The Friendly Racoon Hello

September 28, 2010 8:44 AM

Catering to fraternal lodges looking to have some fun with initiates, The DeMoulin Brothers provided men of a certain era, with "danger on demand,"

Catalog #429, published in 1930, has been reprinted.

Explore the secrets rites of fraternal brotherhood, with such wonders as the lung tester, the exploding cigar. Not your brand? Say it with flowers. Go ahead, have a seat. Oops, maybe here.

Ready to take the pledge? Put your hand in this, now approach the altar. Finally, something that only a bunch of inebreiated men know how to truly enjoy, The Fuzzy Wonder Goat. Be sure to visit the museum and gift shop on your way out.

posted by timsteil (11 comments total)

The level of detail used to describe all of these devices is fascinating. "We're depicting the devil here, but we don't really expect you to initiate your members in a pact with satan."
posted by KGMoney at 8:51 AM on September 28, 2010

First link should be this.
posted by dobbs at 8:53 AM on September 28, 2010

Such a weirdly wonderful artifact. I've appropriated many DeMoulin Brothers catalog images for mix disc covers over the years. I love how serious they write about having ridiculous fun.
posted by Slack-a-gogo at 8:58 AM on September 28, 2010

From Dobbs' link: Many of the orders were established as a manner of providing health insurance or death benefits to those who could not be insured or could not afford the premiums of a commercial insurance company.

Expanding on this, and how it worked, would be an interesting FPP on its own.
posted by KGMoney at 8:59 AM on September 28, 2010

I would so buy all of this stuff if it were still available. I mean, $82 for a goat with rubber wheels? That's a fantastic bargain.

Great post!
posted by Shohn at 9:38 AM on September 28, 2010

"To create more amusement, we suggest that the goat be manipulated by persons wearing burlesque costumes."
posted by nickmark at 10:23 AM on September 28, 2010

So this is what the New World Order will look like....
posted by GenjiandProust at 10:33 AM on September 28, 2010

Some guys still make ominous goat-riding jokes to new candidates joining my lodge. But it's all just in good fun.

Or is it?
posted by usonian at 11:53 AM on September 28, 2010 [1 favorite]

When Father Rode the Goat
posted by usonian at 12:05 PM on September 28, 2010 [1 favorite]

"Our dry mercurine powder is much cheaper than the liquid mercury and looks exactly like molten lead... The contents of the pot is simply cold water, with a pinch of our new dry mercurine sprinkled in it."

This sounds perfectly safe and reasonable to me.
posted by xedrik at 12:48 PM on September 28, 2010 [1 favorite]

World government conspiracies used to be so much more fun...
posted by Potomac Avenue at 12:56 PM on September 28, 2010