Original URL: https://www.theregister.com/2009/07/02/twitter_pussy/
Mrs Slocombe's pussy vanishes from Twitter
Naughty memorial hashtag kiboshed
Posted in Bootnotes, 2nd July 2009 14:59 GMT
Even in death, Mrs Slocombe’s pussy continues to excite controversy.
Following a heated exchange here at Vulture Central as to the relative comedic merits of Mollie Sugden, John Inman and Sid James, we were impressed beyond belief to discover not only that MrsSlocombesPussy had gained the accolade of a hashtag on twitter – but that it was "trending".
The aforementioned feline had risen to number two on the tweet list shortly after lunch. The frenzy followed the news of the death of actress Sugden who played the eponymous Mrs Slocombe in the bawdy BBC sitcom Are You Being Served?, wherein the ever-so-naughty phrase was coined.
But wait! Click on the hashtag and Twitter now provides a rather depressing "No results for #MrsSlocombesPussy". Sinking fast, it now brings up the bottom of the list, shortly after Wimbledon and North Korea.
We suspect that this is partly due to US censors taking a tighter line over British rudery: a small and wholly unrepresentative sample of American citizens suggests that most just don’t get the Carry On style.
It probably also has something to do with Mrs Slocombe – and her inimitable pussy – being not very well known on the US side of the pond.
Sadly, Twitter Offices are based in San Francisco and no one is yet up to answer any questions. ®