Inflatable dolls have been around for a while but how about marketing inflatable friends. These 'friends' can come in small, easy to carry packages and if you get stood up, don't have any friends or are even saving a space for somebody in a pub, just blow up a 'friend'. It could be that when you go to the bar you say "oh, I've got a few friends coming later/I've got no friends, can I have a few dolls to save/take their place?" and with your drink, the bar person gives you the 'friends' you require. This would be better as they could inflate them for you rather than you having to blow them up. They could also be used to deter burglars from entering an empty house or even just sit them next to you on the sofa when you're watching a scary film by yourself and want to feel a bit more secure.
-- Miss Weston Smith, Sep 21 2001

Portable Bernard Bresslaw http://www.halfbake...0Bernard_20Bresslaw
Half-baked. [DrBob, Sep 21 2001, last modified Oct 05 2004]

Mosh-Buddy Pogo-Weeble http://www.halfbake...Buddy_20Pogo-Weeble
Half-baked version for yr night out on the town [-alx, Sep 21 2001, last modified Oct 05 2004]

okay, so maybe I could have thought about phrasing a bit harder, but inflatable 'friends' would look more realistic and take up a bit more space than cardboard ones. Besides you have to look at the business aspect of this idea.
-- Miss Weston Smith, Sep 21 2001


women could buy these in the UK some time ago,to sit with them in the car so that nasty types didn't think they were alone I think they popped out of a case. I could be wrong but I think they were called Bob
-- po, Sep 21 2001


PeterSealy: Maybe that's where I'm going wrong?
-- Miss Weston Smith, Sep 21 2001


Red dwarf ( can't remember what ep ).

Rimmer: Do you know how many people in my life I can count as friends? Lister: Well if you count "inflatable ingrid" your polythene pal, one.
-- kaz, Sep 22 2001


How do these differ from the blowup dolls currently on the market?

::later::
My bad. Good lookin out Afro.
-- iuvare, Sep 22 2001, last modified Sep 23 2001


These ones, like real women, want to "just be friends."
-- AfroAssault, Sep 23 2001


"Airplane" had a scene where (blow-up doll) auto-pilot got to be blown (up) by stewardess. Later, he and the stewardess enjoyed a cigarette.
-- thumbwax, Sep 23 2001


kaz - you reminded me of the ep isode of only fools and horses when they had several ingrids - i seem to remember they tended to explode
-- po, Sep 23 2001



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