One day a customer came in and bought a water frog. This was a rubber toy frog, filled with water and glitter. You could shake the frog and it would make an odd, warbling noise. Some people found the sound of the water frog disturbing, which meant everyone needed to hear the sound of the water frog. Warble, warble.
The water frog was part of a collection of toys I had recently brought in. That customer came back later and bought all the water frogs. This guy sold toner. That was his gig. It wasn't a glamorous business, and he was always looking for ways to stand out. He decided to buy water frogs, tape his business card to the bottom of the frog, and put them on all the chairs at various business breakfasts and get togethers. This got him attention, because who doesn't like the water frog?
My order for water frogs grew as his business grew. I was ordering water frogs by the case. When the regional warehouse was empty, I would empty other warehouses. I was always on the hunt for water frogs. How many water frogs do I want? All the water frogs! My sales rep called me:
"I don't want to know what you do with those water frogs, but I'm sending you all the cases."
"Well, actually, we're using them for..."
"No! I don't want to know."
We went through cases and cases of water frogs. At first I was cautious, not knowing when the gravy train of water frogs would end, but eventually I had water frog cases stacked in the office. My POS records show I bought them for 50 cents and sold them for $2.50.
Eventually the entire toy line was discontinued, along with my water frogs. It turned out nobody else was ordering water frogs. I snagged the last couple of cases, but when that was over, the reign of the water frog had ended. My toner guy stopped coming in and eventually all the other toys went away. But I'll never forget the water frog.
Warble, warble.
