The winner of the random drawing is: Weston Schnetz.
Thanks everyone for submitting your favorite facts. We had fun reading them.
Inside Uncle John's Briefs are the most entertaining, myth-busting, and thought-provoking brief articles from Uncle John's enormous Bathroom Reader library. So plunge in and see for yourself why the Bathroom Reader series has sold more than 10 million books.
Here is a bit of what awaits you…
Corn Crackos and other cereal flops
Baseball's most bizarre injuries
The timeless wisdom of Mr. T
The origins of the warerbed, tarter sauce, and the polka
How to talk like a mobster
The anatomy of a hiccup
…and much, much more!
Now to the fun part—Giveaway!!!
Simply post your favorite Uncle John's fact below (or on our post on the Facebook page) and be entered in a random drawing to win a copy of Uncle John's Briefs. You have till Sunday at midnight (PST). We will pick a random winner on Monday.
Dear brave souls that participated in our scavenger hunt:
We thank you all for taking the time to research, take pictures, and get creative with each of our clues. Over the next couple of weeks, we will share some of the awesome pictures/answers with you all. As promised, the winners have been picked and notified. And…here they are:
Grand-prize winner (iPad):
Anna Harmon
Runner Ups (10 signed Uncle John's Bathroom Readers):
Mary Jane Crewe
Brian Breslin
James King
What is the age of the woman who bungee jumped with her dad in one of our earlier blogs from this year?
Answer: 62 years old
Take a friend or loved one to a home supply store, go to the bathroom department, and photograph the two of you having a "lightsaber fight" with plungers. (If you get in trouble, then we don't know you.)
Answer: Varies
The back cover of which Bathroom Reader has a wine glass? Answer: Uncle John’s Triumphant 20th Anniversary Bathroom Reader
Go to your local bookstore and take a picture in front of the shelf of Uncle John's books. If the store doesn't carry the books, take a picture of yourself holding a sign saying "Bring Uncle John's to this store."
Answer: Varies
What was the top grossing film of the year that the first edition of Uncle John’s Bathroom Reader was published. Hint: It also won the Oscars for Best Picture, Best Actor, and Best Director.
Answer: Rain Man
What is the 7th job listed in the "7 Jobs That Sound Like a Joke" blog post on WeirdWorm.com?
Answer: Fart Smeller
List 5 famous ducks and the source of their fame.
Answer: Varies
Find four actual town names that would make for good “bathroomy” puns. (Keep it clean, and make sure you send us the name of the town as well as the state or province it’s in, or just the country if it’s located outside of the U.S. or Canada.)
Answer: Varies
What the running foot (fact on the bottom of the page) on page 354 of Uncle John's Endlessly Engrossing Bathroom Reader?
Answer: 65% of test subjects have the urge to yawn after reading the word "yawn."
Arts and Crafts time: Get out your scissors and find some old newspapers and/or magazines. Cut out these four words: “Uncle” “John’s” “Bathroom” “Reader” (make sure all four words are in a different typeface). Paste them onto a piece of paper like a ransom note, and then either scan it or take a photo of it.
Answer: Varies
Send us a link to your second favorite website. Of course, we already know that we are your first and most favorite.
Answer: Varies
Happy Father's Day! Celebrate this weekend by taking a picture of a dad. Yes, if you are a dad, a picture of yourself counts.
Answer: Varies
Tell us what your favorite thing is about your city? It could be a restaurant, park, store, or even your own street. Send us a link or a picture (Google images are accepted).
Answer: Varies
Wrap yourself in a roll of toilet paper (yes, you can have a friend or family member help you), take a picture, and send it to us with a caption.
Answer: Varies
Draw a funny picture inspired by your favorite Bathroom Reader article. Make sure to tell us the book and the page number of the article. Scan or take a picture of it and send it in. (Note: Stick figures are OK. We are no judging you on your artistic ability.)
