YSaC, Vol. 448: Here [insert name here] comes to save the day!
Character for a cartoon. It can be used in toys, video games. – JPY10000
New concept!!!. It’s a modern superhero. Already patented. will be a success!!!. People , especially kids love it. It’s going to conquer all the media!!!
This was under “for sale/wanted > video gaming”. So is this person attempting to sell their brilliant concept for a new character? On Craigslist? Really? Right now, I’m sure there’s an executive at Marvel Comics, or Electronic Arts, or possibly Archer Daniels Midland thinking: “Crimeny. We need a new superhero. One who’s MODERN! One who can conquer ALL the media! But where? Where can we find such an idea?”
“Wait, I have it! We’ll check Craigslist! Gosh, I hope we can find something that’s already been patented!”
(Just to add to the weirdness, this poster claims to be located in a city approximately twelve TIME ZONES away from the city in which they were advertising.)
Thanks for the submission, Marlowe!
If you read it with the spastic punctuation in mind it’s even better.
But hey, I know how hard it is to get your ideas in the door at the comic giants. What with the detailing your concept and characters, drafting a script, blocking out storyboards…it’s a tough process.
Oh, wait. This guy bypassed all that. He’s letting you know right upfront that his concept will “will be a success”. How can anyone not snap at that? And WHY did I waste my time WRITING, when I can just sell my “concept” on CL???
I’m so narrow minded.
Is it a bird? Is it a plane?
No! It’s FAILUREMAN!
This is a character totally different from any other superhero cartoon character. Because it’s modern, and kids love it! So it’s not a clown, not an animal, and not ready to be shown to the public. We’ll just have to wait patiently. I can do that. 8)
It’s Schrodinger’s Cat-Man! You won’t know who he is or what he looks like until you open the box! Which you can’t do now.
How do you know it’s not Schrodinger’s Cat-Woman?
I guess you wouldn’t know for sure until you looked. Perhaps it is Schrodinger’s Cat-It?
Schroedinger’s Cat-Woman: there might be undergarments beneath her skintight suit, there might not–and peeking will change the outcome.
What if she has her Heisenberg uncertainty principle undies on and attempting to measure them will affect their size?
I thought the point of Schroedinger’scatman was that the villains don’t know if he’s alive or dead? That could really screw up someone’s evil plans. Just sayin’.
I handle a lot of research relating to the legal complications of intellectual property. I hope this person already has a good IP firm on retainer … though with their pre-guaranteed success!!!!!. they’ll obviously be able to afford one, right?
Just curious — “Patented”? Isn’t that for inventions, processes, physical improvements, machinery and the like? Aren’t drawings, storylines, and similar concepts copyrighted or trademarked?
One might agrue that you could patent this alleged creation if the character, whatever it is, could be part of a design patent, which involves the ornamental design of something – but yes, you’re right, this is probably more likely to be something involving trademark or copyright; these are both IP issues also. (Note, I’m not an attorney, I just work for them, so this may not be completely accurate.)
Patent: I don’t think this word means what the OP thinks it means.
Though any lawyer will happily take your money to apply for a patent, so he might be patent pending, but I really doubt he has a patent. Trademark maybe. Patent, unlikely.
Well, since copyright is automatic in all Berne Convention countries, of which Japan is one I believe, he doesn’t need to do anything to retain all the rights to his IP. The patent is unnecessary, unless he’s trying to protect against imitations? But I think even then a patent affords you only slightly more protection than automatic copyright.
The point is, what a moron.
It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s Media Conquerer! He’s a corporate puppet, expert at sound bites, and upholder of unreasonable expectations!!!!!!
Unless he’s talking about the ability to turn a person into a real superhero by dunking him in a vat of chemicals, I’m pretty sure this idea isn’t patented. Perhaps “trademarked” is what he’s looking for. Thought you’d need trade for that. So maybe just copyrighted.
JPY10000 is only about a hundred bucks, so I’m not sure the paperwork was worth it.
It only just dawned on me that JPY10000 is an amount of money. I thought it was the name of the superhero.
I thought it was one of those random spam-bot bits, like FEMALETRAITS3. It was not until I saw Jay’s post mentioning the exchange rate that I realized it was yen. Do they even have CraigsList in Japan?
