Baby Dust?

Ever so often, you stumble across something really really weird on a site that's otherwise perfectly normal. And that leads to further oddness. That's what happened here.

A bit of background: As an online hobby, I enter sweepstakes, in the (most likely mistaken) hope that some day, I'm going to win lots of money or a car or a trip to somewhere. I have actually won some smaller prizes; gift cards to various stores, debit cards, small amounts of cash (the most I ever won was $100), and various things like books, etc. I operate on the theory that my chances of winning are probably as good as your average persons, and thus far, I've won enough stuff to make it worth my while to keep entering contests. Plus, it's free, and lord knows I've got enough time on my hands.

There's a specific site I use, and every so often, I'll run across something being given away that strikes me as odd or amusing, but this is the first thing I've ever come across that made me stop and go WTF!

Ladies and Germs, courtesy of the Craftbits.com site, I give you:

Baby Dust

Quote :

Thanks to our sponsor FreeBabyDust.com you have the chance to win a packet of free baby dust to help with your "trying to conceive" issues.We have over 20 packets to giveaway.

Some questions come to mind. What exactly is 'baby dust' made of? Because all the things that come to my mind are distinctly unhealthy, and likely illegal in most parts of the world.

Then I realized that the stuff came from a 'sponsor.' So, of course, I had to go visit the original site:

Free Baby Dust

Which turns out to be a site for women who are having trouble conceiving. I gather that the idea of sprinkling magical 'baby dust' around is supposed to take your mind off the whole business of keeping track of when you ovulate and having to plan your sex life accordingly.

What's interesting is that the baby dust on the Free Baby Dust site is not, in fact, free. I'll let the owner of the website explain it to you:

Quote :

To celebrate the magical side of trying for a baby you can ask the pregnant hippo above for some FREE baby dust.


All you have to do is fill in your details and the pregnant hippo
will add your details to the list and mail you out some “Baby Dust”
that you can sprinkle around to make all your hopes and dreams come
true.


Due to the heavy demand I am no longer able to provide free “Baby
Dust” to everyone, I will select 200-300 people from the request list
to receive free baby dust each month. You will need to register your
details each month to be added to the list.
All people who make a donation so that this website can continue and
other women can receive their baby dust will have their “Baby Dust”
sent out within 72 hours as a special “Pay It Forward” Thank you.
The baby dust is not for sale I simply ask for you to pay the postage costs for the next person who requests some dust. This is a pay it forward scheme. Your baby dust is free and will be sent to you free of charge because the person before you made a “pay it forward” donation too so that you wouldn’t miss out.

See our Pay It Forward page to make a donation and then use the form below to request your free baby dust.

So basically, you're paying for it so that the next woman who orders some can get some baby dust (which she will also pay for) So no one's getting it free, except the women who win it in the Craftbits sweepstakes.

The price for it isn't that high (go further down the page for the donation buttons), but I wonder how seriously the women who order it take the whole thing? I'd like to think they realize it's just a way to take their mind off the stress of trying to conceive. But if you're someone who's been trying for several years to have a baby with no luck...I worry. I really do.

BTW, go all the way to the bottom of the Free Baby Dust page for some of the most garish and (in some cases, inappropriate) 'Trying to Conceive' blinkies I've ever seen. I don't know about you, but if I were a woman who was trying to get pregnant and had a web page, I would NOT be putting a blinkie on it announcing to the world that I hadn't managed to get pregnant yet. It strikes me as a tad tacky.

And still the question lingers: What exactly IS baby dust made out of?

Rabid Badger wrote:

And still the question lingers: What exactly IS baby dust made out of?

Babies.

InkWeaver wrote:

Rabid Badger wrote:

And still the question lingers: What exactly IS baby dust made out of?

Babies.

Yes, but what KIND of babies? Aborted dehydrated fetuses? Dead, dried-out ground up babies? These sort of things need to be known, dammit!

Rabid Badger wrote:

InkWeaver wrote:

Rabid Badger wrote:

And still the question lingers: What exactly IS baby dust made out of?

Babies.

Yes, but what KIND of babies? Aborted dehydrated fetuses? Dead, dried-out ground up babies? These sort of things need to be known, dammit!

This is why I love you, Badger. XD

Baby dust is made from the ground up newborns/miscarried fetuses of pixies, who are kept in slave camps for creating pixie sticks. So baby dust is concentrated misery. :D

rae wrote:

Rabid Badger wrote:

InkWeaver wrote:

Rabid Badger wrote:

And still the question lingers: What exactly IS baby dust made out of?

Babies.

Yes, but what KIND of babies? Aborted dehydrated fetuses? Dead, dried-out ground up babies? These sort of things need to be known, dammit!

This is why I love you, Badger. XD

Baby dust is made from the ground up newborns/miscarried fetuses of pixies, who are kept in slave camps for creating pixie sticks. So baby dust is concentrated misery. :D

Aww, I love you to, Rae

Though now I feel kind've guilty about all those pixie stix I ate when I was a kid...

If it is made out of babies, are the babies even human? Could be pig babies for all we know.

Don't be, Badger. Little fuckers deserved it. They bite. Besides, Nixie Tubes are superior.

rae wrote:

Don't be, Badger. Little fuckers deserved it. They bite. Besides, Nixie Tubes are superior.

