Never heard them called that way. Regional idiom?
This is a six page story, page 5 is missing
oh itâs fixed now. Thanks
I donât get the last panel. Why wouldnât he simply ask for condoms or get them from the rack?
Because he learned the slang terms
Now is this a Denny story we all like?
Sounds like the most uncomfortable condom ever.
Pre- about 1985ish (someone older correct me?) they werenât sold âon the rackâ, you had to ask for them. Using a slang term for them also implies more worldliness and like youâve had the need to buy them many times before.
And GODS FORBID before the 80s if you asked for them and even though the store had them, you got the WRONG PERSON who wouldnât sell them to you because it was SIN or some tripe like thatâŚ
Because it was embarrassing to ask for condoms, so they made up euphemisms instead.
First panel, that was pretty much me from sixth grade on.
Mm. My thought process went: âOooh, a science comic! Neat!â <read âDennis Eichhornâ> âOh. Never mind, itâs just gonna be a sex joke.â
Itâs not a bad sex joke, at least.
Early models were made from intestines and bladder, I suppose that may have included fish.
And now, letâs just all take a minute and say thanks to Charles Goodyear for discovering a way of processing natural rubber in such a way as to make it elastic.
More likely originated as a pun. A fish skin wraps around what you find in a codpiece, or something like that.
If you care about being heard/seen buying these (which used to be the case, and might still be in for younger purchasers or anyone else who doesnât want their parent/spouse/preacher/whatever to know youâre thinking seriously about sex), a less-obvious slang term is a perfectly reasonable thing . Think about other clandestinely-sold items; âHey man, wanna buy some âŚ?â
The first panel confused me because I wasnât sure how the the little hard bits that grow on a fishâs skin were going to help with this problem. The middle part confused me because thatâs not a condom Iâd ever heard. The rest of the comic failed plausibility when the kid didnât question how three instruments for weighing fit in a 1" square package.
I think youâre thinking too hard.
Reminds me of the scene in Summer of '42, when Hermie buys condoms, and lies to the pharmacist about his intention of making water balloons, if I remember correctly.
Or Ocsyâs great line, âNot even the best of friends go halfsies on a condom.â
âŚor perhaps not thing⌠think. What was I saying?
