Another eatery wants patrons to think outside the buns

I suffered two indignities as a boy: I couldn’t whistle and I couldn’t make that flatulent sound by cupping my hand under my armpit. My cousin mastered the various sounds that can be produced by flapping your arms. He was ambidextrous. He used the back of his knee as an instrument, too. He tormented me with his symphony. I couldn’t carry a note. Why am I telling you this? McDonald’s is offering a toy from the Nickelodeon “Catscratch” lineup that emits two varieties of flatulent noise and an ah-ooga sound. Colleague Taryn Brodwater wondered why her two kids were fascinated with flapping their arms until she spied the toys that came with their Happy Meals. She wrote about the toys on her BrodH20 blog. And I copied the post on Huckleberries Online Monday. That launched a debate re: appropriateness. MamaJD: “It is hard to complain when my kids laugh so hard that the elusive ‘funny’ dimple (the one that shows only when my son belly-laughs and is truly tickled) appears.” Bree said she wouldn’t want to encourage her little cousin who “thinks it’s OK to fart on everyone and make fart noises and talk about poop while people are eating.” Katrina said she’s going to zip over to Mickey D’s to get one because she’s been trying to teach her daughter how to make armpit sounds. Cis chimed in with the obvious: “There isn’t any male … who hasn’t done this at one time or another.” Finally, The Onset added proper perspective to the debate: “These look like appropriate toys for the Idaho S-R newsroom staff.” At least for the Huckleberries section.