Catch of the day: the singing bass

When you absolutely must have a mounted fish that sings, the Big Mouth Billy Bass is the one to have.

By PAMELA DAVIS

© St. Petersburg Times, published June 3, 2000

Don't be surprised when you take a look at your neighbor's prize mounted fish and it starts serenading you, a la David Byrne of Talking Heads.

Take me to the river,
Drop me in the water . . .

The Big Mouth Billy Bass is showing up in homes all across America. In fact, he's probably lurking on a wall somewhere in your neighborhood right now.

[Times photo: Pam Royal] You looking at me? Big Mouth Billy Bass appears to jump off the wall as he croons one of two songs.

This life-size bass, like any cherished catch, rests on a wood plaque and appears to sport the same shiny coating fish get from the taxidermist.

But when you get close enough to trigger the motion sensor, the battery-powered Billy flaps his tail, lifts his head off the plaque and launches his two-song repertoire, Take Me to the River and Bobby McFerrin's Don't Worry, Be Happy.

As soon as he hit store shelves in February, shoppers snatched him up, and he's on back order at many retailers until August. Lots of people MUST HAVE Big Mouth Billy Bass, and they clearly are not all anglers. In fact, most of them aren't.

St. Petersburg resident Mollie White initially purchased her Big Mouth Billy Bass as a birthday gift for her fisherman brother. But her two daughters and husband have enjoyed Billy's company so much, they don't want to part with him.

"It makes you laugh. And not just a giggle, but a belly, crying laugh," White said. "You need that. It will bring tears to your eyes. That's what I like about it."

White hasn't had the chance to hang Big Mouth Billy Bass in her home because her two daughters enjoy carting him around. He's been to church, to school and to the post office. The kids keep asking "Can I take the fish?' when they leave the house.

White thinks she might hang him up in her lanai if the kids ever give Billy a rest.

Over at Tami Foster's St. Petersburg home, Big Mouth Billy Bass has secured a spot on the family room wall.

"It was something that was happy and playful and that's what our family room is," Foster said. "This is cheesy. We've never hung anything like this on our wall."

At the Foster place, Billy hangs among the art and special projects the kids (a 14-year-old son and 7-year-old daughter) have created throughout the years. The family purchased the novelty item in a Cracker Barrel restaurant gift shop on the way home from North Carolina. He was the last one in the store.

"He was just silly and my kids got such a kick out of it," Foster said.

Renee Celli, a Realtor with RE/MAX Action First in St. Petersburg, has a Big Mouth Billy Bass hanging in her office. Once, during a tense real estate closing, Celli placed the fake fish on the table and pressed the red button. Billy crooned Don't Worry, Be Happy for Celli's clients.

"The room burst into laughter and it broke the tension," Celli said. "I attribute it all to Billy. He's my secret business partner."

For those who don't want to hang Big Mouth Billy Bass on the wall, he comes with a built-in easel for displaying on table tops or shelves. If you think it's a bit creepy to have Billy sing every time you walk by, his motion sensor can be turned off and he will sing on command at the touch of a red button on the front of the plaque.

Gemmy Industries Inc., the Texas-based company that sells Big Mouth Billy Bass, is the same manufacturer that supplied the nation with dancing flowers, Pete the repeat parrot, a talking Christmas tree and most recently a hip-swiveling crocodile.

The immense popularity of Big Mouth Billy Bass has caught Gemmy off guard. Dialing the company's number gets you this recorded message: "We apologize for any delay you may be experiencing. We're extremely busy due to the overwhelming response of Big Mouth Billy Bass."

It sells for about $30 in department stores, toy stores, specialty and sporting goods stores. It's also sold in catalogs, on the Internet and at least one theme park, Sea World. In many places, such as St. Pete Paint & Hardware, there are waiting lists to buy Big Mouth Billy Bass.

"It's been unbelievable," said Jim Van den Dyssel, vice president of marketing and sales for Gemmy Industries. "The songs are great. People gravitate toward it. It's a feel-good item."

Even though the fish is popular, it's not as big as Tickle Me Elmo or Furby, toys sold by major companies -- Mattel and Hasbro -- and with huge TV advertising. There are no television commercials for Big Mouth Billy Bass.

"TV commercials cost money and that costs the consumer," Van Den Dyssel said. Gemmy relies on word of mouth, good packaging and the "try me" feature. Commercials would drive Billy's price up to about $50, according to Van Den Dyssel.

Billy did get boosts, however, when talk show hosts Rosie O'Donnell and Regis Philbin both plugged him on the air. Whoopi Goldberg even took him into the center square on Hollywood Squares.

Big Mouth Billy Bass will eventually make his way to stores such as Target, Wal-Mart, Spencer Gifts, Eckerd Drugs, Walgreens, Cracker Barrel and others.

Billy is big at Sea World's souvenir shops, even though the park doesn't feature freshwater fish. Anyway, who would have room for Shamu on the wall?

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