie-Brown-empty-mailbox-level-of-unloved zero-vote status, and in that, you can take great pride.

[elionwyr.livejournal.com]

Your icon is full of all kinds of evil evil beauty.

(yay video!) <3

[tidesong.livejournal.com]

I'm boring. :P