DOWNTOWN — An Avondale artist is selling whoopee cushions that poke fun at the "dismal state of affairs" in the United States.
Ryan Duggan came up with the whoopee cushion — which has an American flag and the words "Our New National Anthem" printed on it — while working on projects for an upcoming show in Philadelphia.
Instead of sitting on the cushions, Duggan has decided to sell them online to anyone who wants one for $10. The proceeds will go to the American Civil Liberties Union, which works to protect the rights of people in the United States.
That seemed appropriate given "everyone's general sense of impending doom with all the stuff that the president has done in his first week," Duggan said, referencing President Donald Trump's string of executive orders, which have barred refugees and people from seven predominantly Muslim countries from entering the United States. "I think given the artwork and all the stuff with the travel ban, it just seems like the most appropriate place to donate."
Duggan has always been obsessed with "weird novelty gifts," he said, and selling his national anthem cushions gave him a "funny way to raise money for a good cause." He's hoping to get at least $1,000 for the ACLU, even though that would mean he'd have to print more cushions.
"I'm just going [to] see how many people order them and if I need to print more I'll print more," Duggan said. "Anything would be awesome. If it could be oer $1,000, that would be really cool. And I will stay up all night printing whoopee cushions if that's the case."
