Post by Brian Roebuck on Sept 6, 2007 5:24:18 GMT -5
Bat Boy Collapses in Checkout Lane!
By THOMAS VINCIGUERRA
Published: September 2, 2007
It’s probably safe to say that no other newspaper in the annals of journalism scored as many shocking scoops as The Weekly World News.
Remember the story about Hillary Clinton’s affair with an outer-space alien? The African tribe that worships Barbra Streisand’s nose? Heaven being photographed by the Hubble Space Telescope?
Such was the grist of The News, “The World’s Only Reliable Newspaper,” which at its peak in the 1980s had a circulation of 1.2 million. For 28 years, until its final issue last Monday, no other tabloid was plucked from supermarket checkout lanes with such guffaws, disbelief and glee, though its editors say there were plenty of believers, too.
And no Weekly World News story was more enduring than the saga of Bat Boy, the half-human, half-bat who first appeared in 1992. “Discovered” in a cave in West Virginia and distinguished by his fangs, pointed ears and bulging eyes, Bat Boy became a pop culture icon. He inspired a well-received Off Broadway musical. A Weekly World News anthology published in 2005 was titled “Bat Boy Lives!” When The News folded, a deal was under way to produce Bat Boy action figures.
www.nytimes.com/2007/09/02/weekinreview/02basic.html?_r=1&ref=weekinreview&oref=slogin
I'll miss that goofy paper. Always remember though that even if The Weekly World News is gone Bat Boy Lives!
So all my fellow Bat Boy fans - tell us how you feel about Bat Boy and what you think will happen now that he won't get so much free publicity. Can we get our hands on some of the Bat Boy action figures? Will Bat Boy strike out on his own and create his own online news service? Let us know your thoughts and hopes (Bat Boy is rumored to be a member U.S Cavers Forum you know).
By THOMAS VINCIGUERRA
Published: September 2, 2007
It’s probably safe to say that no other newspaper in the annals of journalism scored as many shocking scoops as The Weekly World News.
Remember the story about Hillary Clinton’s affair with an outer-space alien? The African tribe that worships Barbra Streisand’s nose? Heaven being photographed by the Hubble Space Telescope?
Such was the grist of The News, “The World’s Only Reliable Newspaper,” which at its peak in the 1980s had a circulation of 1.2 million. For 28 years, until its final issue last Monday, no other tabloid was plucked from supermarket checkout lanes with such guffaws, disbelief and glee, though its editors say there were plenty of believers, too.
And no Weekly World News story was more enduring than the saga of Bat Boy, the half-human, half-bat who first appeared in 1992. “Discovered” in a cave in West Virginia and distinguished by his fangs, pointed ears and bulging eyes, Bat Boy became a pop culture icon. He inspired a well-received Off Broadway musical. A Weekly World News anthology published in 2005 was titled “Bat Boy Lives!” When The News folded, a deal was under way to produce Bat Boy action figures.
www.nytimes.com/2007/09/02/weekinreview/02basic.html?_r=1&ref=weekinreview&oref=slogin
I'll miss that goofy paper. Always remember though that even if The Weekly World News is gone Bat Boy Lives!
So all my fellow Bat Boy fans - tell us how you feel about Bat Boy and what you think will happen now that he won't get so much free publicity. Can we get our hands on some of the Bat Boy action figures? Will Bat Boy strike out on his own and create his own online news service? Let us know your thoughts and hopes (Bat Boy is rumored to be a member U.S Cavers Forum you know).
