A Wierd Tobacco Story

[puffy]

About 15 years ago on a back shelf of a smoke shop I found a pack of tobacco.It was marked Elephant Butts chewing and smoking tobacco.It's the only one I've ever seen in my life.Anyway I filled my pipe and fired it up.It just about knocked my head off.For some reason I remembered that experience today So I did some research on it.Here's what I found out.It was made by a company in Wheeling West Va. from about 1880 until sometime after 1940.That made what I tried to smoke about 50 years old.The campany was merged into other campanies and sold several times over the years and is long gone now.A much more famous tobacco that they made was Mail Pouch chewing tobacco.I still remember seeing those barns with mail pouch painted on them.If you just want a good laugh watch someone's face when you tell them that you've smoked Elephant Butts.Let me close by saying that this story is absolutely true.I didn't make any of it up..Honest

 

[john218]

Funny story.
Do you remember what kind of blend it was?
I immediately thought of Merd de Cheval, which is sold by 4Noggins.

Checked PipeTobacco reviews just now. There is a blend called Elephant Dung sold by a chain of stores in Switzerland called Synjeco.

 

[vabriar]

Funny!

 

[ghost]

I tried Elephant Butts before, but only after they changed the name to Borkum Riff Whiskey...

 

[misterlowercase]

A great story and a brave pipeman you are!
Thanks for sharing this cautionary elephant tale!
I've heard of folks smoking Mammoth Cave Twist which'll supposedly put yer dick in the dirt from its strength, but I ain't never hearda Elephant Butts!
I did come across a brief mention, quoted here:

" For example, celebrated vaudevillian Eddie Foy used to stuff a stogie in his pipe because, although he liked smoking a briar, he preferred the taste of a cigar Likewise, around the turn of the List century there was a brand of pipe tobacco with the questionable name of Elephant Butts, as it was composed of the butt ends of cigars."

...found at http://www.smokemag.com/pipes/0698/cross.htm

 

[docwatson]

Neat thread guys. If you collect old tobacco tins there are guide books out there that have some great photos and it's amazing some of the names given to different blends. Some of the tins are quite unique in design as well. I'd love to see the photo of elephant butts!!! LOL

 

[tbradsim1]

Loveing the stories, great one Puffy, keep them comeing. The old cajun

 

[tbradsim1]

Loveing the stories, great one Puffy, keep them comeing. The old cajun

 

[cortezattic]

@Ghost :rofl:

 

[lordofthepiperings]

Funny.

 

[zonomo]

Do you have any left Puffy? So this was Chewing Tobacco AND smoking tobacco? Weird.

 

[misterlowercase]

 

[misterlowercase]

:lol: Don't ask me about typewriters, international camouflage, concrete poetry, photocopy machines, the beat generation, old Saab cars, underground comix, skateboards or vinyl records!
That was the only image of Elephant Butts I could find, I saw alot of pictures of real elephant butts doing the search so I gave up quicker than usual! :lol:
It did pop up in a few google-books too, lines like "...He needed some chewing tobacco from the neighborhood store a block from the school. The tobacco was in a pink paper package and it was called “Elephant Butts.”



"He shook the suspicious-looking paper bag, dangling it like a mouse he'd caught. “Elephant Butts, it's a type of chew..."
"His supreme contempt for his own limbs, as he sat smoking, was one of the pleasantest oddities I have ever encountered. '• And since I've took to .... "The elephant butts, you know, sir," said Mr. Omer, winking, "

 

[cynyr]

 

[acme]

As I heard it:

Ol' Charles the First of merry ol' England.

Courtiers took up smoking when it was first becoming popular.

Ol' Charley didn't like it and tried to convince courtiers to quit.

No dice.

Got an idea.

Told the royal horse keeper to dry up some horse poop for him.

Ol' Charley told courtiers that he had changed his mind, and to show no hard feelings, gave them new blend.

Ol' Charley snickered as they lit up.

Courtiers liked merde de chavel.

"Rats," thought ol' Charley.