Hard to beat the ‘guy lights his own farts and catches cat on fire post’… yes the song posts are always good plus the tell us about you screen name and the Sunday critters are a must. IMO… /Salute
I guess from time to time the story of the origins of the name BigFurHat should be told.
In a galaxy far, far away, Irony Curtain found a site called The People’s Cube. Being artists, Hippie Critic, Irony Curtain and myself (and later, illustr8r) were impressed with the graphics and look of the site.
One day Irony sent us a link. When we clicked it was a parody book cover he did for an Obama autobiography and it was posted, magically, on TPC. We were dumbfounded. How did that happen?
He said he sent it to Oleg Atbashian, the owner of the site, and he posted it.
So, of course, Hippie and myself wanted to have something published as well.
This was my first submission, and the commenters loved it.
You’ll notice the credit already had my name. When Oleg accepted my submission he asked me to come up with a screen name that was the type used at TPC – which is a parody of cold war Soviet Union.
I asked, “What is the name of the “big fur hat” the Russians wear?”
He said, “A Ushanka.”
I said, “Okay, my name is Ushanka.”
He said, “We have a Ushanka already.”
So, I said, “Okay, Big Fur Hat.”
Had I known it would stick, maybe I would have put more thought into it.
Irony, Hippie and I became so prolific Oleg gave us our own piece of real estate at TPC. It was called The KG3.
Eventually, Admin Girl convinced us we should have our own site. She owned the url I Own the World, which she used as a review of dive bars in Los Angeles. She gave it to us, and the rest is history.
I switched to the abbreviated BFH because many people assumed I was Hasidic, and received lots of emails asking me to participate in Jewish themed affairs and posts, and such.
iOwnTheWorld became iOTWreport because AdminGirl did not want to let me be administrator on the site even while her health was failing. Running a site has daily problems that need to be addressed asap. She did not have the stamina at some point so we switched over to this url.
The story of how that went down is another post in itself. Maybe another day.
Thank you for asking, LuvntheBIGsites.
TY for clearing that up!
I think I found you from Atlas Shrugs
Yes, I worked with Pamela Geller for years on all of her Counter- Jihad ads. One of the great pleasures, but also tinged with sadness, was the title card I did for the movie “Can’t We Talk About This?”
The movie about the murder of Theo Van Gogh. The image ran on a billboard in Times Square.
https://www.amazon.com/Cant-We-Talk-About-This/dp/B078YC37ZH
I’ve been lurking here since the beginning.
All these long years and I’ve never quite known. I knew this place originated in TPC, where I frequented but did not go by this handle; but I could have sworn IOTW predated Obama. Funny how our minds record things.
I won a Ushanka from Oleg himself ( I think)) on a captioning contest on this site…..I won a couple of other things too, so I’m a fan of captioning contests…..It’s a window into the level of crazy that exists in other commentators….
I wore the Ushanka into the local post office a few times with the different signage and there was real fear in their eyes….It was glorious…..
Sturge, we do predate Obama. The Audacity of Hope (which is the book Irony parodied) was published in 2006.
iOwntheWorld.com was up in 2008, being tested. But we officially launched on Obama’s inauguration day in 2009.
One of the main reasons we started the site was because of an article written that said it isn’t even fair in the meme wars, right versus left, because the left has all of the talent.
I can conservatively say that in the 8 years of Obama we were responsible for over 3,000 memes that you can find on the internet. That is not an exaggeration.
IAMAI
I have seen things here that are inexplicable
And I did IT x 5
Still First in Space
With Friends Surrounded
Forever and Ever
My boss actually turned me on to your site all those many years ago. I have been a daily reader ever since. I most enjoy the balance of funny with serious. How I like to keep up with the serious, but I miss a lot of the humorous posts to keep us sane in this crazy world that seems to be devolving at a faster pace. Please keep up the great work.
I miss Karl Ushanka. He’s dropped out of sight like so many others. The rest of us keep trudging along in the Siberian schitt storm of life.
I think it was Kathy at blazing cat fur or maybe sda. quite a while ago any way. Always fun. Us Canuks wear big fur hats with ear flaps.
