LOLDutchBoy

[lolmac]

With apologies to the contingent from the Netherlands . . . ;-)

Da wallz is all busted up too.
icanhastofu.com
Episode:   Bane, Season 2           Screen Capture from:  rda_daily

Comments

[lolmac]

"It's the story of a heroic little boy who, fearing his town would be destroyed by a flood of annoying American tourists, stuck his finger into one. A great flood of dollars poured out, and the town was saved! Unfortunately, it didn't get rid of the tourists, but it did make them easier to endure."

[zeilfanaat.livejournal.com]

LOL. Ok, didn't know that version. I just was aware of the one where a heroic little boy came upon a hole in the dyke and stuck his finger in the hole, thus saving (part of) The Netherlands from flooding (seeing as about a third I think of the country is well below sea level).

[lolmac]

Yes, that's the original story. Apparently it was originally called "The Hero of Haarlem" or "The Brave Little Hollander" (ych!), and was amongst the heartwarming little stories making the rounds of the elegant ladies' journals around 1850. It was picked up and popularised by the American lady who wrote "Hans Brinker and the Silver Skates", who had never even been to the Netherlands at the time. So now you're stuck with it.

I like my version better, though. Maybe the woman who does the "Scandinavia and the World" cartoons would draw it!

[zeilfanaat.livejournal.com]

Hihi, yeah, got to love how someone who's never been to our little country can create such a popular myth which then indeed leaves us stuck with it. Oh well. I can live with it.
Hmmm, next time an American comes to town here, I might just poke at him or her with my finger, and who knows, I might get lucky...! ;-)