SFist Reviews Kasper Hauser's SkyMaul

It must be hard doing anything in comedy these days because by now, every nook and cranny of the culture at large has been in one way shape or form satirized, parodied, or snarked at. Hell, when you're looking at a situation in which Fox is looking to do a right-wing talk show that is a parody of the Colbert Report which is itself is a parody of right-wing talk show, we've really gone through some post-modern rabbit hole. But somehow, amazingly, local San Francisco comedy troupe Kasper Hauser has found one of the few things left that hasn't been completely mocked, those little SkyMall catalogues you always find in your seat when you fly. Yep, they've come up with their own version: SkyMaul. Esoteric, yes, and slightly obscure, but still something that rings a bell with everyone. Or at least anyone who has flown and gotten so bored they pulled out one of those suckers to read.

So what kinds of items have the Hauser gang come up with? Well, how's about Medical Test Results Fortunes Cookies. Or a Transforkshire Terrier ("this incredible kids' toy transforms from a dog to a robot- and back again!"). Or the Memorial to the Unknown Stoner ("Remember the dude who gave you a joint at the Phish show?") Some of them are pretty dead-on jokes on pre-existing things (His & Hers Fire Extinguishers), some are items that bust on some sort of subculture (the Christian Over-the-Clothes Massage Lotion), some are items that we might actually need (the Job Seeker Decoy Kit) and some are just plain absurd (the Lamacycle). But considering the thing is over a hundred pages, there's sure to be something that tickles the funny bone.