Answer: Varies
Dress up your toilet and send us the photo—give it a crown, make it a ninja, do something that lets your toilet pretend to be something else for the day.
Answer: Varies
Search the depths of the Internet for an image of your dream throne. Is it made of gold? Does it have a built-in radio? Send us a link.
Answer: Varies
Other than the Uncle John's Bathroom Reader series, what reading materials are a staple in your bathroom? Don't worry, our feelings will not be hurt. We know you read a variety of things in there.
Answer: Varies
Send us the name of the designer/architect of the Toilet House in South Korea. Remember this?
Answer: Ko Kiwoong
Last clue. Warning: This is a hard one. Tell us which Uncle John's Bathroom Reader is your favorite. Yes, you MUST narrow it down to one.
Answer: Varies
Another June is National Bathroom Reading Month is behind us. We hope you had a lot of fun with the scavenger hunt. Our fun is just beginning as we start to get your answers in our inbox. Thanks everyone for playing along.
Remember that you have till July 5th to send in your answers. If you are just seeing this, CLICK HERE to get the list of 22 clues. If you run out of time, or simply can't do everything, send us what you have anyway. We plan on giving random prizes out for some of our favorite answers. Make sure to include your mailing address in the email.
To make it easier for everyone, we will be posting all the clues daily on this list. We will also send them out via Twitter and Facebook. Remember that you must email in all your answers by July 5. CLICK HERE for all the details. (No clues will be posted on Saturday or Sundays)
Take a picture of your bathroom.
Send us the headline and link of the 1st Neatorama blog post of 2010.
What is the age of the woman who bungee jumped with her dad in one of our earlier blogs from this year?
Take a friend or loved one to a home supply store, go to the bathroom department, and photograph the two of you having a "lightsaber fight" with plungers. (If you get in trouble, then we don't know you.)
The back cover of which Bathroom Reader has a wine glass?
Go to your local bookstore and take a picture in front of the shelf of Uncle John's books. If the store doesn't carry the books, take a picture of yourself holding a sign saying "Bring Uncle John's to this store."
What was the top grossing film of the year that the first edition of Uncle John’s Bathroom Reader was published. Hint: It also won the Oscars for Best Picture, Best Actor, and Best Director.
Find four actual town names that would make for good “bathroomy” puns. (Keep it clean, and make sure you send us the name of the town as well as the state or province it’s in, or just the country if it’s located outside of the U.S. or Canada.)
What the running foot (fact on the bottom of the page) on page 354 of Uncle John's Endlessly Engrossing Bathroom Reader?
Arts and Crafts time: Get out your scissors and find some old newspapers and/or magazines. Cut out these four words: “Uncle” “John’s” “Bathroom” “Reader” (make sure all four words are in a different typeface). Paste them onto a piece of paper like a ransom note, and then either scan it or take a photo of it.
Send us a link to your second favorite website. Of course, we already know that we are your first and most favorite.
Happy Father's Day! Celebrate this weekend by taking a picture of a dad. Yes, if you are a dad, a picture of yourself counts.
Tell us what your favorite thing is about your city? It could be a restaurant, park, store, or even your own street. Send us a link or a picture (Google images are accepted).
Wrap yourself in a roll of toilet paper (yes, you can have a friend or family member help you), take a picture, and send it to us with a caption.
Draw a funny picture inspired by your favorite Bathroom Reader article. Make sure to tell us the book and the page number of the article. Scan or take a picture of it and send it in. (Note: Stick figures are OK. We are no judging you on your artistic ability.)
Dress up your toilet and send us the photo—give it a crown, make it a ninja, do something that lets your toilet pretend to be something else for the day.
Search the depths of the Internet for an image of your dream throne. Is it made of gold? Does it have a built-in radio? Send us a link.
Other than the Uncle John's Bathroom Reader series, what reading materials are a staple in your bathroom? Don't worry, our feelings will not be hurt. We know you read a variety of things in there.
Send us the name of the designer/architect of the Toilet House in South Korea. Remember this?
