Happy Fri-Yay! Reader,

Welcome to the 4x Friday, four of the coolest things I've found, learned, or experienced this past week.

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What I watched

Remember the Spongemonkeys? ​The Spongmonkeys​ (00:00:30) are two animated rodents who first appeared in a 2004 ad campaign for Quiznos. The ad was widely mocked for its off-key singing and bizarre imagery but became a cult classic. A new ad campaign features the Spongmonkeys on a road trip to find the nation's remaining Quiznos restaurants. Both of them, LOL. The ad is meant to be a tongue-in-cheek way of acknowledging Quiznos' decline in recent years. As of 2023, about 1,000 Quiznos restaurants exist in the United States, compared to over 4,000 in 2007. Quiznos has nothing to lose.

What I read

On a scale of 1 to 10, how shocked would you be to ​find a painting of the inside of your house​ at an art gallery? 10, maybe? So was a TikTok user Josh. The painting, titled "RateMySetup," was created by artist Mauro C. Martinez who often humorously depicts everyday objects and scenes. Josh was stunned to find his living room depicted in a painting, especially since he had never met Martinez or given permission to use his photo. He contacted the artist, who confirmed that he had gotten the image of Josh's living room from Twitter. Josh had posted the picture two years earlier, captioning it "funny ass living room." The photo went viral, and Martinez was inspired to use it as inspiration for his painting.

What I voted for

The Comedy Pet Photography Awards celebrates the funniest pet photos worldwide. They were founded in 2015 by Paul Taylor, a photographer and animal lover. The awards are open to amateur and professional photographers from all over the world. The Comedy Pet Photography Awards winners are selected by a panel of judges, including celebrity animal lovers such as Paul O'Grady and Peter Egan. ​The People's Choice Award​ is a great way to get involved and to help support the work of the charity that the awards benefit. The People's Dispensary for Sick Animals (PDSA) charity provides free veterinary care to needy animals. The awards are a great way to celebrate the humor and joy that pets bring into our lives.

What I entered

In celebration of National Mustard Day on August 5, Skittles is partnering with French's to make its first-ever mustard-flavored skittle. A press release describes the candies as having a "tangy mustard flavor" combined with the candy's "iconic chewy texture" doused in a yellow coloring. One way to try the new flavor is to attend a "Mustard Mobile" pop-up event coming to three US cities: Atlanta on July 31, Washington on August 2, and New York on August 5. The only other way (the route I chose) is to enter ​the online sweepstakes​ to win a free fun-sized pack of Skittles. Wish me luck.

Have a triumphant week.

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