I came here through Lucianne.com. She shared a list of “Blogs Lucianne Loves” and I Own the World was there. Tried it, loved it, never went back to Lucianne.
It wasn’t a non-political post or any post at all that was funny, but the night we all started giving ourselves thumbs up because there was a period of time during which a certain number of thumbs down turned the comment into Chinese characters. The comments that accompanied the thumbs up were punchy. We needed it, too, because it was toward the latter part of the ’16 primaries and, at a low point in usual conviviality here at IOTWReport, readers/commenters were rolling around in the gutter with one another.
I bookmarked some of the best posts of that year (with all the comments), but I don’t think I have that one to share. It was a great night! I miss many of the people who used to be here. They were a great bunch.
…I followed Fur here from TPC. I love TPC, but anymore it reads more like the daily headlines instead of the parody site it is.
Fur, this is weird. I was just thinking (last week!) about a contest you had when you gave away an itty bitty portrait you painted of your avatar with your big fur hat. You know … the one that the hat was bigger than the man!
I was so bummed that I didn’t win it. It would have been one of my most treasured items!
Chalupa, I too miss Karl. Although I still have my ushanka hat I won for guessing closest to how much money was in his cuss jar. I can’t tell you how long I have been around, but it has been a very long time. Injury at work in 2005, first of 8 ankle surgeries starting in 2007, 2 knee surgeries, multiple back injections, etc etc. I have spent so much time stuck sitting on my ass I don’t know what I would have done if I had not stumbled upon bigfur and the Gang many years ago. I also could never thank them enough. Good people. That’s what they all are.
Baking the Nights
Together
A Choral Group Cake
@Shake – I still have my ushanka as well. Karl has family here in Northern California. He’s been to my house. A nicer and more patriotic guy you will not meet. He just walked away from his blog and hasn’t been heard from since. The Bible says don’t tire in your good works. When the powers that be are stealing elections it seems kind of hopeless. But we can never give up – we win in the end.
Dearest Claudia — You mean the itty bitty self-portrait of Mr. Hat in his giant Ushanka that’s sitting next to the itty bitty painting of the Purple Heart, on the ledge of a backsplash in our kitchen where I see them every morning?
Geoff C. The Saltine won both of them. They are treasured.
(Fur, are you going to make any more of your painted ornaments? We love the ones we got a few years back.)
————
YES! Good for you! – Claudia
Funny, Jerry Manderin sent me a picture of his ornament on his tree. That happened…. today.
I sure wish I remembered how or when I found and began posting on I Own The World. I just don’t remember.
I’d send you pics of mine on the tree, too, except you’ve blocked me on your phone. Why?
Great memories! I think I found iotw on Facebook, right around 0bama’s inauguration. You are still the closest thing to an online family for me, many of you are Facebook friends as well.
Definitely have seen some ups and downs with a few long-time commenters who went feral on us. But I have learned a lot, enjoyed a lot of comments and posts, and am happy to spend some time here. If I drop off at times it’s because I am more focused on other life stuff, but this is a bunch I will always hold dear.
There was a piece of writing that said the talent on the left makes the meme wars between the right and left unfair.
I’m thankful so many of us old timers are still friends on Facebook. Sadly some of us have dropped out – don’t want Schmuckburger making a nickel off of us. I can understand that, but me – I’d rather squeeze the buffalo til it craps and throw the nickel at the Schmuck. Jerry’s a great guy. He’s tearing it up on Twitter now that free speech is back.
“I’d send you pics of mine on the tree, too, except you’ve blocked me on your phone. Why?”
I accidentally blocked the whole fam damily the other day. Hey, what can I say, I’m old.
Why the fuck would you bring this up publicly instead of emailing him? No class.
I forgot how I found IOTWReport but sometimes I feel like a newcomer ever though it has been 6-7 years at least.
Years ago I read LGF before Charles went, well, you know what and banned everybody who said anything. Then I went to another site which was great until the people running it drank the Obama Kool Aid in 2008. A while after that someone started the site I (almost exclusively) now write for from time to time.
