• herrcaptain@lemmy.ca
    41·
    7 months ago

    This one is sad because she was obviously mentally ill and not getting the help she needed, but it’s the best example I have of the city I grew up in.

    We had “Toonie Lady.” She would roam around downtown begging for a Toonie and would get very upset if you gave her anything else, even if it was more.

    For the non-Canadians, a Toonie is a $2 coin.

    • Transporter Room 3@startrek.website
      8·
      7 months ago

      We had one woman like this everyone called “dime bag Debbie” because she always asked for “ten dollars for chicken”

      Not happy (but still accepting) if you gave her anything other than $10, and a few people I knew apparently tried to buy her raw and cooked chicken, as well as chicken sandwiches from various restaurants and that was also unhappily accepted.

      I think the $10 thing is a coincidence, and people call her “dimebag” because they assume she does drugs. No idea if she does or not though.

    • Mo5560@feddit.de
      5·
      7 months ago

      This is amusing to me because we have the “20ct guy” in my city who always claims he only needs 20ct and as soon as he sees any more money he’ll steal it from you.

  • TopRamenBinLaden@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
    28·
    7 months ago

    There is a man that wears chainmail armor made out of soda can pop tabs that is famous in both Tucson and Phoenix areas of Arizona. His name is Chicago, and you can catch him on the bus or at random punk and metal shows around AZ, if you are lucky.

    • Gadg8eer@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
      2·
      7 months ago

      F-ing A! Props to him, it’s a very unique look and most people can’t seem to work up the courage to do more than follow trends.

  • Rose Thorne(She/Her)@lemm.ee
    26·
    7 months ago

    Kitten Guy.

    Dude was a little strange, but otherwise a good person. He just kept taking in strays, and if he had kittens in need, they went everywhere with him. Most of them ended up at new homes, but he had a few who stuck around. Wasn’t unusual for him to be feeding two or three kittens and have two more sitting on his shoulders.

    It was an extremely small town, so he stuck out like a sore thumb. They went everywhere with him. Never caused any trouble.

  • TotallyNotSpez@lemm.ee
    26·
    7 months ago

    My hometown’s got the yellow man. Some random dude who’s wearing nothing but yellow clothes, riding a yellow bicycle around the place. I wonder what his favourite colour might be…

  • Semi-Hemi-Lemmygod@lemmy.worldEnglish
    21·
    7 months ago

    I lived in a small town and there was a guy who’d ride his bike everywhere, with big metal panniers usually filled with soda cans. He’d be out in all weather, with high-visibility gear on, and would travel all miles outside of town with hundreds of cans piled on his bike.

    When I asked people about him, they said he had a learning disability and lived with his mom, and would sell the soda cans for a little spending cash. Everybody loved him, especially the town government who paid him a stipend to clean up the town and let him keep anything he found. Since I helped at the local farmer’s market I met him quite a few times and he was always cheerful and friendly.

    • Gadg8eer@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
      2·
      7 months ago

      And people in high places would say he’s “useless” far too often. Oh well.

      Glad the municipality at least recognized his efforts, I just mean that in general that doesn’t happen. Really shows that town had better priorities than most.

      I hope the guy is still doing okay?

      • Semi-Hemi-Lemmygod@lemmy.worldEnglish
        1·
        7 months ago

        AFAIK he’s still doing okay. And the town definitely had its priorities straight. They kept out a Walmart and two chain restaurants because they didn’t want to change the character of the town.

  • Transporter Room 3@startrek.website
    20·
    7 months ago

    Crackhead Dan.

    He started out as “dancing Dan” because of how often you could see him jamming out to something walking down the road, but he didn’t like the name. Somehow it changed to crackhead, and I haven’t heard his opinion on it.

    He looks rather disheveled, leading many to wonder if he’s homeless or not. Nobody seems to know. I’ve never seen him panhandling, dumpster diving, or with anything other than a backpack.

    He likes to support the city’s high school band though, goes to the football games and always goes to the band concession stand and leaves tips.

    You could tell anyone any story about him and they’d just go “yeah that sounds about right”

    • Facebones@reddthat.com
      4·
      7 months ago

      You could tell anyone any story about him and they’d just go “yeah that sounds about right”

      Should be added to the meke cause its a quintessential part of this trope lmao.

  • Sprinks@lemmy.world
    18·
    7 months ago

    Pallet guy. Very few know his face, but we all know his tiny car and stack of 10 pallets on top speeding down the interstate.

  • restingboredface@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
    16·
    7 months ago

    St Louis has “keytar guy”. He sets up at random intersections in the city and jams out on his keyboard. He’s usually sporting a mullet and is shirtless with cutoff jean shorts. He’s pretty good and is entertaining as hell.

    • CatTrickery@lemmy.blahaj.zone
      3·
      7 months ago

      There are a load. There’s the guy with a flashing massive speaker in his wheelchair; there’s Jesus tax guy; there’s Johnny Cash; there’s purple Ackie; and there are deffo a frw more that I can’t quite remember at the mo. Barry is the OG though.

      Edit: I can’t believe I forgot that guy who dances like Jake the Dog on Piccadilly gardens.

  • M137@lemmy.world
    16·
    7 months ago

    Poop-man here in Gothenburg, Sweden.

    A dude that has been banned from all music festivals in Sweden and many others in neighbouring countries because he covers himself with shit and bathes in urinals. He has also smeared shit all over the walls in multiple places, including one of the ferries here. I worked at an underground club for a few years around 2005 and he “painted” the walls of one of our toilets one time. He never drinks or does drugs apparently, he’s just fucked up. Been well-known since the 90s…

  • leftzero@lemmynsfw.com
    15·
    7 months ago

    We had the phone guy. He used to walk around town with a red plastic rotary phone, and occasionally tell passersby they had a call.

    Then cellphones happened, and he just sort of… vanished.

    It’s been a long time now, of course, but sometimes I still think of him and worry what it must have been like, being sort of outcompeted off his little self assigned ecological niche of sorts what must have felt like overnight. One day you’re the phone guy, next day everyone’s walking around with a phone on their ear, and you’re stuck with your old unplugged red rotary phone. Tragic.

    • Gadg8eer@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
      2·
      7 months ago

      Wow, that… that really makes you think. No wonder UFO nuts refuse to admit Roswell was revealed as Project Mogul in the 90s, their belief might be all they have left and if that’s somehow obsolete…

  • BartyDeCanter@lemmy.sdf.org
    15·
    7 months ago

    Albuquerque had little shorts guy. Walked around Central Ave near the university wearing naught but a tiny, tiny pair of shorts or thong and usually carrying an anti-war/pro-gay sign. Pretty fun fellow to talk to, but was too into drinking urine imho.

  • Spaghetti_Hitchens@kbin.social
    15·
    7 months ago

    Austin used to have Leslie. He was frequently seen riding around Town Lake on his bike, sporting naught but his hot pants or brightly colored thong. RIP