This is not a trick question or a quiz, but rather an honest inquiry into a story recently featured in the British media about an Englishman who ordered a size 14.5 pair of slippers from a Chinese manufacturer and received a size 1,450 instead.
Was something lost in the translation or was the seven-foot monster merely a very clever publicity stunt?
Tom Boddingham, 27, does indeed have a very large foot, and the subsequent picture of him wearing the enormous error no doubt amused many a reader perusing the afternoon papers amid tea and assorted crumpets and scones.
Boddingham claims that he ordered one slipper, size 13, and one size 14.5 due to the disparity in his foot size. Instead, he received one size 1,450 slipper, indicating that the old Dinah Washington classic about "what a difference a day makes" should be changed to what a difference a decimal point makes!
"It was sent directly from Hong Kong and measures 210 x 130 x 65 cm, the same length as a grizzly bear or a family car. I reckon I must be the owner of the biggest slipper in the world. I'm going to sell it online, and if I can make a few quid out of it, then all the better," Boddingham told the media.
As is indicated by the photo, the slipper is the size of a small bed. The story was widely publicized and a company blog post included an apology, claiming the factory went along with the unusual order because they assumed the monstrosity was a prop for a store window display.
Since the story was released, the shoe is now on the other foot (or something like that).
Some clever newsman noticed that the wronged Mr. Boddingham looked a lot like Monster Slippers' website advertising manager, Joe Jennings. When the website refused to comment, suspicions flared that the story might be a publicity stunt.
The picture appears to be very real, although no one (save the shoe and its maker) knows for sure if this story is merely a toe-rrrible mistake or just a bid for national attention. |
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Gigantic Slipper Delivered in Error: True or False?