Flutophones: Not new, but don't age well anyways

As it turns out, the "instrument" that I and so many of my classmates were trained on instead of the recorder in 4th and 5th grade music class before we could join band was not a new gimmick after all. Remember these?

It's called a "flutophone". Apparently they've been around for quite a while. I found a couple of instruction books from the 70s and 80s on the "innovation" of this sad, funny looking excuse for an instrument.

Maybe I'm being too harsh on the little wind instrument. I was actually looking forward to learning the recorder when I was in 5th grade and was disappointed when our Jr. High band director decided to do away with the recorder after the class above ours went on to High School. At least you can use the recorder in some circles like, say, medieval ensembles. Outside pre-band/orchestra music classes, the flutophone is totally useless. It doesn't sound good, it's easy to break, it looks funny, and NOBODY plays it after middle school. 

On another note, I did find a receipt that I found amusing:

I pity the fool who takes his dry cleaning somewhere else.