The Throbber Experiment. Or, Will a penis on a postcard get to Germany?

At heart, we are all juveniles. We laugh at fart jokes, giggle at street wangs, and enjoy things that are ribald and sometimes downright nasty. It was in the spirit of this juvenile fun that I conducted The Throbber Experiment.

The Aim of this experiment was to get a postcard to Goatlady in Germany. No big deal, you say. This happens all the time, you are confident of that. Yes, well, we live in Tony Abbott’s Truman Show where he thinks we should all be in the 1950s.

Therefore, the premise was that a big, throbbing, veiny penis drawn on a postcard might well get delayed by the powers that be. Or, not delivered at all. And if it does, then bonus! Hopefully it will cause some amusement to postal workers along the way.

The commencement

To make the experiment more fun, we photographed dear old Throbber. Here’s me posting Throbber from Adelaide:

Then we waited.

The delay was caused in part by usual postal delays. And in part by Goatlady’s cavorting about the UK seeing amazing bands and drinking coffee while pretending to work.

Then, happy news arrived by Twitter.

The proof that a penis on a postcard will arrive safely in Germany

Of course, the experiment would not be complete without photographic proof. The lovely lady was happy to oblige.

And here he is, with the fersehenturm in the background.

The Result

Even though Throbber was stamped squarely over the knob, it’s good to know that we aren’t so restricted as to be unable to post hand-drawn penises in the mail, without them being in envelopes.

Postcards are making a comeback and if you don’t know how to write them, I wrote a book on that. Apparently it’s pretty good. And Throbber is a good example that postcards don’t have to be earnest missives.

Sometimes, just a penis will do.

Update: Throbber Travels the World

Edited 15 June 2014

Since this posting, Throbber has gotten a bit adventurous. And now, the Throbber Experiment is actually a thing. If you want him to come and visit you, send me an email. Here is a bit of a journal of where Throbber has been so far (and where he’s headed next).

Please note that Throbber can only travel to one location at a time, and we have to hear from him when he arrives, before he moves on.

Photographs and proof of travel will be posted as soon as I have them off my phone.

• Durban, South Africa (travel time Adelaide > Durban: 2 full weeks)
• Bristol, United Kingdom (travel time Adelaide > Bristol:  3 DAYS. Faster than domestic post!!) – read the blog
• NEXT:  Either NZ or Norway… or maybe you.