Happy to be a part of this bunch of happy miscreants.
What ever happened to the “Guess the voice” contest?
Brad — What the hell?! Is this actually Brad of formerly Bad Brad?! If so, I can’t believe you just wrote that to me. How in the hell do you know I wasn’t ribbing Fur? Are you drunk? What a question! You must be.
Apologize.
AA, You goof, I was ribbing you right back. Apologize.
Oh sure you were.
And oh sure you were. Right?
OK, The Peoples Cube. Yeah, that explains some things for me. I’m a latecomer here so I appreciate the history, thanks.
“’d send you pics of mine on the tree, too, except you’ve blocked me on your phone. Why?”
Where’s the haha part? Just asking. How drunk am I now?
I remember the change from iowntheworld. I asked my Dad what the heck was going on. In those days I was a lurker, and not a daily reader. From then I had many names and many faces. I was Quong, and Shaunqueefus, and Tiredoftheseshitbags… I’m pretty sure I was Tard for a while. And I was Anonymous, too.
@ BFH DECEMBER 13, 2022 AT 10:04 PM
Wow! I had no idea I had been here since the beginning or extremely close to the beginning. I never did Facebook so how I found this site is a mystery to me. I never posted to other political forums before and rarely since.
Well, Brad, you sure got me there. I forgot the “ha ha”.
So this is how you roll. I thought we were friends. Boy, was I fooled. It makes me sad.
““’d send you pics of mine on the tree, too, except you’ve blocked me on your phone. Why?”
Why would you type that? We haven’t been pals or a long time. You know it, I know it.
None of the rest of us have the secret encoder ring.
@RadioMattM I just made a LGF reference yesterday on Twitter, referring to popehat who similarly made a bizarre, immediate change to the other side of the aisle.
I have zero clue what you are talking about. Nada. I just texted you. If we haven’t been friends for a long time, it’s news to me. Which must mean, of course, that you wrote me off a long time ago and I’m just learning of it now. Wow. I don’t know what you mean by secret decoder ring. It might have been good of you to let me know.
Well I’d text you back, but nobody like conversing with a drunk.
…and dear Fur: I was just ribbing you. That’s for the record. I’m keeping a copy of this for my files. Also for the record: Ha Ha
All this time, given your background from New York City, I thought your name was developed from listening to Bob Dylan and his song “Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat” (“it balances on your head just like a mattress on a bottle of wine…”). Oh well. The Ushanka and KGB background story is much better!
But I know in my heart that Pamela, the one and only fashion and jazz loving girl that she is, would always be the babe wearing that brand new leopard skin pill box hat.
I don’t remember how I got IOTW, I think it was through “Larwyn’s Links” at Director Blue featuring some post that looked funny. I remember the change to IOTWreport. Also, Greyscapes’ posts about how he’d hit just about anything.
I don’t remember how long I’ve been hangin around on the fringes, kinda like that weird kid always pickin his nose. 4-5 years at least.
Ok, my exposure to iOTW; saw an image by Fur on American Thinker, followed it and I was hooked! It was shortly after Obama’s inauguration, I think.
After I sent a billion (I exaggerate) tips to Fur, he asked if I wanted to contribute. I nearly fell off my chair saying “YES”!
I found this site from http://www.whatfinger.com
And enjoyed it ever since… I stop by each and every day.
I think I found iotwr from a Story on American Thinker…Maybe Dr. Tar?
It said “I always start My day with a laugh from iotwr”
Either 2012 0r 2014…. I started out as Bcatttttin…or sumpin similar.
Thank you, Big, for your and your team’s daily work. This is where I get my news.
Claudia, I found BFH the same way through American Thinker around the same time.
I know what BFH use to mean but ever since Hat went to using the initials full time it’s taken on the meaning we use in Northern Wisconsin.
Big F*’in Hammer – which he is to the left.
I found iOTW through The Cube, probably 12 years ago. It was like an addiction until BFH and MJA let me contribute then it became an obsession – a wonderfully enjoyable endeavor.
