With the primaries over, the U.S. presidential election is finally down to Mitt Romney and Barack Obama. But for people who are nostalgic for the year-long Republican contest to find a nominee, Matthew Epler has a unique offering. The NYU master’s student has a series of butt plugs for sale representing the campaigns of various Republican candidates.
Using Gallup’s polling data, Epler shaped each of the six butt plugs to reflect the candidates’ popularity over the course of the primary campaign.
The Gingrich campaign/butt plug, for example, starts with a wide base and narrows slightly, then swells again after the South Carolina debate before losing strength and girth. The Romney is a terrifying club that only gets thicker and more painful the further you go.
Epler says the shapes of the sex toys are part of the joke, often reflecting something about the candidates. The Santorum butt plug is completely impractical — not that the arch-conservative would even know what a butt plug is anyway.
“It was a very happy accident,” Epler said via email. “Also, I think the juvenile undertone lends to some great puns and chuckles, and that transfers easily to the rubber objects when they’re flopping around.”
The overall reaction to his little joke has been very positive so far.
“But I’m showing them in New York at an art school, so it’s not exactly hostile territory,” he said.
He didn’t give specific numbers but said sales were good so far. He will put some of the money toward recouping his material costs and to use the rest to pay for his education.
A single sex toy is $65 (the smaller Perry and Bachmann are only $45 each) and the whole set costs $350. Exact dimensions of all butt plugs are available on Epler’s website (PDF). This is a rare opportunity to put santorum in your butt; usually it flows the other way.
Matthew Epler