#OctopiWallStreet: big cheap tentacles

I set out to make some tentacles for our front yard, and I needed them to be fast and cheap. Behold, pool noodles, duct tape and spray paint!

Step 1: Gather your supplies

For each tentacle:

• 2 – jumbo pool noodles (I used the Big Boss brand – about 3.5” diameter with a hole in the middle. The hole is not vital, but it does make staking easier)
• 1 – regular pool noodle (about 2.5” diameter, hole recommended)
• 1 –6’ foam pipe insulation. I used some I had on hand, I think it’s 3/8” wall. This is for the suckers. If you can, get the kind that isn’t fully slit, it makes gluing go faster. Note: you can also use another regular pool noodle for this, but I liked the hole-to-foam ratio of the insulation better. How much you’ll use depends on the density of your sucker placement, I used 2.5 6’ lengths for 3 tentacles.
• 1 roll duct tape per tentacle (cheap is fine – look for at least 40yds)
• something to fill in empty areas – I used plastic grocery bags, you could also use foam or fiberfill or rags or ugly Christmas sweaters.
• Wire coat hanger.
• Glue gun and sticks
• Spray primer and as many colors of spray paint as you have on hand

Comments

[justwhisper]

I think you did a really great job on these tentacles. I am using your concept to make some for my pirate ship scene. The tutorial was very nicely done. Thank you for sharing this. And I don't care what all those small minded people say, your sign is funny too.

[amambe]

Occupy wall street is a classic case of "biting the hand that feeds you", and this is funny!..don't take yourselves too seriously. it makes you cranky!

[Gizah]

You mean octopuses.

[earlye]

Actually, as the original "movement" is "Occupy Wall Street," clearly an imperative statement, the author should clearly have "verbified" Octopus rather than "pluralized" it. In Latin, the proper "verbification" would be "Octopetitis Wall Street." Of course, it's also possible, though clearly not likely, that the intent was to rhyme with "Occupy," but that would just be a "nonsensiclification" of epic "proportionifying." :-]

[timmycutts]

No. The plural of octopus is octopi. Just like the plural of cactus is cacti and the plural of fungus is fungi. Don't take it personally, but I really tend to loath people who don't know that. When you have a word ending in "us" you make it plural with by replacing "us" with "i" just like you make a word ending in "um" by replacing "um" with "a" (i.e. bacterium becomes bacteria). It's really the only time you don't put an "s" at the end of the word when there's a vowel before a consonant, also, you don't put "es" on the end if it's vowel before consonant (like in monkeys).

[Mugatu]

Sorry, the plural of 'octopus' is 'octopuses' or 'octopodes'

http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?allowed_in_frame=0&search=octopuses&searchmode=none

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wFyY2mK8pxk

[Streak-]

I certainly admire your ability to follow the rules of English (or Latin, as the case may be), however, on that note, I should point out that the first two uses of 'like' you have should be 'as': 'as' is a conjunction, 'like' is a preposition. As well, your 'i.e.' should be an 'e.g.', as it provides an example, not clarifies/rewords a statement.

[timmycutts]

My apologies. As much as I obsess over grammar, it is very easy for me to to make mistakes that I am not aware of, thank you for the correction.

[bderby]

What an ignoramus. You may have to look that up. :)

[timmycutts]

I know what an ignoramus is. And you may just be one for assuming that I don't.

[bderby]

No, I was merely reminding you of a word ending in 'us' that is pluralized by adding an 'es'. That's all. :)

[Redison]

It's octopuses, it's Greek not Latin. I believe this is the definition of irony.

[Rodster]

Actually if you look it up both Octopuses and Octopi are correct. Octopi was created in the 17th century when noblemen tried to make English sound more classical. Originally it was Octopuses.

[Kokor]

Its not Greek, its New Latin. Coined in 1758, from the Greek. Octopi is correct, octopuses is incorrect. Monkies is correct, monki is incorrect.

And where was this 'ible before Halloween? I could have used some cool looking, cheap tentacle ideas a few weeks ago. Lets hope Cthulhu just eats Wall Street and has done with it all.

