Why is there a Poodle in the Bathroom?
Growing up in New York City in the 1960s, a poodle lived in our bathroom. Pink, with black eyes and a white bow permanently sewn to its head, it sat atop the back of the toilet tank, beady eyes watching our family during the most intimate of moments. By now you’ve probably guessed that the crocheted body with four tiny legs and a bouncy tail, concealed the extra roll of toilet tissue.
Is this for the company?
When you live in a one bath apartment, there is a decorating dilemma. That single bathroom serves both family and guests. And so along with the poodle cozy, there were decorative hand towels that we didn’t touch. And now that I think about it, I never did see that poodle lying atop the tank disemboweled. That stuffed poodle was a permanent fixture. The order of the day: reach under the sink if you needed to refill the roll.
Toilet training?
Years later, the lessons learned in my childhood are hard to shake. And though we don’t have a poodle cozy for the extra roll of toilet tissue, I remain unwilling to use the decorative hand towels. Why should I have this reaction in my own home? It must be the result of my early toilet training.
Cozy, not
So now, the rule in our house is that when we have guests, we make certain all the rolls of toilet tissue are refreshed. Surely, we don’t want guests to have to rummage through the cabinets in search of fulfillment. But I have to say, I kind of miss that whimsical poodle. Who knows? Maybe I’ll just order one for nostalgia’s sake. If you too are interested, here’s a website to check out: http://etsy.me/2w7iToW
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Brad, that’s funny! I certainly remember seeing this type of toilet tissue cozy before in other peoples homes as a child, but not my own. Have they fallen out of favor? I wonder.
Yes, Nate. I think they have fallen out of favor. But there was a time – they were everywhere.
It is amazing how these little things remain with us through life and even affect what we do or don’t do today.
I enjoyed reading this post.
Thanks, Jaco. It is strange the things that stick with us.
Great post Brad! It’s interesting to see that perspective as I never grew up with decorative items in the bathroom. The only thing I do recall that our family has is what my dad calls a “drippy glass”. It’s a wine glass that has a hole at the bottom of the cup that you can’t see so we can’t really fix it. I’m not sure if we have it any longer, but my dad used it once a long time ago to break the ice with a few overly serious/uptight guests.
Oh my gosh. That is funny, Eric. Ah, the things we remember.
My grandma had the crinoline lady, but I’ve not seen a poodle one before!
That lady sounds very familiar too. Her skirt hid the roll if I remember correctly. I think my grandmother had one of those too.
Hilarious Brad! We never did have anything like that…Our “spares” were in the airing cupboard with the towels…and the toilet was separate to the bathroom, so if you ran out……no poodle to fall back on ??
No poodle? Well – it’s never too late to get one, I suppose. Seriously, I’m actually thinking of getting one. Especially since my friends read the blog.