Last clue. Warning: This is a hard one. Tell us which Uncle John's Bathroom Reader is your favorite. Yes, you MUST narrow it down to one.
We can't believe the month went by so quickly. Hope this was as fun for you all as it was for us. We are anxiously waiting for all the great submission that we know we will get. Also, we've decided to give away random prizes for some of our favorite answers/pictures. So, even if you were not able to get all the clues, enter what you have by July 5th. Send all entries to unclejohnsbathroomreader(at)gmail(dot com).
Thanks everyone for playing along and good luck to each and every one of you.
We here at the BRI get very excited when June rolls around—because June is National Bathroom Reading Month. Not only is it our time to thank you for being loyal fans with our annual Uncle John’s Father’s Day sale, but we also get to come up with ideas for Bathroom Reading-related contests/events. Everyone remember last years video contest winner, The Bathroom Rap?
This year, we decided to take things to a whole another level and have a National Scavenger Hunt. Instructions are below and clues are listed HERE, so let’s get to the important part—the booty.
Grand prize: A shiny new iPad and 10 Uncle John Bathroom Reader books of your choice. (Wow! That’s a good prize!) And three lucky runner ups will get another ten books each—and each and every book will be signed by Uncle John’s himself!
The scavenger hunt fun will end on June 30, with all submissions due by July 5. We will announce the winners on July 12.
The rules are simple:
Keep an eye out for the daily task, to be posted on our blog, Facebook page, and Twitter stream.
Follow the rules and complete each required task.
Don’t send it to us right away! Email us your complete set of answers/submissions at the end of the contest (unclejohnsbathroomreader@gmail.com)—by July 5 (including any videos and photos that were taken). We promise that the requests can all be completed electronically and you will not be required to ship anything via snail mail.
There is no time limit for each individual task. Just make sure that you get all your entries in by the final deadline.
The person with the most items “collected” will be our final winner.
If there is a tie, we will do a random drawing for the winner.
So, get ready for a roller-coaster ride and join us as we celebrate National Bathroom Reading Month with the Uncle John’s Bathroom Reader National Scavenger Hunt!
1st Task: Take a picture of your bathroom. (Easy start…)
P.S. Due to the different contest rules in different countries, our lawyers are only allowing us to open the scavenger hunt up to US residents. We apologize to our fans in other countries.
National Bathroom Reading Month CONTEST TERMS AND CONDITIONS
The National Bathroom Reading Month Contest is sponsored by Portable Press, an imprint of Baker & Taylor Publishing Group, a wholly owned unit of Baker & Taylor, the publishers of The Bathroom Readers’ Institute series of books. To enter,visit our web site www.bathroomreader.com. No purchase is necessary and there is no entry fee.
By entering the Contest, you agree to all of the following terms and conditions:
To Enter:
Participants will need to submit entries of all XX required Scavenger Hunt items that will be posted throughout the month of June to www.bathroomreader.com. Entries must be submitted via email to unclejohnsbathroomreader.com[ID1] . To be eligible, entries must be received between June 30, 2010 and July 5, 2010. Entries received after July 5, 2010 will not be eligible. Submissions become the property of Portable Press.
PRIZE
There will be one (1) Grand Prize Winner selected, and three (3) 2nd Prize winners.The Grand Prize Winner will receive a prize including:
One (1) 16GB Wi-Fi iPad
Ten (10) best-selling Uncle John’s Bathroom Reader books, signed by Gordon Javna
The three (3) 2nd Prize winners will receive a prize including:
Ten (10) best-selling Uncle John’s Bathroom Reader books, signed by Gordon Javna
The tentative dates for prize fulfillment are during the months of July-August 2010 and are subject to change at Portable Press’ sole discretion.
