Most Disney top-10 lists include The Little Mermaid…and it’s usually near the top. Here’s how a minor character in Hans Christian Andersen’s 1837 fairy tale became one of the most beloved villains in Disney’s history. RETURN TO FORM Walt Disney Animation Studios was reborn in the 1990s, thanks to Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast, The […]
Give new meaning to the term cheesy, with the poetry of Scotland’s James McIntyre. Widely regarded as one of the worst poets of the 18th century, McIntyre could only write about one topic: cheese. “This cheese guy may be a bad poet, but it seems he could write bad poetry about only one subject.” – […]
Uncle John’s Awesome 35th Anniversary Bathroom Reader is on bookshelves today! We’re bringing it home for this auspicious book birthday with fun facts from 2011-present. Facts, don’t fail us now!
We’re keeping the party going for Uncle John’s birthday—and the brand-new Uncle John’s Awesome 35th Anniversary Bathroom Reader—with more fun facts from the 2000s Facts, don’t fail us now!
We’re celebrating 35 years of Uncle John’s Bathroom Reader—and the brand-new Uncle John’s Awesome 35th Anniversary Bathroom Reader—by looking back at the last three-and-a-half-decades with amazing facts or stories from the new book from the years since Uncle John made reading in the bathroom a cultural phenomenon. We’ve got so much to share, this is […]
Each year, Uncle John and his team of devoted trivia hunters track down fascinating facts, little known stories, and forgotten pop culture to fill several hundred pages of reading material. Why? To compile the annual Uncle John’s Bathroom Reader, of course. Here’s the exact type of thing you’ll find — and plenty of — in […]
We got this message from BRI fan Erin the other day:
I thought you might be entertained to hear: I am a high school teacher, and my bathroom pass is a copy of the 23rd Reader with a big post-it on the front- “Bathroom Pass- so at least I can learn something while I’m out of class.”
The kids were seriously weirded out at first, but they have come to love it!!! It helps me limit the number of kids out of the room and they’re learning the coolest things when they least expect it!!!!
She added:
I LOVE the way it has really got them learning the greatest little tidbits!!! I have some of my favorite pages bookmarked, too, so they have somewhere to start!! A good dozen of them are obsessed with the book now and flip through it when it’s not ‘in use’ ;););)
There is just no way to express how happy this makes us. You have made our day – and our decade – Erin! Thank you so much!
Oh yeah: We got Erin to send a pic:
So awesome.
P.S. Erin added:
From our FaceBook page two days ago, from a recent contest winner:
I want to thank you guys for stirring an old memory, very precious and nearly forgotten. I was reading one of the free books you sent me not long ago (thanks again!), and found the story of the “Jack Tales”, the traditional southern storytelling folklore. My great-grandfather, who was born and raised in Georgia before the *other* turn of the century, used to tell me these stories around 40 years ago, and I might not have thought of them again if not for your book. As I read the article, I was able to read it in his voice mentally. I only wish I could remember all the different stories he told (I know there was one about an island). It really took me back and helped to keep his memory alive. Thank you so much!
Wes R.
Wes, we are so pleased to be able to light that wonderful memory for you, and thank you for thinking to tell us about it. Very nice of you!
The “Jack Tales” story Wes is talking about comes from our very latest annual – Uncle John’s Fully Loaded 25th Anniversary Bathroom Reader (page 388). Continue reading for the whole story.
An Uncle John’s Bathroom Reader PSA: Every National Park in the U.S. has free admission this coming week!
From our National Park Service:
Did you know that National Park Week is April 20-28, 2013?
Did you know that there are 401 national parks? That they include seashores, battlefields, historic homes, archeological sites, and spectacular natural areas?
Did you know there is at least one national park in every state? …
You can plan your visit by what you want to do, or where you want to go … or you can browse our event calendar and check out the special programs offered that week. Also, from Monday through Friday, April 22 to 26, every national park will have free admission!
Free admission—that’s a big savings if you go to a park with your family or a group of friends, just to note.
And if you need a bit of a guidebook—we have a whole book on National Parks! (No way! What a coincidence!)
Some of the scintillating subjects you’ll find in this volume:
Our Uncle John’s Bathroom Reader TUNES INTO TV, which had been a reader request for many years, has turned out to be a darn big hit. An excerpt from a review over at Amazon:
Some great articles here, there are brief histories on NBC, CBS, ABC, and PBS. Inventors such as Smirnoff and Farnsworth are given their due, and since modern day tv wouldn’t be where it is without them, it’s wonderful that they’re mentioned.
I really enjoyed their piece about the 1968 showing of Heidi, and the uproar it caused. I would recommend this book, for any up and coming tv historians who need to get a quick overview of the medium. It helped refresh my memory, and introduced me to a few stories I didn’t know about.
JThree
Williston North Dakota
Why thank you, JThree, much obliged.
We thought you might like a look at what’s inside this book, so here are two excerpts for your reading pleasure.
First, some TV pilots you may not have heard about.
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Via private message on FaceBook, yesterday:
Oof, Carrie C., what a story. Sad—but with a happy ending! Hooray! It is so thoughtful of you to take the time to send us that note. We are truly touched. Thank you more than we can say – truly.
P.S. We asked Carrie exactly how she uses the Kindle to accommodate her impaired vision. We thought we’d pass it on in case it can help anybody else out there:
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Since there’s nothing on TV tonight, we thought you might like a couple mustache quotes:
That’s from UJ’s Fully Loaded 25th Anniversay Bathroom Reader, page 552. (See what you’re missing?!)
Totally related and very weird bonus:
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This must be from Uncle John’s Certified Organic Bathroom Reader!
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A quick excerpt from Uncle John’s Creature Feature Bathroom Reader for Kids Only! – 408 pages of fascinating, fun, educational, and inspiring bathroom-reading for the younger crowd—with pics!
Every year around Halloween this hilarious image makes its way around the intertubes. (Earliest one we’ve found dates to 2007.)
It was just pointed out to us that we might be familiar with the book that pooping pumpkin is reading:
Nice article—and not just because of the mention of yours truly. Excerpt:
Did you know you can send someone who doesn’t own a Kindle e-books from Amazon? That’s right: Amazon has FREE apps that allow you to read e-books on computers, phones, etc.
All you need is the giftees email. It’s so easy – and they’ll get the gift in time for Christmas.
And the gift can be Uncle John’s Bathroom Reader e-books!
