Happy birthday, Mr President. Here's a present.

July 6, 2006 5:36 PM

For his 60th birthday,Nintendo of America sends President Bush a present: a DS Lite and a copy of the smash-hit game Brain Age: Train Your Brain In Minutes A Day along with a great covering letter. An astute piece of marketing? An honest gift? Or just a nice bit of guerrilla humour?
posted by Hogshead (23 comments total)

As the proud ownder of a DS Lite and BrainAge, I feel entitled to say:

BWAAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAAA

Actually, I guess voting entitles me to say that. But either way I'm set for the week.
posted by ®@ at 5:44 PM on July 6, 2006

How could it be a dishonest gift? It's not like they're lying about what they're giving him. I doubt it has a secret mindwipe virus. (but then again, if it did... would we notice? *rimshot*)

Brain Age is a good idea, but I got bored with it fairly quickly... it doesn't advance to new minigames fast enough.
posted by Malor at 5:45 PM on July 6, 2006

sweet

the idiot just flew over my house on the way to some fundraiser on the north shore Im sure.

My kid and me make a point of running to the back yard to flip off his helo as it passes
posted by timsteil at 5:52 PM on July 6, 2006

Considering Nintendo wouldn't want to alienate half of the country, I'm guessing it is a completely straight forward gift and marketing gimmick.
posted by aburd at 5:55 PM on July 6, 2006

I agree with aburd... A major company like Nintendo (especially with Mr. Il throwing 'dongs in their parents' sea) isn't going to be so subtly to do anything tongue in cheek. I'm sure they've seen the posts on "Mr. Bush's iPod listing, etc." and are trying to capatilize on ANY publicity. I'm sure that they were not quite certain he'd ever played a game, and "Train your Brain" is something you can pop into the DS with zero game experience. It's simply a marketing ploy with no "hahah" intended. Anyone else who thinks different is just hopefully (or hatefully) wishing.
posted by Debaser626 at 6:00 PM on July 6, 2006

They probably just wanted to get him a nice gift.
posted by puke & cry at 6:02 PM on July 6, 2006 [1 favorite]

For Cheney's next birthday they can send him a vintage copy of Duck Hunt.
posted by Robot Johnny at 6:17 PM on July 6, 2006 [3 favorites]

Birthday cards for Bush.
posted by homunculus at 6:19 PM on July 6, 2006

How will he be able to play it?

First he'd have to turn it on, and surely that simple task alone would befuddle him.

Assuming that somehow he manages to turn it on (or if Laura does it for him), he'd then have to read things. And since he's clearly incapable of reading, as evidenced by his inability to read important memos such as those indicating bin Laden was determined to attack the US, he'd fall well short of that in-game requirement too.

And the Stroop Test would be pretty difficult for him to master too, given he can't even pronounce "nuclear" properly.

I predict a brain age somewhere in the high 100s. Poor virtual Dr. Kawashima. He'll never get the chance to cry in reaction to improved results.
posted by Effigy2000 at 6:23 PM on July 6, 2006

Robot Johnny, that made me laugh hard.

A brain-building game is probably the most appropriate choice for a busy head of state. If I were W, though, I'd feel the way I did when I was 8 and someone got me clothes for my birthday.
posted by MonkeyMeat at 6:24 PM on July 6, 2006

First he'd have to turn it on, and surely that simple task alone would befuddle him.

Well he'd certanly never be able to figure out how to post on metafilter then.
posted by delmoi at 6:31 PM on July 6, 2006

That's pretty funny, kind of like the baseball game I attended recently in which Barry Bonds was playing for the visiting team; the PSA spot before the game was an anti-steroids bit aimed at young athletes. The difference is that Barry still hits the ball out of the park.
posted by caddis at 6:36 PM on July 6, 2006

I wish they'd release Brain Age for the PSP.
posted by mike3k at 6:55 PM on July 6, 2006

They sent one for my birthday as well.
posted by NationalKato at 7:31 PM on July 6, 2006

I'll trade you Brain Age for LocoRoco and Lumines, mike3k.
posted by graventy at 7:38 PM on July 6, 2006

Are Bush's gift-givers trying to say something?
posted by Soliloquy at 8:19 PM on July 6, 2006

Actually, I'd suggest that a BrainAge game was an almost useless gift for a busy head of state. That's why it's suitable in this particular instance.
posted by Sparx at 8:37 PM on July 6, 2006

Hopefully W will get Tetris so I can pwn him online.
posted by subclub at 9:58 PM on July 6, 2006

i'll trade you brain age for a racist/sexist PSP subway advertisement, mike3k
posted by jimmy at 10:08 PM on July 6, 2006

Am I not important enough for a free Nintendo? I can declare war on countries who won't give me their oil, too!
posted by liquorice at 11:18 PM on July 6, 2006

I'm not inviting the Jordanian king to my birthday. He gives rubbish presents.
posted by Harry at 1:48 AM on July 7, 2006

Harry: I'm sure it's just me, but I somehow read that as

I'm not inviting the Jordanian king to my birthday. He gives rubbish peasants.
posted by Harry at 5:48 PM ACST on July 7

posted by the cydonian at 2:22 AM on July 7, 2006

Stephen Harper (Canada's Prime Minister) gave him a Calgary Stampede belt buckle, which he might acutally use and a RCMP stetson which I can't imagine him wearing, but who knows. They had a meeting right on Bush's bday in the morning. When I heard the report of the gifts on the news it occured to me that it's part of someone's job to go shopping for gifts for dignitaries and heads of state. Weird.
posted by raedyn at 10:03 AM on July 7, 2006