In loving memory of Tom Hogg, 1943–2023
MoFunny for
April 25, 2027
Where did the idea for Kitty Litter come from?
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If you would thoroughly know anything, teach it to others. -- Tryon Edwards
A mind troubled by doubt cannot focus on the course to victory. -- Arthur Golden, Memoirs of a Geisha
I know God will not give me anything I can't handle. I just wish that He didn't trust me so much. -- Mother Teresa
The monumental movie made in 1939, GONE WITH THE WIND, resulted in 449,512 feet of film, of which only about 20,300 feet appear in the final picture.
Paul Morphy (1837-1884), American chess wizard, memorized the 535-page Louisiana Civil Code and passed his bar examination at the age of 19. He was admitted to the bar with the stipulation that he could not practice law until he became 21.
What would happen if you put a humidifier and a dehumidifier in the same room?
While traveling in Quebec, my father complained that all the street signs were in French. His comments and sarcasm went on and on. Then after passing a billboard for a restaurant that featured filet mignon, he belted out,
"Finally! Something in English!"
A very popular girl went to her doctor and found out that she was pregnant. The doctor says, "Sherry, I know that you are not married! Do you know who the father of this baby is?"
Sherry thought and then asked, "Doc, if you ate a can of 'Baked Beans', would you know exactly which bean made you fart?""
There are three ways to improve your golf game: take lessons, practice constantly or start cheating.
The mother of a 17-year-old girl was concerned that her daughter was having sex. Worried the girl might become pregnant and adversely impact the family's status, she consulted the family doctor. The doctor told her that teenagers today were very willful and any attempt to stop the girl would probably result in rebellion. He then told her to arrange for her daughter to be put on birth control and until then, talk to her and give her a box of condoms.
Later that evening the Mother told her about the situation and handed her a box of condoms.
The girl started to laugh and reached over to hug her mother saying, "Oh Mom! You don't have to worry about that! I'm dating Susan!"
Two old ladies were sitting on a park bench outside the local town hall where a flower show was in progress. One leaned over and said, "Life is so damned boring. We never have any fun anymore. For $5.00, I'd take my clothes off and streak through that stupid flower show!"
"You're on!" said the other old lady, holding up a $5.00 bill.
As fast as she could, the first little old lady fumbled her way out of her clothes and, completely naked, streaked through the front door of the flower show. Waiting outside, her friend soon heard a huge commotion inside the hall, followed by loud applause. The naked lady burst out through the door surrounded by a cheering crowd.
"What happened?" asked her waiting friend.
"I won first prize as Best Dried Arrangement!
You might be a redneck if…
Your classes at school were cancelled because the path to the restroom was flooded.
An octogenarian who was an avid golfer moved to a new town and joined the local Country Club. He went to the Club for the first time to play but was told there wasn't anybody he could play because they were already out on the course.
He repeated several times that he really wanted to play. Finally, the Assistant Pro said he would play with him and asked how many strokes he wanted for a bet. The 80 year old said "I really don't need any strokes as I have been playing quite well. The only real problem I have is getting out of sand traps."
And he did play well. Coming to the par four 18th they were all even. The pro had a nice drive and was able to get on the green and 2-putt for a par. The old man had a nice drive, but his approach shot landed in a sand trap next to the green. Playing from the bunker he hit a high ball which landed on the green and rolled into the hole! Birdie, match and all the money! The Pro walked over to the sand trap where his opponent was still standing in the trap. He said "Nice shot, but I thought you said you have a problem getting out of sand traps?".
Replied the octogenarian, "I do. Please give me a hand."
Driving our family to a new restaurant, I took several wrong turns. When I finally found the right road, I asked my husband, "Why didn't you tell me I was lost?"
"I thought you knew where you were going," he replied. "You always know where you're going when I'm driving."
Where did the idea for Kitty Litter come from?
In January of 1948, an enterprising young man named Ed Lowe, the heir apparent to his family's coal, ice, and sawdust supply company, gave the name "Kitty Litter" to a product manufactured by his family, known as Fuller's Earth.
The product consisted of kiln dried clay, and its intended use was as a non-flammable, industrial absorbent. Ed aspired to expand his family's business by marketing the tiny nuggets of clay to chicken farmers as nesting material for their chickens, but failed in his attempts to do so.
At the same time, Kay Draper, of Cassopolis, Michigan, sought sand for her cats' litter box, as the pile she drew from had frozen solid in the cold, Midwest winter, and the ashes she used from her fireplace, out of sheer desperation, proved to create quite a mess. The sawdust she tried, though much tidier, did not work much better.
A frazzled Kay opted to visit the Lowe factory, in hopes of obtaining some sand, where she encountered the eager and youthful Ed Lowe. Sensing an opening, Ed gave his pest sales pitch on the merits of using Fuller's Earth as an absorbent for cat waste instead of using sand. Kay bit, loved the product, gave Ed free word-of-mouth advertising, and came back for more. She also sent Ed a faithful following of feline owners requesting Fuller's Earth for their cats.
Ed took the initiative, packaged the dried clay in ten 5 pound paper bags, which he labeled "Kitty Litter." Even at the bargain basement price of $.65 per bag, Ed could not sell his bags, so he decided to give them away for free to a local pet shop. The shop owner's customers so liked their free samples of Kitty Litter that they were willing to open their change purses to pay for it.
Enterprising Ed took his feline phenomenon on the road, targeting pet shops and cat shows in hopes of promoting his pet project. Eventually, the seed that he planted in Cassopolis, Michigan took root, and Kitty Litter sparked a feline frenzy. Sales boomed, and a private investment group by the name of Golden Cat made Ed an offer he could not refuse…$200 million dollars plus stock options. Naturally, Ed accepted the offer, retired, and generously established a foundation bearing his name to help other entrepreneurs achieve the same fame and fortune he did with his granules of clay.
Ed died in 1995, leaving behind a legacy of cat litter that dominates the market at 55%, and sparking an industry of cat foods, toys, and other paraphernalia catering to the cat lover. His persistence, ingenuity, and flexibility should serve as a lesson to all that even nuggets of clay can be transformed into nuggets of gold with perseverance, patience, and a positive attitude.