The Soupman

Sad news this weekend with the passing of Milton Soupman, better known to everyone as Soupy Sales. I have no idea of his impact outside of the New York area, but for those of us of a certain age, Soupy, Pookie, White Fang, and the rest of the gang were a big part of our childhood and his passing brings back a lot of great memories. It’s also a reminder of a few important things he taught us all.
No, I don’t mean how to do “the Mouse”, which was, as I recall all the rage in junior high. Watch this clip and I think you’ll understand:

Soupy is laughing at himself. He’s spontaneous (or at least appears so). There are layers to this humor – kids can laugh at one level while the adults can find deeper – and sometimes funnier – meaning in what he’s doing. Where else can you find Oscar Peterson being played on a kids show (he was Pookie’s theme music)? Most importantly, he’s enjoying what’s going on maybe even more than the viewers. Wouldn’t it be ice if we could all do the same in our daily lives?

I’ll end with a few words of The Soupman’s wisdom and encourage you all to get on YouTube and look up some of his clips. You don’t have to be 11 to laugh at them and they obviously weren’t assembled using demo research, usability sessions or anything other than a brilliant mind and good intentions.  Great guidelines!

• Be true to your teeth and they won’t be false to you.
• Always buy thermometers during the Winter – they are much lower then.
• A used car isn’t always what it’s jacked-up to be.
• You show me Moby Dick with a clock and I’ll show you a whale of a good time.
• You show me a sculptor who works in the basement & I’ll show you a low-down chiseler.
• You show me a novel that is lost in a tornado & I’ll show you a book that is Gone With The Wind.

Any Soupy memories out there?