So, until i’ve figured out what I want 7wm to be, I’ll start using it to write about things that are happening in my life at the moment. This could end up being what 7wm is about, but only time will tell.

anyhoo, onto the bet:

My friend Ben sent me an SMS yesterday that said “Done. Sit Boo Boo, Sit. Good Dog.”

The “Done” was in response to “we need you for poker tonight, I’ll pick you up at 6:45″.

What I took issue with, however, was not that Ben said he was coming to poker despite him having to work last night, but rather his incorrect citing of the Ubu Productions logo soundbyte.

For those unfamiliar [never mind the fact that I'm not expecting anyone to read this] Ubu Productions Inc is a production house started by Gary David Goldberg, responsible for such famous series as Spin City and Family Ties.

Ubu’s logo, which is shown at the end of most episodes of series they produce, is a picutre of Ubu Roi, Gary David Goldberg’s labrador, with a soundbyte playing of Goldberg saying “Sit Ubu Sit. Good Dog.” followed by “woof” from best friend Ubu.

Now, Ben clearly got it wrong with the whole “Boo Boo” thing. I responded to his SMS with “No, it’s ubu. Boo Boo was Yogi Bear’s friend”. He promptly responded, saying he was going to ask around, convinced that I was wrong. I replied with a wager of $5 that I was correct.

6:45 rolled around and I picked him up for Poker. He reported back that everyone he asked at Uni said that it was indeed “Boo Boo” and that I was wrong. When we arrived at Andy’s, where we were playing poker last night, I borrowed the computer for a minute and found the expected entry on Wikipedia. It is from there that I quote the following:

The closing tag for UBU’s productions is a photograph of Ubu Roi with a Frisbee in his mouth, with a male voice saying: “Sit, Ubu, sit! Good dog!” This is followed by a bark.

Defeated, but not convinced, Ben paid me the $5 [I actually took it from his poker winnings]. He protested, trying to sway my opinion into believing him. I eventually [sort of] caved, and proposed that for another $5, I would try and get a letter, on an official Ubu letterhead, proving that the tag is, in fact, Ubu and not Boo Boo.

Ben decided that an email would not suffice, as he could not “proxily verify it” [his words, not mine] and that in order for me to win the pot of gold, it would need to be an actual letter signed by someone that works for Ubu.

I was a little busy this morning organising some stuff for work, and I had uni, but as soon as I got home, I typed up a letter to Ubu, stuffed it in an envelope, and put it in the mail box. The letter is below.

Dear Sir/Madam

My name is Andrew Harrison. I live in Melbourne, Australia, and am an avid fan of several of Ubu Productions’ television series, in particular Spin City.

I would like to congratulate you on your years of fantastic production of TV series that have made me – and many others – laugh over the years.

I would like to know a bit more about Ubu Productions. Specifically, I would like to know about the name “Ubu” and its origins, as well as a general history of one of my favourite production companies.

I eagerly await your reply, and even more eagerly await the newest Ubu series to come!

My address at the top of this page can be used for all correspondence, and I have included a self-addressed envelope. As I am unable to purchase US stamps from Australia, I have included Australian stamps to the approximate value of the postage.

Thanking you in advance,

Andrew Harrison

As you can see, I decided not to go with the “I made a bet with my friend, I need you to settle it” approach, but rather the whole “I’m a die hard fan who wants to know more” thing with a splash of “you guys are the greatest” thrown in for good measure.

I’m hoping for a response within the next couple of weeks. I would really like a photo of Ubu the dog, but will settle for a simple, polite reply on their letterhead.

Obviously I’ll post the reply when I get it.

cheers

Update: Edited to clean up html semantics in 2010 after being prompted by an email from a reader asking if I ever got a response. Their friend also believed it was “Boo Boo”.