spinoffs
Original: spinoffs on Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal
Transcript
Panel 1:
Older bald man: NASA is totally worth the money. They've created tons of spinoffs.
Younger man (skeptical): Like what?
Panel 2:
Older man: Velcro!
Older man: Invented by a Swiss engineer in the 1940s.
Panel 3:
Older man: Teflon?
Older man: Invented at Dupont in the 30s.
Panel 4:
Older man: Tang?
Older man: Invented at General Foods Corporation the year before NASA started.
Panel 5 (the two stand facing each other, silent):
Panel 6:
Older man: I guess... I should maybe find another way to justify money for NASA.
Younger man: Here! I started a list that may interest you.
Panel 7 (a yellow sticky note):
NASA Spinoffs:
Sent a dude to the fucking moon.
Votey:
(A yellow sticky note continuing the list)
- Sent robot to goshdarn Mars
- Spaceship beyond freakin' solar system
Older bald man: NASA is totally worth the money. They've created tons of spinoffs.
Younger man (skeptical): Like what?
Panel 2:
Older man: Velcro!
Older man: Invented by a Swiss engineer in the 1940s.
Panel 3:
Older man: Teflon?
Older man: Invented at Dupont in the 30s.
Panel 4:
Older man: Tang?
Older man: Invented at General Foods Corporation the year before NASA started.
Panel 5 (the two stand facing each other, silent):
Panel 6:
Older man: I guess... I should maybe find another way to justify money for NASA.
Younger man: Here! I started a list that may interest you.
Panel 7 (a yellow sticky note):
NASA Spinoffs:
Sent a dude to the fucking moon.
Votey:
(A yellow sticky note continuing the list)
- Sent robot to goshdarn Mars
- Spaceship beyond freakin' solar system
Alt text
A seven-panel comic. An older bald man enthuses to a younger man that NASA is worth the money because it created tons of spinoffs. The younger man asks for examples. The older man names Velcro, but immediately admits it was invented by a Swiss engineer in the 1940s. He tries Teflon, then concedes it was invented at Dupont in the 30s. He tries Tang, then admits it was invented at General Foods Corporation the year before NASA even started. The two stand silent. The older man says he should maybe find another way to justify money for NASA. The younger man hands him a sticky note reading: 'NASA Spinoffs: Sent a dude to the fucking moon.' The joke lands as a deadpan reminder that the actual achievement dwarfs the gadget trivia. Votey: a follow-up sticky note continues the list with two more bullet points: 'Sent robot to goshdarn Mars' and 'Spaceship beyond freakin' solar system.'
Transcribed by Claude Opus 4.8.