Look: when I saw a billboard beckoning from the highway that read: “The Best Fudge Comes from Uranus”– I was absolutely, positively going to take that bait.
WHO among us wouldn’t?
What I love most about America’s silly roadside attractions is their total commitment to ‘the bit.’
And the town of Uranus, Missouri, might have taken the cake when it came to their thorough, complete, and rollicking level of commitment to making poo jokes as many times as humanly possible. From the employees to the signage to the merchandise: everything was part of the joke.
On the grounds just outside the factory, the World’s Largest Belt Buckle was on display (and Mac posed with it while I read the adjacent sign which read, accurately: “The World’s Largest Belt Buckle is in Uranus.” I then noted there was an animatronic bluegrass band called “The Uranus Pickers” that featured a sign reading “Sorry for the inconvenience: Uranus is broken.”
When walking into the Fudge Factory building itself, every employee gleefully chirped: “Welcome to Uranus!!”. Funny thing was, this was not a typical store greeting that can feel lackluster– the employees were quite bubbly and smiled broadly, making their welcome feel warm.
I should mention they do legitimately make fudge here, it’s not just a gimmick. As seen below, they even have a window through which you can watch the fudge being hand made and packed.
Yep. I said it.
The fudge itself was good, but to be perfectly honest– the puns throughout the shop made it hard to chow down on the fudge WITHOUT thinking of… well… you get it.
Their merchandise was as outrageous as you might imagine– a cross between “dadcore” shirts like ‘Nacho Average Dad’ and one of my favorites, “Straight Outta Uranus.” I immediately purchased a shirt for my ten-year-old nephew, who loves a good #2 joke– and then realized, it’s not just kids– everyone loves a good-ol’ poop joke, and picked up a shirt for my sister-in-law as well.
On the way out of town, I saw this billboard that further illustrated the town’s commitment to this hilarity– congratulating the new mayor of Uranus.
A title I think we’d all like to hold. (PS, the ‘mayor’ Louie is the actual owner of the Uranus Fudge Factory, and no– Uranus is not a real ‘town’ but it is a roadside attraction only).
I am very glad I stopped briefly in the decidedly quirky Uranus– a little place that saw a gimmick and couldn’t stop running with it.
In conclusion: I salute Uranus.
Posted by Sun
