A dad’s potty-training book has sky rocketed to the top of Amazon’s bestseller list after a furious Christian mum accused him of ‘brainwashing kids with filth’.
Simon Harris was speechless when he received the hate-filled review of his book Little Budgie’s Done A Fudgie, from a reader called Marjorie, on Sunday.
The pissed off parent claimed Simon ‘should be ashamed of himself’ after discovering that ‘fudgie’ had another meaning relating to a sex act and claims she has demanded a refund from the online retail giant.
Watch Simon and his son Luke introduce the book below:
But the dad-of-three claims the word ‘fudgie’ is simply one that rhymes with ‘budgie’ and is a word for ‘poo’ that made autistic son Luke Harris, now five, laugh when tackling potty training in 2017.
Since sharing Marjorie’s angry (and let’s be real, hilarious) response on his Facebook page, Man Behaving Dadly, the post has gone viral racking up thousands of likes, shares and comments.
But the negative review had the opposite effect intended when thousands of people clicked through to buy the potty-mouth book, which rose to the top of the bestsellers list.
Replying to Marjorie, Simon informed her that definition of ‘fudgie’ was not his intention and that her complaint had made his book a bestseller so he ‘couldn’t give a rat’s ass’.
Simon, from Southend-on-Sea, Essex, said:
It’s an innocent kids’ book, not a filth fest.
I’m very passionate about vaccinations and autism awareness and I’m used to getting abuse and dealing with vitriol and bile online – it’s an occupational hazard.
I’m a massive believer in taking nasty experiences and turning it into something positive, when I read the angry message I just laughed at it.
Marjorie is from the US, possibly from the Bible Belt, and was angry because she was convinced that ‘fudgie’ was referring to a disgusting sex act, which it isn’t.
People are now actually buying it off the back of her comment, it’s a nice feeling to know the book is now an Amazon bestseller.
The complaint read:
Hello, I purchased your book Little Budgie’s Done A Fudgie on Kindle today after seeing your post on Facebook, and while I was reading it to my little girl my older teenage son started giggling hysterically.
I asked him what was so funny, and he told me what ‘Fudgie’ really means. It’s disgusting and you should be ashamed of yourself.
I Googled it afterwards and on Urban Dictionary and have attached a screenshot.
It’s hard enough to raise good Christian children in the USA in 2019 and keep them away from this filth without people like you subconsciously brainwashing them.
Why would [you] use a word that implies fellatio after sodomy?
I have demanded a refund from Amazon and I strongly urge you to reconsider.
After receiving the angry message, Simon took the opportunity to use it as a light-hearted way to advertise the book.
Sharing the review on Facebook, Simon wrote:
I replied to Marjorie, the lady from the US who was angry about getting a copy of my book Little Budgie’s Done A Fudgie because she was convinced that ‘fudgie’ was referring to a disgusting sex act.
Wonder how she will react when she realises that her complaint has inadvertently sent it to the top of the Amazon Bestseller Chart.
Anyway, if you can get past the reference, it’s on sale here.
Simon, who’s also dad to Emma, three, and 19-month-old James, came up with the idea for the book as a fun way to help his son Luke master going on the potty.
He explained:
My son Luke is on the autistic spectrum and he was taking ages to potty train, which is apparently a common trait.
We went to a supermarket and were looking at potty training books but I couldn’t see any with an animal.
I was spitballing all these potential words for poo and was thinking of rhymes like ‘dog on the bog’ but when I said ‘little budgie and a fudgie’ he laughed a lot so I turned it into a poem, which he really loved.
Simon then turned it into a book in January 2018 and he, along with music teacher wife Rachael Harris, 34, also taught daughter Emma how to use the potty with it.
The proud dad shared a picture of Emma holding the book and beaming with delight on Sunday afternoon and put a link to where it was on sale, prompting the complaint later that evening.
Simon said:
Emma mastered potty and overnight training. She loves the book so I put a picture up of her holding it up on Sunday afternoon.
Later that evening I received the complaint from Marjorie. The bit about it being ‘hard to raise good Christian children’ made me laugh.
I’m not against any religion, but how on earth has your teenager heard of this word?
Simon messaged Marjorie saying he understood she was concerned about the use of the term ‘fudgie’ but that it wasn’t his intention.
His message read:
I shared your concerns with my Facebook audience, and my book ended up going to the top of the Amazon bestseller chart overnight.
Therefore, to use a phrase that is popular on your side of The Atlantic, I could not give ‘a rat’s ass’.
Little Budgie’s Done A Fudgie is available to buy on Amazon.
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Emma Rosemurgey is an NCTJ trained Journalist who started her career by producing The Royal Rosemurgey newspaper in 2004, which kept her family up to date with the goings on of her sleepy north east village. She graduated from the University of Central Lancashire in Preston and started her career in regional newspapers before joining Tyla (formerly Pretty 52) in 2017, and progressing onto UNILAD in 2019.