I don’t remember how I found this site, but I’ve been here since the early days of obola’s first term. I’m mostly a lurker, but I read every article and all the comments (the best part, I might add) every single day. I feel like I know everyone here, although nobody knows me. You know, kinda like it was in high school. ; )
I used to frequent Fellowshipoftheminds blog (WordPress) and someone linked to IOT there and that’s how I recall landing here.
I can’t remember how I found this site, but I’ve been here practically from the beginning. I still remember a post BFH made that had me laughing in my coffee. It was about you being called for jury duty on a case with a Muslim defendant and how you got out of serving. Would love to see that post again.
I’m not sure how I originally got here, but after the first time,It became my go to read in the morning. I started out at TPC as Herr Lurkeroffen, but I rarely go there anymore.
I taught Irony Curtain, Hippie Critic, and BFH art and blogging – they may not remember it because I’m so subtle.
A master, I’d say, if I wasn’t so humble.
I found IOTW trying to find out who harrison j bounel was and why was obutthole using his ssn number on tax returns
before oblowme, the 1st 3 numbers of your ssn number were a location identifier … but then it was noted/questioned to how oblowme wasn’t born/lived in CT but his ssn number showed CT locator numbers …. hmmm
I first went to The People’s Cube because during his show one day, Rush Limbaugh said it was one of the best parody sites he’d ever seen.
That led me here.
Thank you, What a Deal. Your comment was stuck in filter because of link. We are having a tough time with spam.
Thank you for understanding.
Riverlife,
Wow. I remember that! I was called to serve and really didn’t want to. But I’m not going to just make something up, so I went.
The entire time I am hoping somehow to get out of this. It was a malpractice lawsuit. We were on the last leg of the voir dire and one of the lawyers for the defense says the name of his client – it was like Muhammad bin Muhammad. Very Muslim name. For some reason my hand went up. I asked to speak to the lawyers. Both plaintiff and defense lawyers met me in a room. I said, I don’t know if this matters but I am a serving member of AFDI. They asked, what is that. I said it’s an organization dedicated to counter-jihad founded by Pamela Geller. I said, I think I can be fair, but what if I return a guilty verdict and the defense found out my affiliation. The plaintiff’s lawyer said, well, we know now. And I said, exactly. Both sides thanked me for being honest and dismissed me. Both sides said, “oh, by the way, keep up the good work!” The defense lawyer gave me a thumbs up. lol
I was linked to this site by my SIL, back around Obama’s inauguration. I didn’t realize it had just started up. It’s been a fun ride, but I never won anything. This has been my virtual family too, (including the short-fused, hot headed cousin).
I don’t remember how I got here but I remember when. It was during Barry’s occupation. My first post was on a picture of a burning traffic light with the question: Do You Know Were This Is? My reply was: At the Intersection of Hope and Change.
I love the comments and the people here (but maybe not the occasional dust-ups in the comment section).
I found this site through TPC which I found through some other site.
This is my go-to favorite site for news and great comments and observations.
Thank you BFH and the other mods for all your hard work.
This place is the best!
I followed BFH here from American Thinker. I posted in a thread there and called Obama “President Sissy Pitch” and read a post by BFR in the same thread. I think American Thinker had a link, so I followed it and started posting as even steven.
Oops… BFH.
“ Funny, Jerry Manderin sent me a picture of his ornament on his tree. That happened…. today.”
It be like that sometimes. 🙃
Chalupa is such an awesome friend. Not a day goes by where I’m laughing at something he posts. 🤣
Did anyone have the forethought to take a screen shot of the original IOTW Ugly Mosaic?
A pic of several Nuns with rifles brought me here.
My Ushanka came with the following signage…
“FORWARD with hammer and sickle”..
” when life gives you Lenin DRINK LENINADE”…
“OBAMA with hammer and sickle”…
“OBAMA ’08 with hammer and sickle”…
“OBAMA BIDEN with hammer and sickle”…
“LIBERAL PROGRESSIVE COMMUNIST”…and my favorite…
Gadsden flag with”CONSERVATIVES OF THE WORLD UNITE”….