I've never heard of Nixie Tubes before, but for my own safety and sanity, I'd best stay away from them (especially since they've got cherry AND fruit punch flavors). Badger+large amounts of caffeine=cranky rabid badger (even crankier than usual, actually, since too much caffeine gives me migraines).

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They sure are special.

What is this I don't even
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I have no idea why but this one made me laugh the hardest. It's like laughing at the mentally challenged!
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Lembech wrote:

What is this I don't even
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I have no idea why but this one made me laugh the hardest. It's like laughing at the mentally challenged!
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I think it's a case of TMI. Where I came from, a miscarriage was considered a tragic event (though how tragic depended on how far along you were). It wasn't the sort of thing you just talked to casual aacquaintences about (never mind total strangers). It was considered a private matter to be kept amongst family and friends.

This is roughly equivalent to putting a large banner on your front porch that says: I MISCARRIED!!! BUT IT'S OKAY BECAUSE THE BABY'S IN HEAVEN!

People are liable to think you're a might tetched in the head.

Raine wrote:

If it is made out of babies, are the babies even human? Could be pig babies for all we know.

So, I guess if the Baby Dust works, some women could be in for a big surprise at the ultrasound.

Rabid Badger wrote:

I think it's a case of TMI. Where I came from, a miscarriage was considered a tragic event (though how tragic depended on how far along you were). It wasn't the sort of thing you just talked to casual aacquaintences about (never mind total strangers). It was considered a private matter to be kept amongst family and friends.

This is roughly equivalent to putting a large banner on your front porch that says: I MISCARRIED!!! BUT IT'S OKAY BECAUSE THE BABY'S IN HEAVEN!

People are liable to think you're a might tetched in the head.

I can understand admitting that you had a miscarriage, but making a banner with smilies just seems a bit oddly cheerful for something that, as you put it, is a tragic event.

grmblfjx wrote:

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They sure are special.

Do I even want to know what "TTC with MFI" means?

...That being said, the swimming sperm one is hilarious and I'm actually considering using it as my next avatar.

Malganis wrote:

grmblfjx wrote:

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They sure are special.

Do I even want to know what "TTC with MFI" means?

...That being said, the swimming sperm one is hilarious and I'm actually considering using it as my next avatar.

"Trying to Conceive with Male Factor Infertility." In other words, the guy's either got a low sperm count, or the sperm isn't motile enough to make the trip and produce a viable sprog.

There. Don't you feel enlightened?

...Is enlightened a little known synonym for "really disturbed with a side order of extremely uncomfortable"?

Quote :

"Trying to Conceive with Male Factor
Infertility." In other words, the guy's either got a low sperm count,
or the sperm isn't motile enough to make the trip and produce a viable
sprog.

I know that if I have trouble getting pregnant, I'll announce to the whole internet that it's my husband's fault!

Problems? In my marriage? Naaaaww...

Lapin wrote:

...Is enlightened a little known synonym for "really disturbed with a side order of extremely uncomfortable"?

In this case, yes. :hmm:

Those blinkies are some of the most awkward things I have ever seen (especially "Never been pregnant!" and "Infertility sucks"). Seriously, what the hell?

[quote="Ceres"]

Quote :

"Trying to Conceive with Male Factor
Infertility."

And that is one of the most passive-aggressive things I've ever seen.

[quote="Ihdreniel"]Those blinkies are some of the most awkward things I have ever seen (especially "Never been pregnant!" and "Infertility sucks"). Seriously, what the hell?

Ceres wrote:

Quote :

"Trying to Conceive with Male Factor
Infertility."

And that is one of the most passive-aggressive things I've ever seen.

From what I understand, it's not that unusual for women who're trying to get pregnant and really want kids badly to get obsessed with it to the point of it being the only thing they think about. Especially if they're trying to do it the 'natural' way, as opposed to in-vitro. I remember my mom talking about a woman from one of the first churches my dad pastored who was obsessed with having kids, and apparently, she actually got suicidal every month when her period started, because it was a sign she'd 'failed.' It might have been her husband's fault for all we know, but back then, fertility medicine didn't exist. You got married, and you either had children or you didn't, and if you didn't, it was always assumed it was the woman's fault.

grmblfjx wrote:

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They sure are special.

What I find interesting about the third one is the random blonde doll on the side. I can only imagine it's supposed to represent the Mary Sue that Jesus wants to inflict on us for some reason.

DeeDee wrote:

grmblfjx wrote:

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They sure are special.

What I find interesting about the third one is the random blonde doll on the side. I can only imagine it's supposed to represent the Mary Sue that Jesus wants to inflict on us for some reason.

It's probably the Mary Sue from that Sailor Moon fanfic; the one who got down on her knees in the store and thanked God for helping her find the perfect dress. :headshot:

You ladies are all wrong, it's flying sperm, treated with Nano-machines to remain viable outside semen and with a lengthened viability period.

unskilled78 wrote:

You ladies are all wrong, it's flying sperm, treated with Nano-machines to remain viable outside semen and with a lengthened viability period.

Do they have wings? And little faces like this? :lolinsane: