OK, so I'm not saying I know all the books, but I did read ALOT as a child (and still do now as an adult) and I don't know this book (and it seems like the kind of thing you'd remember knowing). Hopefully that helps validate your multiverse theory.
Like my sister would have said “I just had breakfast”… a sentence that means “I just found out something new” ( it sounds still weird in Spanish and I have never heard anyone else, besides my family, to use that in any context.
Never have I ever heard about The Story of Ping. What a dreadful story! And as an elementary teacher I read many stories with my students ( also I have seen thousands of book covers while checking what they were planning to read at home).
Regarding the new words you mentioned. I google them and apparently I will have to clear my browser, too, due to the meaning of the first one. I also need to be prescribed an amnesia pill to forget the disgusting image of the second one. Thanks, James! Now I understand why human arrive to an age where they rather die than try to keep up with new trends. Lol.
Oh my goodness, thanks for the laughs in this one. My kids are 36 and 39. I have heard of Ping, I seem to remember there was a little stuffed duck that came with it. Must not have read it because that story 🤣 phew. Would definitely have remembered that! I have played Wingspan once, I will try to remember your advice about ducks. Glad to hear your world was shaken, especially by a guy with a killer tat.
I watched Reading Rainbow all the time as a child, and this is the first I've ever heard of Ping. It's available to read free on archive.org/details/storyaboutping00flac (online library).
My favorite little-known vintage children's book is "Jenny and the King of Smithia" by Walter R. Brooks, 1947. I have my aunt's copy. It's in terrible shape, but the book is still hilarious. It's told by a plumber to his assistant as a story about a little girl named Jenny who outwits nosy King Roscoe of Smithia.
I know that book, and I would have bet all my student loans that I saw it on Reading Rainbow. It was definitely in my elementary school library (the 80s were a different time). Now I need to find this book again. And while I'm at it, make sure my duck-obsessed 4 year old never sees it.
The Story of Ping!! I HAVE heard of it and read it a lot more than once. I thought it was a great story although my heart always broke when Ping watched his boat sail away and he was left by himself. I also read it to my kids. The pictures in it were great -- even the duck-spanking picture.
This is amazing and so random! I am almost flabbergasted by this post! I read this book as a child and it made a big impression on me. I read it as an adult and was a little creeped out by the guy beating a duck! I’m a little less than 25 years older than you, so it’s not surprising to me that you never hear of it.
This is the first time I hear about a Ping bird other than Kung Fu Panda's Mr. Ping, a Chinese goose who is also (as every meme enjoyer knows) leader of communist China...🤣
I don't remember Ping either. Strange. But I have heard "skibiti toilet" from my two best friends' 12-year-old girls several times and I thought it was something that they had made up. Now I know. Our 19-year-old had to teach us words so we knew what she was talking about all through junior high and high school, so I know how you feel.
We have a similar council in Poland, though less strict than its French counterpart. But on the other hand people can give some words access to the language via an annual contest for "Młodzieżowe Słowo Roku" (Youth Word of the Year). Each year people can submit through a scientific publisher's website words they think are commonly used in youth slang. Most entered twenty is then put into an online poll by the suprevising jury made of polish language professors, who later also select the word that is most creative, original and correct linguistically. The problem with the contest is that because the jury decides the eventual winner, they often pick a word that didn't get most votes or that's completely unheard among young people. Each year I don't know about half of the words from final twenty, and so are feeling many online commenters. Another problem is the jury often excludes words that have pejorative or political meaning, which skewed the results of the 2020 edition and caused huge quarreling in the Internet. Luckily the 2023 edition went rather peacefully, as the winning word was "rel", which is short for relatable. Rel in its short form added into my language means agreeing with somebody or acknowledging a common experience. I use it from time to time.
Now you have me Googling "Ping The Duck". "The Story About Ping" is available at Walmart, Amazon and other fine establishments. I'm no expert on Children's books, but I'd never heard of it either.
I’ve always been voracious reader AND had four kids and nope, never hear of the book. Wiki is notorious for inaccurate information but I’ll admit the fact that it was there is concerning. How many other books are out there that we’ve never heard of? I mean, the kind that have been out there for 100 years or so, lol. I’m of the opinion that there ARE other universes out there that parallel ours and occasionally one slips into the other. For example, in some universe my dogs were not left unintended this morning and did not chew a pice of foam to shreds. That’s just the start of my Monday. ;)
OK, so I'm not saying I know all the books, but I did read ALOT as a child (and still do now as an adult) and I don't know this book (and it seems like the kind of thing you'd remember knowing). Hopefully that helps validate your multiverse theory.
I am thrilled to find a fellow inhabitant of the same (correct) universe.
I vaguely remember that book, but I'm drinking a beer on an empty stomach, so...
I don't know it either! I thought it might be to do with Pingu at first.
Love Pingu!!! Best 5 minutes of the day when it was time for my kids to go to sleep. Never heard of him before I had kids though
Eh, I'm James's age, Pingu was the sort of cartoon my little sister was watching on Saturday afternoons.
Like my sister would have said “I just had breakfast”… a sentence that means “I just found out something new” ( it sounds still weird in Spanish and I have never heard anyone else, besides my family, to use that in any context.
Never have I ever heard about The Story of Ping. What a dreadful story! And as an elementary teacher I read many stories with my students ( also I have seen thousands of book covers while checking what they were planning to read at home).
Regarding the new words you mentioned. I google them and apparently I will have to clear my browser, too, due to the meaning of the first one. I also need to be prescribed an amnesia pill to forget the disgusting image of the second one. Thanks, James! Now I understand why human arrive to an age where they rather die than try to keep up with new trends. Lol.
Growing old and losing my hearing sounds kind of nice. Only then will I be safe from the new words.
