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Butt No: Billboard Banned From Times Square
By
Jen Chung
Published Jul 10, 2007
Modified Mar 7, 2008
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By
Jen Chung
Published Jul 10, 2007
Modified Mar 7, 2008
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A judge has banned Toto's "Washlet" cleaning system billboard from a Times Square building. One of the building's tenants happens to be the Times Square Church, which sued to stop the billboard by claiming it was "certainly unsuited for public exposure to children, and antithetical to the values of our congregation and church.” No word if the parishioners feel their bottoms are clean enough already.
State Supreme Court Justice Marcy Friedman said, "The court finds that the motion presents novel and significant issues on which further legal authority is required," and wants to review some other court rulings. We're also curious is there are legal precedents involving bathroom behavior! She also asked the church and its pastor Rev. Neil Rhodes to put up a $90,000 bond, which, per the AP, Judge Friedman "said ...would go to the defendants for damages and costs - including lost revenues - if the court determines the church was not entitled to an injunction." There is no value, however, on free publicity. We eagerly await the judge's decision, and not just because we'll giggle while reading anything remotely related to bodily functions.
Earlier, Toto said, "We introduced this kind of lighthearted campaign to really get people to stop and think amount about something they take for granted and they may not have thought about for sometime." And Toto's cleanishappy website is still up. For more analysis about Toto's Washlet system, check out the Poop Report.
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Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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