The ladies of Singapore have some New Year's treats for their hubbies — underpants specially designed to bring good luck and improve, um, male vigor.
The bright-red briefs feature the Chinese characters for "wealth" and "prosperity," said Jeannette Chong, owner of the ButtOn Trendy Undies store, where she sells each pair for $5.90 in Singapore dollars ($3.50 in U.S. dollars).
Women are also snapping up "Funky Monkey" panties by the truckload. The Chinese Year of the Monkey (search) begins Jan. 22.
"The Year of the Monkey is definitely more marketable than the other [Chinese] zodiac signs," Chong said, "because the cartoon designs for women's underwear are cuter and more appealing."
Other buyers of the lucky undies include gray-haired men hoping to feel a bit younger and "mamasans" — women who arrange sexual liaisons — looking for "corporate gifts" for their clients, Chong said.
Bicycle Thief Feels the Christmas Spirit
Janna and Larry Barnes of Mission, Texas, were upset when they came home from Christmas shopping to find that Janna's three-speed bicycle had been stolen.
Two weeks later, they got a strange letter in the mail, reported the Monitor of McAllen, Texas.
"Hello," it read. "My daughter wanted a bike for Christmas so I took yours but I found a fairly new bike so I sold yours for $7 and I decided that money should go to you. Thank you, Juan."
"P.S.," the writer added. "You people are so nice to leave things not locked up. It sure makes it easier to get something. Thank you again, Juan."
Also in the envelope were seven dollar bills.
"I guess I'm too trustworthy," Janna Barnes, 63, told the newspaper. "But the little girl got a bike for Christmas."
Her husband Larry, 64, said that had the thief simply explained why he needed the bicycle, "I would have given it to him."
— Thanks to Out There reader J. Ariel G.
Pie Man Preys On the Less Intelligent
Staffers at O'Charley's restaurant in Springfield, Ohio, got a strange sight out the window last Thursday: three shirtless men throwing pies at each other.
Manager Robyn LaJeunesse went out to see what was going on, reported the Dayton Daily News.
The three, by now covered in fruit and crust crumbles, told him an O'Charley's (search) manager named Mike had promised them free food if they took off their shirts and threw pies.
"We don't even have a manager named Mike," LaJeunesse told the newspaper. "I felt really bad for them."
Cops think a local man, who last year got people to let him hit them in the face with pies in exchange for nonexistent gift certificates, might be behind this incident as well.
— Thanks to Out There reader Matt M.
Fast-Food Auction Frenzy Reaches New Highs, or Lows
Due to popular demand, we feel obligated to keep you abreast of the eBay auction of fast-food restaurant condiment packets we reported on earlier.
Bidding on the 129 tasty treats, which includes sauces and ketchups from Burger King, Jack in the Box, Taco Bell and others, reached an astronomical $535.00 on Tuesday night, mysteriously shot back down to $127.50 Wednesday afternoon, and then closed out a few hours later back up at $531.00.
Congratulations to winning bidder "hrhcary" for paying that much money for things he'd normally get for free.
Man's Best Friend Shows Up for His Funeral
BRISTOL, Pa. (AP) — The family of a man who died last week said that when they went to a funeral home to make arrangements for him, they found one mourner already in attendance — his daughter's dog.
Polo, a 3-year-old mix of German shepherd, chow chow and Labrador, was often seen in the company of Ed Crossan, whose daughter, Donna, owns the dog. Crossan, 73, died after surgery last week.
On the day that Theresa Crossan was preparing to make funeral arrangements for her husband, someone let Polo out and no one could find him.
When the family arrived at the Wade Funeral Home about five blocks away, they found Polo pacing back and forth.
"It was just a dog looking for his pal," said veterinarian Dr. Eric Meihofer. "It's an amazing story. It shows that the dog was very loyal and loving."
GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) — A suspect in a series of bank robberies was done in by his own bad spelling, police said.
Robert C. Whitney, 39, consistently confused the words "dye" and "die" in robbery notes given to bank tellers, police said.
A note used in the Gainesville robbery read "If a die pack blows, so do you," said police Sgt. Keith Kameg.
The same wording had been used on notes in two Volusia County (search) robberies, he said.
"If anything says education is important to your future, this case says that," Kameg said. "As simple as spelling one word wrong was instrumental in solving three bank robberies."
Compiled by Foxnews.com's Paul Wagenseil.
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