Unless they get little whiteboards and write them out to you 🤣
Oh my goodness, thanks for the laughs in this one. My kids are 36 and 39. I have heard of Ping, I seem to remember there was a little stuffed duck that came with it. Must not have read it because that story 🤣 phew. Would definitely have remembered that! I have played Wingspan once, I will try to remember your advice about ducks. Glad to hear your world was shaken, especially by a guy with a killer tat.
I don't mind having my horizons broadened a little, but this was too much. I miss my life before I knew about Ping.
I was read The Story of Ping often as a child. As a result I have horrendous anxiety about being late.
It's for the best that I avoided this one. The multiverse was trying to protect me.
I watched Reading Rainbow all the time as a child, and this is the first I've ever heard of Ping. It's available to read free on archive.org/details/storyaboutping00flac (online library).
My favorite little-known vintage children's book is "Jenny and the King of Smithia" by Walter R. Brooks, 1947. I have my aunt's copy. It's in terrible shape, but the book is still hilarious. It's told by a plumber to his assistant as a story about a little girl named Jenny who outwits nosy King Roscoe of Smithia.
Sounds like a delightful children's tail. I suspect there are many such hidden gems out there, and none of them include duck-spanking.
I know that book, and I would have bet all my student loans that I saw it on Reading Rainbow. It was definitely in my elementary school library (the 80s were a different time). Now I need to find this book again. And while I'm at it, make sure my duck-obsessed 4 year old never sees it.
The episode aired in June 1987, probably before a lot of James’ followers were born or can remember 😎
Or, you know, in countries where we weren't living 😝
I was too young, but we also didn't have Reading Rainbow here.
That too!
Thank you!!!!!! I am so glad to know I'm not losing my mind! (Today at least...)
Only in your universe. Here, it never aired.
Oh, you sweet summer child...😂
Glad to help!
Oh... this is painful.
The Story of Ping!! I HAVE heard of it and read it a lot more than once. I thought it was a great story although my heart always broke when Ping watched his boat sail away and he was left by himself. I also read it to my kids. The pictures in it were great -- even the duck-spanking picture.
That's one picture I'm happy I lived without.
This is amazing and so random! I am almost flabbergasted by this post! I read this book as a child and it made a big impression on me. I read it as an adult and was a little creeped out by the guy beating a duck! I’m a little less than 25 years older than you, so it’s not surprising to me that you never hear of it.
Based on the summary, I assumed the duck-beating portion would be the most memorable. Thank you for validating my hunch.
I’ve never heard of Ping the Duck either and I’ve been around since 1959. 😁
It's a conspiracy against the sane among us.
This is the first time I hear about a Ping bird other than Kung Fu Panda's Mr. Ping, a Chinese goose who is also (as every meme enjoyer knows) leader of communist China...🤣
https://www.reddit.com/r/Bossfight/comments/8dnl97/mrping_leader_of_communist_china/
As for new words & teenagers slang, that's where it's relieveing to have tools like Urban dictionary or Know your meme coming in handy.
I'm scared every time I visit Urban dictionary. If I find myself there, I've already lost.
Reading Rainbow was an excellent show for children of all ages.
It was one of the best shows in the history of television, especially because of it's strident anti-duck spanking stance.
.... Don't be the last duck in the boat or you'll get a spank 😜
Beam up Ping the Duck, Mr. LaForge!
I don't remember Ping either. Strange. But I have heard "skibiti toilet" from my two best friends' 12-year-old girls several times and I thought it was something that they had made up. Now I know. Our 19-year-old had to teach us words so we knew what she was talking about all through junior high and high school, so I know how you feel.
The free-form nature of the English has backfired spectacularly. We need a draconian language council to officially approve new words like in France.
We have a similar council in Poland, though less strict than its French counterpart. But on the other hand people can give some words access to the language via an annual contest for "Młodzieżowe Słowo Roku" (Youth Word of the Year). Each year people can submit through a scientific publisher's website words they think are commonly used in youth slang. Most entered twenty is then put into an online poll by the suprevising jury made of polish language professors, who later also select the word that is most creative, original and correct linguistically. The problem with the contest is that because the jury decides the eventual winner, they often pick a word that didn't get most votes or that's completely unheard among young people. Each year I don't know about half of the words from final twenty, and so are feeling many online commenters. Another problem is the jury often excludes words that have pejorative or political meaning, which skewed the results of the 2020 edition and caused huge quarreling in the Internet. Luckily the 2023 edition went rather peacefully, as the winning word was "rel", which is short for relatable. Rel in its short form added into my language means agreeing with somebody or acknowledging a common experience. I use it from time to time.
You're officially old with that comment, James. Haha! JK
That was more information about sex lives of ducks than I care to know. Thanks. I hate it.
You and me both.
Now you have me Googling "Ping The Duck". "The Story About Ping" is available at Walmart, Amazon and other fine establishments. I'm no expert on Children's books, but I'd never heard of it either.
It's clearly an interloper from another realm.
I’ve always been voracious reader AND had four kids and nope, never hear of the book. Wiki is notorious for inaccurate information but I’ll admit the fact that it was there is concerning. How many other books are out there that we’ve never heard of? I mean, the kind that have been out there for 100 years or so, lol. I’m of the opinion that there ARE other universes out there that parallel ours and occasionally one slips into the other. For example, in some universe my dogs were not left unintended this morning and did not chew a pice of foam to shreds. That’s just the start of my Monday. ;)
I'd like to think there's a universe where my dog doesn't use my carpet as his bathroom. But if that universe also has Ping the duck, I'll pass.
I wonder. Do you know The Princess and the Goblin?
The title of the book didn’t resonate but once you started telling the story, I could vividly see the illustrations!