Inflation

A story out of China last week recounts the actions of 18 police officers responding to a call about a woman in distress in a lake in Shandong province. They rushed to the scene and spent 40 minutes bringing the victim to shore only to find that she was inanimate. They can surely be excused for erring on the side of caution. It's not their actions I wish to poke fun at, I am just tickled by the photo that has made its way around the world (above) - and it's a good excuse for a weird news round-up of inflatable dolls:

• January 7, 2009 - A man in Cairns, Queensland, Australia, was wanted for breaking into 3 adult shops, having sex with blow-up dolls named "Jungle Jane," and then dumping them in a nearby alley.
• January 3, 2010 - The suicide of a man in Shanghai, China, was prevented when his inflatable doll, which he clutched as he jumped out his 6th-floor window, broke his fall.
• January 17, 2011 - A 19-year-old couple is rescued from Melbourne, Australia's Yarra River on inflatable dolls after getting into trouble.
• July 11, 2011 - Author Graeme Donald has uncovered a 1942 Nazi plan to produce sex dolls as a hygienic alternative to the French prostitutes that the German frequented.
• August 12, 2012 - Several hundred Russian men took part in the 9th Annual Bubble Baba Challenge in which they swim with sex dolls through the rapids of the Vuoksa River.
• April 2, 2012 - A 21-year-old man from Renton, Washington, is the latest driver to be issued a citation for using an inflatable, human-shaped doll to serve as a “passenger” so that he could travel in an HOV lane.
• July 26, 2012 - Applebee's has launched a series of 6 life-size inflatable office workers intended humorously to replace actual employees while they are enjoying the restaurant chain's "Pick N' Pair lunch. 

But this is the one you will remember:

• July 11, 2012 - Art installation by James Lomax.

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