February 6, 2012

4-year-old boy who loves toilets gets the gift a dual-flush toilet from Kohler Company.

Front-page news in Milwaukee.
Jim and Michele Kruse first noticed their son's admittedly unusual interest when he was about 18 months old and, having spotted a line of portable johns, wouldn't leave until he had inspected each one.

The parents, understandably, had reservations about this new enthusiasm. But they decided to go with the flow. They used portable toilets to help teach Dustin his colors. Michele encouraged his interest in reading by scouring libraries for books on toilets....
Blah blah blah... free toilet... famous at the age of 4 for loving toilets. (Incredibly cheap PR for Kohler, which would really like you to watch the video of the child who loves their toilets.)

23 comments:

Unknown said...

Slow news day.

Scott M said...

My two-year-old LOVES toilets. If I haven't seen him in a couple minutes and the house is quiet, guaranteed he's in the bathroom splashing away. Getting him to use one for it's intended purpose, on the other hand...

DADvocate said...

go with the flow

They just couldn't resist the bad pun.

YoungHegelian said...

I'll bet his mom & dad are just flushed with pride!

Tibore said...

The scary thought is: How will this interest evolve as he grows into an adult?

Yeech (*shudder*)

Wince said...

Thanks, Mom and Dad, for increasing the likelihood I'll have my head flushed in a toilet by my peers when I get older.

wv - "cluxil" = ask your doctor about cluxil, for people who need a clue

Anonymous said...

I love my toilet every single day.

Some days more than others.

Carol_Herman said...

... And, whom did she know at Kohler, so she could approach them with her story?

Clever.

But I don't think this gesture will sell toilets.

Meanwhile, my son married a Japanese lady. At her home in Japan it is rather common to have electric toilets. So, that when you flush, your tuchis gets sprayed with a stream of warm water.

Learning this I Googled. And, I found out in America such a toilet is $2,000. While in Japan they cost about half.

And, from Henry Miller's Tropic of Cancer, I learned that American soldiers learned of bidets when they were sent to France. The scene is in a whore house. And, one soldier uses the bidet to take a crap. And, then get sprayed in the face when he tried to flush.

The Henry Miller books were banned. So, perhaps, this is a subject that has shown up in law schools discussing the STUPID moral laws ... that got passed in this country. And, people got in trouble buying "banned" books.

George Carlin was right! We don't have Rights. We have "privileges." With goofy moralists always trying to take away stuff that defies their moral sensibilities.

When it comes to toilets, not all countries are the same.

Ditto for our "Rights." The lists of them are different ... wherever you "go."

Carol_Herman said...

You know I've owned cats who were fascinated by our toilets. Sinks, too.

Helen Keller's first experience with her teacher ... was to be taken to the house's outside well ... (All water for household use was drawn from outdoor's.) And, the handle was pumped. Her teacher put her small hands at both the lever. And, then at the place where the water was coming out.

Lots of kids. Lots of cats. (Perhaps, some dogs, too?) Are fascinating by indoor plumbing.

edutcher said...

Cosby did a routine like this, reminiscing about his childhood.

He, however, was playing submarine.

Scott M said...

Cosby did a routine like this, reminiscing about his childhood.

I remember him mentioning "What is it with two-year-olds and toilets" and describing that both his two-year-old son and his two-year-old dog were both enamored.

tim maguire said...

Gee, a toddler fascinated by toilets. How strange.

alan markus said...

Reminds me of "Vacuum Boy":

"Vacuum Boy" Has Unusual Passion


Kyle got his first vacuum at age 1, dressed up as a Dirt Devil for Halloween at 2, and, as a former teacher recalls, was vacuuming during school recess at age 6.

"It's not that he didn't like recess. He just preferred to stay inside vacuuming," he says. "He would go down and, actually, one day vacuum one side of the room, the next day vacuum the other side. [He'd] also vacuum the principal's office — anywhere he could vacuum."

Today, Kyle has 165 vacuums. He uses almost all of them, vacuuming his own house up to five times a day.

Anonymous said...

Why do you give the kid the "blah blah blah", Althouse? He's 4. Give him a break. Plus the whole thing is pretty cool in its unusualness.

Cool + Unusual = Interesting!, 'ya know...

Kevin said...

Yeah 20 years from now that's going to take up like 2 pages on that kid's Facebook Timeline. Dates and employers will be thrilled.

wv: dinglegr -- as in -berry. I **** you not.

I ♥ Willard said...

Only in Wisconsin!

Curious George said...

I tried this with Titleist. No joy.

Methadras said...

It's one of those things that you never expect out of your children. You want them to aspire to be doctors, lawyers, captains of industry, not purveyors of toilets. Just saying.

ndspinelli said...

Dead Julius, just thank the Good Lord this woman isn't your mother..or wife!!

John McCrarey said...

Ditto what Carol Herman said. I lived in Korea for six years and there is nothing like the seat top bidets that are common there. I brought one back with me and had to rewire the bathroom so there would be an outlet near the toilet. It was worth it though.

Hard to find in the USA, but you can get them from the internet. Our local Korean market sells them for about $500, I paid half that in Korea.

I have no idea why this hasn't caught on in America. It's a much cleaner and hygienic way to go. I know I could never go (no pun intended) without my bidet.

Toad Trend said...

'But they decided to go with the flow.'

Ugh. Shitty story. Piss poor.

Slow news day indeed. Was this an article in the local Bee?

Uh - sorry - front page in Milwaukee - heh.

Synova said...

Weird maybe but way way WAY better than having a kid terrified of toilets.

*sigh*

She *did* grow out of it. Home was fine. Stores meant standing in the stall with my hand over the auto-flusher until she'd finished. Porta-pots were impossible. Freeway rest stops were utter traumatic meltdown screaming insanity.

Peter Hoh said...

Speaking of Kohler, have you ever paid a visit to the Kohler Art Center?

It's on my short list of places to see in eastern Wisconsin.