This one is more a matter of taste, I suppose, and represents a marrying of one poor idea with one great one, I reckon.
I have always felt particularly ill at ease with Rupert Bear's trousers. They are at once tasteless and creepy. However, he is a fictional character - I know this.
The real negative effect on me comes when I see children wearing Rupert Bear trousers. It is just so wrong.
On the other hand, I know this will never change. So I would like to see Rupert Bear trousers made more magical by engineering each trouser panel or 'check' to bear a small button and a label, which when pressed would produce something joyous to the child.
This is analogous to the many wonderful buttons lining the Great Glass Elevator in the much-loved novel 'Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator', which I studied as a child.
So, each panel on the Rupert Bear trousers of a small child would be capable of manufacturing a chocolate vegetable, or a pillow filled with hamburgers, or a sugary drink, or a new dog. Or suchlike. And each panel could be removed and replaced with one that produced something even better.
And so on.-- eehen, Nov 27 2002 For [blissy] http://www.see.ed.a.../rupert/frames.html [angel, Oct 04 2004] (linky)-- angel, Nov 27 2002 Why only for children? I imagine that grown men, women and ladymen would just as likely be entranced and uplifted by such a fine pair of trousers.-- my face your, Nov 27 2002 I suppose it's only because they would be cheaper to engineer for children. Fewer magical panels, so less wire and fuses etc. to buy.
But you're right.-- eehen, Nov 27 2002 You would. (How to spot an American in Britain: look for the plaid trousers.)-- DrCurry, Nov 27 2002 I think Rupert's ghastly dress sense is an unconscious psychological attempt to dissuade the advances of those perverted people he regularly comes into contact with and who take a very unnatural interest in our young friend.-- po, Nov 27 2002 Rupert being a ghost would explain him in his entirety.-- eehen, Nov 27 2002 It's sad, I know, but this idea just brings out the old cynic in me. You just know that the manufactured version of these trousers would produce nothing but a collection of badly produced and unidentifiable plastic animals, strange, tinny noises and sweets with more silver paper on them than chocolate.-- DrBob, Nov 28 2002 Nooo! Please stop DrBob. Please stop. Will someone please make him stop? It will dispense custard owls and brightly coloured sugar sticks that can be reconfigured into a thousand different flavours...I know it will. Please...?-- Ludwig, Nov 28 2002 Ludwig: please post Custard Owl as a new idea. I for one shall consider voting it a croissant.
Is it an owl bathed in custard, or custard embedded in an owl? Or is it something else entirely?
Please tell me, for I want to know.-- eehen, Nov 28 2002 I suspect is is merely a missing "B" - Custard Bowls are Baked. Custard Bowels would be a quite different thing, however.........-- 8th of 7, Nov 28 2002 Custard Bowels would be an excellent description for something quite baked unfortunately. My intention was always to get a custard owl from my pair of aforementioned trousers.
I was about to describe one precisely for you eehen, but then I thought nothing could compare to the hazy concept of sweet owlishness you already have. I do aplogise for taking this easy option.-- Ludwig, Nov 28 2002 Oh go on, please .... we're all waiting ....-- 8th of 7, Nov 28 2002 random, halfbakery