The estimated retail value of the Grand Prize is $688 and may not be traded in for cash value. The estimated retail value of each 2nd Prize is $190.00 and may not be traded in for cash value. The actual retail value of the contest depends on then current market conditions at time of prize fulfillment. The value of the prize(s) may be taxable as income. The Grand Prize Winner and 2nd Prize Winners are responsible for the payment of any and all applicable federal, state and local taxes that become due with respect to the prize(s).
ELIGIBILITY
Participants must be U.S. residents to be eligible. In order to become the final Grand Prize Winner and to receive the prize, the selected winner must sign an affidavit of eligibility and publicity release within 48 hours of receipt of notification of selection as a winner. Failure to provide verifiable proof of age and residence will result in an alternate winner being chosen from among the remaining eligible entries.
The contest is not open to employees and immediate family members of employees of Portable Press, Baker & Taylor Publishing Group, The Bathroom Readers’ Institute or Baker & Taylor. VOID IN ALASKA AND HAWAII AND WHEREVER PROHIBITED OR RESTRICTED BY LAW.
Video & Photograph Use Agreement
Submission of a video or photograph constitutes the irrevocable right to Portable Press of all rights, all rights to use, copy, sublicense, edit, modify, make derivative works, publish, exploit, transmit, distribute, publicly perform, publish, delete or display the content of and elements embodied in the video or photograph and the video itself, in whole or in part, in perpetuity in any and all media (whether now existing or hereafter devised) without limitation, and without consideration or acknowledgment to the entrant and the unconditional right to use the idea and statements about the video or photograph for advertising/publicity purposes without additional compensation, except where prohibited by law. By entering this contest, participant has agreed to the terms of this release.
SELECTION OF THE WINNER
The total number of eligible entries received will determine the odds of winning.
The person who submits the most correct Scavenger Hunt items posted through the month of June will be the winner. Should there be multiple complete & correct submissions, the winner will be chosen via randomized drawing from the eligible entries received. The three (3) 2nd Place Winners will be chosen by random drawing from all entries received.
Selection of the Grand Prize Winner and the three (3) 2nd Place Winners will take place between July 5th and July 12, 2010. Following selection, the committee will notify the potential Grand Prize Winner by phone, email or express mail. The potential Grand Prize Winner must contact The Bathroom Readers’ Institute in accordance with the contact information contained in the notice within seven (7) business days of the date of the notice and must sign an affidavit of eligibility and a publicity release. If The Bathroom Readers’ Institute is unable to contact the potential Grand Prize Winner, or if the potential Grand Prize Winner fails to contact The Bathroom Readers’ Institute within seven business days after the date of the notice, or if the potential Grand Prize Winner is ineligible or fails to sign the affidavit and the publicity release, an alternate winner may be chosen from the remaining eligible entries. Decisions of the committee will be final as to all matters.
The name(s) and video of the Grand Prize Winner shall be posted on www.bathroomreader.com no later than two (2) days after the Grand Prize Winner has claimed the prize by contacting The Bathroom Readers’ Institute and has executed the affidavit and the publicity release. Affidavits of eligibility are subject to verification by The Bathroom Readers’ Institute.
Entry constitutes permission to use winners’ entries, names, likenesses and voices for future advertising and publicity purposes without additional compensation.
DISCLAIMER
Portable Press is not responsible for any problems or technical malfunctions of any telephone network or lines, computer online systems, servers or providers, computer equipment, software, failure of email or players on account of technical problems or traffic congestion on the Internet or at any Web site or combination thereof, including injury or damage to participants or to any other person’s computer related to or resulting from participating or viewing contest information. If, for any reason, the Contest is not capable of running as planned through difficulties beyond the reasonable control of Portable Press, Portable Press reserves the right at its sole discretion to cancel, terminate, modify or suspend the contest. Should the contest be terminated prior to the stated expiration date, notice will be posted on www.bathroomreader.com. In the event of a dispute over plagiarized or previously copyrighted content, Portable Press reserves the right to disqualify the entry.
Winners agree that Portable Press and their employees shall have no liability in connection with acceptance or use of any of the prizes awarded herein.
