The String Sketch (from Matching Tie and Handkerchief) Advertising Executive: Aah, come in, come in, Mr....Simpson. Aaah, welcome to Mousebat, Follicle, Goosecreature, Ampersand, Spong, Wapcaplet, Looseliver, Vendetta and Prang! Man: Thank you. Ad. Exec: Do sit down. My name's Wapcaplet, Adrian Wapcaplet... Man: How'd'y'do. Ad. Exec: Now, Mr. Simpson-- Simpson, Simpson-- French, is it? Man: No... Ad. Exec: Aah. Now, I understand you want us to advertise your washing powder. Man: String. Ad. Exec: String, washing powder, what's the difference? We can sell *anything.* Man: Good. Well, I have this large quantity of string; a hundred and twenty-two thousand miles of it, to be exact, which I inherited. And I thought if I advertised it-- Ad. Exec: Of course! A national campaign! Useful stuff, string; no trouble there. Man: Ah, but there's a snag, you see. Due to bad planning, the hundred and twenty-two thousand miles is in three-inch lengths...So it's not very useful. Ad. Exec: Well, that's our selling point: "Simpson's Individual *Stringettes!*" Man: What? Ad. Exec: "The NOW String!" Ready-Cut, Easy-to-Handle! "Simpson's Individual *Emperor* Stringettes: Just the *right* length!" Man: For what? Ad. Exec: "A Million Household Uses!" Man: Such as? Ad. Exec: Uhmm...Tying up very small parcels, attatching notes to pigeons' legs, uh, destroying household pests... Man: Destroying household pests?! How? Ad. Exec: Well, if they're bigger than a mouse, you can strangle them with it, and if they're smaller than a mouse, you flog them to death with it! Man: Well surely!.... Ad. Exec: "Destroy Ninety-Nine Percent of All Known Household Pests with Pre-Sliced, Rustproof, Easy-To-Handle, Low-Calorie Simpson's Individual Emperor Stringettes, Free from Artificial Coloring, 'As Used in Hospitals!'" Man: 'Ospitals!?!?!?!!? Ad. Exec: Have you ever in a Hospital where they didn't have string? Man: No, but it's only string! Ad. Exec: ONLY STRING?! It's everything! It's...it's waterproof! Man: No it isn't! Ad. Exec: All right, it's water-resistant, then! Man: It isn't! Ad. Exec: All right, it's water-*absorbent*! It's..."Super-Absorbent String! ABSORB WATER TODAY WITH SIMPSON'S INDIVIDUAL WATER ABSORB-A-TEX STRINGETTES! AWAY WITH FLOODS!" Man: You just said it was waterproof! Ad. Exec: Shush! "AWAY WITH THE DULL DRUDGERY OF WORKADAY TIDAL WAVES! USE SIMPSON'S INDIVIDUAL FLOOD PREVENTERS!" Man: You're mad! Ad. Exec: Shut up, shut up, shut up! Sex, sex sex. Must get sex into it. Wait, I see a television commercial: There's this nude woman, in a bath, holding a bit of your string. That's great, great, but we need a doctor, got to have a medical opinion...There's a nude woman in a bath with a doctor--that's too sexy. Put an Archbishop there watching them, that'll take the curse off it. Now, we need children and animals... There's two kids admiring the string, and a dog admiring the archbishop who's blessing the string. Uhh...international flavor's missing...make the archbishop Greek Orthodox. Why not Archbishop Makarios? No, no, he's dead... never mind, we'll get his brother, it'll be cheaper... So, there's this nude woman....