I’m almost tempted to spend the $100 to get the description and rights to that superhero. I could then share it with the YSAC community for its amusement? Would that make me YSAC’s superhero?
I will now design my outfit. To cape or not to cape, that is the question.
*cue dramatic music*
Look, up in the sky!
It’s a flying squirrel!
It’s a …
*music trails off*
Whatever.
I’ll finish the rest later.
It’s The Incredible Procrastinator!!!
I would vote for a cape. Not only are they a classic, they can cover a multitude of spandex-coated sins.
Gah! Why did drmk have to pick the one quote where I spelled my name wrong? I didn’t notice until it showed up in the featured quote.
I got a ’32’ score for my very first comment and THIS gets picked as the front-page quote?
I have never been so insulted in my life.
I may sulk.
No capes! (Haven’t you seen The Incredibles?)
That’s what I was going to say!
NO CAPES. (even though they look hot.)
From a safety standpoint I agree, but capes look bitchin’. Maybe a retractable one? I can just picture someone pulling on Noctural-Echolocating-Mammal-Man’s cape and the thing snapping up like a windowshade.
All-media-conquering? Special abilities and a modern superhero?
I think we’re looking at an ad for Chevy Chase, c. 1981…
All the new superheroes I see these days are decidedly post-modern. In fact, most of the post-modern superheroes that I like got their starts in the 1990s.
Even post-post-modern is passé these days, Concept-Man™® (pat. pend.). You’re going to need to find a new envelope to push.
I’d buy a circa 1981 Chevy Chase. Maybe then I could get some more Fletch movies made…
Don’t waste the $100.
After carefully studying the hints dropped in this Craigslist ad, I know the name of the super hero this person wants to sell:
It’s ParentsBasementMan!
I can’t figure out all of his powers, however. I am sure that the awesome commentors of this blog can help. So far, I have:
Able to detect what mom is cooking upstairs for dinner with one sniff!
Able to detect the posting of new nude pictures of *female celebrity of the day* with one search!
Come on, help me out here! Uh, keep it clean, we already know the nasty ones.
Able to sit in one place and game/compose fanfic/chat/blog for longer than science believes is humanly possible.
Able to hide the cups and bottles that make it possible for him to avoid leaving his chair until absolutely necessary.
Able to not amaze anyone at all, ever, when they learn he’s never had a girlfriend or (not that he admits it) even been kissed, much less anything else.
Ooo! I know!
Able to eat an entire bag of M&Ms in a single handful!
Able to list entire decades of favorite tv shows: http://www.yousuckatcraigslist.com/?p=1240
Wow. I’ve seen a million people dreaming up their *UBER-SPECIAL AMAZING NEW CHARACTERS OMG!!!* before, but actually attempting to sell one like this is different.
Dude, just write fanfiction like the rest of us.
I have a feeling this guy named his first child “Hayden” and was impressed with how original and edgy he was being.
You think this guy has a *child*? You realize that would require a woman to have actually touched him at some point, right? What optimism fairy bonked you over the head this morning?
I <3 the Optimism Fairy and think the Optimism Fairy would be the bestest Superhero ever!
I’m pretty sure Optimistic Fairies is an emo band.
Careful, there; you might be violating this guy’s superhero-idea patent!
Perhaps a “child” in a ‘Lars and the Real Girl’ sense of the word.
Here he comes, that mighty (to be determined)
To vanquish the (parties involved) with a mighty (term of contract)
Fighting (trademark), fighting (copyright)
And always there in the nick of (patent pending)!
“Here I come, to save the (undetermined period of time)!”
You’ll know Mighty (to be announced) is here (TBA)!
I wish I could vote for this multiple times. Made. of. Win.
*slinks off wishing she were cleverer at commenting*
Perhaps the Craigslist Hero to come save the day against overuse of punctuation, misspellings, and dryer incidents? I would really like one of those.
Perhaps CraigsList Hero can help protect Chester’s drawers and all the French Prudential furniture out there from badgers wielding pink spray paint.
I can’t support a superhero until I know their MALETRAITS or FEMALETRAITS.
When I ask my son what he wants to do when he grows up, he says he wants to be the “idea” man for a video game company. He says he doesn’t want to do any of the actual work to develop the games, just come up with the ideas and be allotted the bulk of the profits. Sadly, I now see there are others with similar aspirations.