INDEMNITY
By entering, you agree to indemnify and hold harmless Portable Press, Baker & Taylor Publishing Group, The Bathroom Readers’ Institute, Baker & Taylor, their officers, directors, employees, agents, licensees, and assigns and any publisher or distributor of the entered video, from and against any and all claims, suits, damages and liabilities (including reasonable attorneys' fees) which are based on any claim of copyright infringement, plagiarism or unauthorized use.
GOVERNING LAW
These Terms and Conditions will be governed by the laws of the State of California.
You thought we forgot, right? Well, we didn't. It just took us a long time to go through all the answers and process the massive amounts of data about you and your households. The consensus here at the BRI is that the census was a success. Without further delay, we would like to announce the randomly selected winner of the Uncle John's 2010 Census…
Crystal Elmer: You are the winner!!!! We have sent you an email. Please email us back with your address and choice of book.
We also want to take this moment to confirm what some of you already suspected. Sadly, Uncle John will not be appearing on America Idol. Although, we do hope that one day our April Fool's will actually become a reality. Until then, go with the flow!
Everyone in the United States is required to answer the questions on this important official document by April 1, 2010. And that includes Canada.
Please cut and paste any or all of the following questions into a comment below and answer accordingly. Comments will be placed in a large virtual hat on April 1, 2010, and one winner will be drawn from said hat. Winner will receive either an all-expenses-paid trip to the Bahamas or a free book, whichever makes our accountants happier. Read. Set. Go!
• What is your name? (Made up names like “Thunder Pants” or “Larry, Lord of Mattresses” are okay.)
• How many bathrooms do you have in your house, apartment, mobile home, igloo, quonset hut, burrow, or large plastic cow?
• How many Uncle John’s Bathroom Readers do you have in each bathroom? (Penalties apply for each answer less than “1”.)
• How many Bathroom Readers do you have in your home in total?
• What is your age? (It’s okay to lie. Uncle John does it all the time. He’s 12.)
• What year did you first become a fan of Uncle John’s Bathroom Reader?
• What is your favorite type of spoon: soup, salad, egg, ear, or bacon?
• Have you ever made someone wait to get in the bathroom because you were reading a Bathroom Reader? (Bonuses apply if it was your own children.)
• Has reading a Bathroom Reader ever caused you to miss a television program or other important event?
• Do you read Bathroom Readers you find in other peoples’ bathrooms? (Did you wash your hands first?)
• Do you have a favorite Bathroom Reader? If so, which one?
• Do you like piña coladas?
• Do you subscribe to an online dating service? (Answer only if you answered “Yes” to previous question.)
• Are you a fan of Uncle John’s Bathroom Reader on either Facebook or Twitter? (If not, why? why? why do you hurt us so?)
• Ethnic question: Do you have an a) German shepherd; b) African gray parrot; c) English bulldog; d) Siamese cat; e) Burmese python; f) chihuahua? (If you answered "e," did you buy the python at a pet shop or did it just appear in your toilet one day?)
• Do these jeans make me look fat?
• Is the song “If You Like Piña Coladas” stuck in your head?
• Did you enjoy filling out this Uncle John's Bathroom Reader 2010 Census form, and will you send it to all your friends to ask them to do it, too? (Awesome!)
We meant to post the winners of the contest yesterday, but there were so many comments it took us an extra day to get through them all! We call that a rip-roaring success for our first blog contest.
775 comments later, and we now know the intimate details of your toilet paper habits from those of you who do a simple fold or bunch, to those of you who have toilet paper rituals that practically end up as origami. There were too many comments for us to respond to all of them, but man did we enjoy reading them all!
So, congratulations are in order for our winners (chosen randomly). You have been notified via email.
Jeffrey Gary Clinard
Caircair
Tasha
Heatha
Chris MezzMuzz Farrant
To everyone else, keep an eye out for our next contest. We had a blast with this one and want to do it again soon.