corkscrews

December 17, 2002 6:18 AM

The Virtual Corkscrew Museum - this extensive site in the "magnificent obsession" genre contains more than 3700 photos of corkscrews and related items. The variety is delightful. Some of my favorites are the Mannekin Pis, the helping hands and the Buster Brown Shoes. Oh, and the holiday greetings from readers. Be warned that some pages have sound and a corny quotient, and you'll have to e-mail the webmaster if you want to see the erotic collection.
posted by madamjujujive (6 comments total)

[this is good] If you haven't checked it out yet, the corkscrew aquarium is especially bizarre. It consists of two vikings giving a virtual tour of aquatic-themed corkscrews.
posted by condour75 at 6:57 AM on December 17, 2002

I just had to find out what this whimsical phrase's origin was: "Plunk your magic twanger, Froggy!"
posted by mnology at 7:47 AM on December 17, 2002

Great find. But don't forget the real one.
posted by swordfishtrombones at 8:10 AM on December 17, 2002

mnology, good detective work & interesting stuff. It is a quirky phrase, huh? And what an innocent age that was - today plunking your magic twanger would probably be a line used to sell hello kitty vibrators.

swordfishtrombones, thanks for the link to the Musee de Tire Bouchon - looks like they have a huge collection. Now if only Santa would bring me airline tickets for the south of France. Otherwise I'll be taking my winter vacation in the aquarium that condour75 pointed out.
posted by madamjujujive at 10:55 AM on December 17, 2002

A great panorama of the extractive industry - thanks once more, madamjujujive for keeping our spirits up! It's a good thing you don't go in for bad puns, else that helping hand corkscrew would be just the thing for your vin du mason. *groan*
posted by MiguelCardoso at 11:31 AM on December 17, 2002

Okay, I spent way too long at that site, but I do have to thank you madame, for this great opportunity to add to my repertoire of euphemistic and insulting phrases; I picked up "Two Finger English pull", "Sheath for the Worm", and "French Waiter's Friend", to name only a few. (Somehow the epithet "French waiter's friend" seems especially damning...).

btw, be sure to have a look at the nice anonymous letter that accompanied a surprise box of corkscrews donated to the museum.
posted by taz at 12:34 AM on December 19, 2002