The Spiro Agnew Watch

May 9, 2016 6:51 AM

In the early 70s, “the then-current campus joke, ‘Did you know that Mickey Mouse wears a Spiro Agnew watch?’” sparked a fad: the Spiro Agnew watch. A California physician and his wife founded the Dirty Time Watch Co. to market the watch, which became popular with, in addition to the masses, John Lennon, Elizabeth Taylor, Pierre Salinger, and Ethel Kennedy. Beware of knockoffs, but even originals aren’t worth very much.
posted by thursdaystoo (21 comments total)

No watch, but when clearing out my in-laws old house I found a copy of this gem. It is a thing of awe and wonder and an essential listen for all Agnew scholars.
posted by kinnakeet at 7:03 AM on May 9, 2016 [5 favorites]

When someone comes out with a Pat Paulsen watch, I'd be all over that one.
posted by Major Matt Mason Dixon at 7:06 AM on May 9, 2016 [7 favorites]

Dang, add this to the list of 'things I didn't know existed but now must have, courtesy of Metafilter'
posted by Fig at 7:35 AM on May 9, 2016 [1 favorite]

Good stuff. The second link says: one hand showing the "Peace" sign and the other showing the "B.S." sign
Looks more like Sign of the horns to me.
posted by exogenous at 7:41 AM on May 9, 2016

Poe's law is such a force today that a Donald Trump watch would instantly be co-opted by Trump supporters. Sort of like what happened to The Donald's subreddit.
posted by leotrotsky at 8:39 AM on May 9, 2016

I found a copy of this gem

Samesies
posted by Zerowensboring at 8:45 AM on May 9, 2016

Even after all these years, I still don't get the original "joke". What is funny about Mickey Mouse wearing a Spiro Agnew watch? Alas, it's not explained in any of the articles.
posted by yhbc at 8:55 AM on May 9, 2016 [4 favorites]

yhbc, Comment 1 here explains it: It was meant to demean Agnew as a cartoon character even a cartoon character could make fun of.

Fun trivia, some of the diplomatic gifts given to Agnew are in the Smithsonian. My "favorite" is this tiger skull "smoking accessory".
posted by gudrun at 9:05 AM on May 9, 2016 [4 favorites]

One of them was the harmless, inoffensive face of a ruthless regime, and the other was Spiro Agnew.
posted by tobascodagama at 9:08 AM on May 9, 2016 [4 favorites]

I just learned that Spiro Agnew wrote a thriller novel about a fictional vice president! The book's second paragraph talks about the virtues of his 727: "And now the engine modifications and increased fuel capacity of the E model gave it enough range for intercontinental missions. He was glad they hadn't gone supersonic."

I don't know what this means. The main character is flying with the press corp west of California. Is he glad that they had not taken a supersonic jet like the Concord, even though supersonic overland passenger flights were not a thing? Is he glad that the 727 had not been upgraded with magical supersonic capabilities, which seems ridiculous? Or was Spiro Agnew just writing words that he thought sounded cool and official?
posted by compartment at 9:12 AM on May 9, 2016 [1 favorite]

Oops. I meant east of California, which would actually be overland. Also, now I am making myself laugh by thinking of the phrase "cosplay veep"
posted by compartment at 9:34 AM on May 9, 2016

Or was Spiro Agnew just writing words that he thought sounded cool and official?

what did you expect from the seminal nattering nabob of negativism?
posted by quonsar II: smock fishpants and the temple of foon at 9:52 AM on May 9, 2016 [1 favorite]

To Walt Kelly Spiro Agnew was the gift that kept on giving.
posted by lagomorphius at 9:56 AM on May 9, 2016

What is funny about Mickey Mouse wearing a Spiro Agnew watch?

A Mickey Mouse watch was a kid's watch at the time. Agnew was so pathetic that Mickey wore a watch of him.

That said, I need to get both of these watches.
posted by ChurchHatesTucker at 10:36 AM on May 9, 2016 [1 favorite]

I remember the watch, but don't remember anyone actually owning one.
I do recall a, um, friend, having rolling papers.
posted by MtDewd at 11:59 AM on May 9, 2016

The third most valued item in my small jewelry box is a Spiro Agnew watch. The last time I checked the contents of the box, it still worked (if you wound it; yep, a wind-up watch).

Agnew was the Dan Quayle of his era, and it says much about the two decades between the two that Quayle didn't suffer the same fate.
posted by oneswellfoop at 12:14 PM on May 9, 2016 [3 favorites]

Agnew didn’t even get the support of his fellow Republicans. They considered him difficult, constantly self-aggrandizing, and insistent that he have more power and prestige at every turn

Remind you of any contemporary Republicans?

Can you get 3rd party faces for the Apple Watch yet? I want to proudly display my Maryland heritage.
posted by TedW at 1:05 PM on May 9, 2016

Agnew was the Dan Quayle of his era.

No, Agnew was much worse that that. Quayle was just an unqualified bumbler. Agnew was a malicious force vigorously promoting racism and bigotry. Agnew also took corruption to a new level, literally taking brown paper bags of cash bribes while sitting as Vice-President.
posted by JackFlash at 1:57 PM on May 9, 2016 [2 favorites]

The only fact I can reliably remember about Spiro Agnew is that his name is an anagram of Grow A Penis. You're welcome.
posted by Mchelly at 4:15 PM on May 9, 2016 [1 favorite]

I grew up in a household where there was a wastebasket emblazoned with big-head caricatures skewering Agnew and Nixon. Wonder where that is now. Probably under Dad's Pink Flamingos poster in his garage?
posted by gusandrews at 8:52 PM on May 9, 2016

My parents had one of these.
posted by PHINC at 10:36 PM on May 9, 2016