[Gizah]

What you mean is the word came from Greek to English -via- New Latin. But we're English speakers (well, I actually only speak English when on the internet, but you get it), not Latin speakers, so it'd be logical to pluralize the word according to our own rules, or the rules of the language said word comes from (which is Greek, not New Latin).
The point is, the plural form "octopuses" was the only one until some... zoologist probably, decided to latinize it and say "octopi" instead, probably thinking it would make him look sharper at Latin parties.
Therefore "octopi" is an hypercorrection.
Therefore it is wrong.
Just like many other hypercorrections, "octopi" has been used for quite some time, so I don't think it's wrong if you use it, since it made such a deep way into English. But you're definitely wrong if you think "octopi" is in any way more correct than "octopuses" is.

Monkies is incorrect, though I'm not 100% sure about this.

[xenobiologista]

Indeed....it's "monkeys", as timmycutts already pointed out.

[Rodster]

From the Merriam-Webster editor:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/07/28/is-it-octopuses-or-octopi_n_662167.html

[Kokor]

I think this is an issue of "political/grammar correctness" taken too far (just like this thread). So many people just say octopuses that it has been accepted, because 'everyone is right in their own way' sort of thinking.

It was coined as octopi by the people who wanted to look sharper at Latin parties because they where the people who came up with the nominclature to begin with back a few centuries ago. I'd like to respect their wishes, personallly. Since English is such an agglomeration of loan words, fully accepted with their own silly little grammar rules, octopus is still English.

And since I couldn't find a link to the very relevant Gary Larson cartoon, please enjoy this link
http://www.sc.edu/carolinian/features/fea_01dec_01.html

Oh, and really? Don't make fun? I fully support the Movement but once we loose our sense of humor, and start taking ourselves too seriously, we endanger the very ideals of community they espouse. The Committee of Public Saftey is not all that far behind.

And still a great Instructable! Thanks Sara - will be using these next Halloween :)

[Gizah]

"Don't take it personally, but I really tend to loath people who don't know that".

Living is easy with eyes closed, misunderstanding all you see~
Ah, I love The Beatles.
The correct plural forms of cactus and fungus are cactuses and funguses (just kidding, cacti and fungi are alright too).

"When you have a word ending in "us" you make it plural with by replacing "us" with "i""

Just because you assume something it doesn't make it a fact, or a grammatical rule, for that matter. See, this rule always works: When you have a word, and you don't know its plural form, you look it up.

Anyways, you're wrong. Octopi is an hypercorrection, based on the assumption that the word "Octopus" comes from Latin, while it's actually native to Greek. Octopuses is the right form. But... you know how hypercorrections are, and that's how "Octopi" ended up making its way into so many dictionaries, so I guess you wouldn't be wrong if you used that word.

Anyways, peace, I was just being an idiot when I said "You mean octopuses", I don't really care that much about grammar.

PS: I just noticed wikipedia treats this subject in the "Octopus" article, it says that, according to the Oxford English Dictionary, even if the word came from latin, "Octopi" still would be wrong.

[timmycutts]

I appreciate the self put-down, however I have learned that no one, in their right mind, should really care what others think (which kind of leaves me and maybe a couple thousand other people out of the six billion people in the world who are actually in their right mind). I feel that a word's origin is irrelevant, unless it is a word like "sushi" or "karaoke" which are still used in their original languages. English is such a varied language that there are bound to be differences in people's opinions. I, personally, can't stand how awkward it is to say "octopuses", while I accept that it's right, I just don't like saying it, and I tend to get protective over my way of doing things. I prefer the Latin "hypercorrection", as you put it, so I'm going to stick with that. I believe that, in order for everyone to reach an agreement on this, we should make the assumption that, since it's English and it's already way more complicated than it should be, and that "octopuses", "octopi" and "octopodes" are all correct.

It's fascinating how people on this site jump on other people (particularly me) at every chance they get and no one does anything about it. It's like watching vultures flock around a corpse and pick it apart for no other reason beyond the fact that that's just what they do.

[funkypam]

Oh my god, who cares about the proper term for the plural of octopus? It's obviously supposed to be funny. Enjoy it for what it is.

[elb8652]

This is not a political site, unless you consider sharing to be socialist, but this pun saddens me.
We could make an octopus bleeding from being struck by a tear gas cannister.Then, as other sea creatures rush to help a little porcine figure could throw a a flash grenade at them.
A pun now and then is a guilty pleasure, but I cannot condone mocking the brave people who want to change a corrupt system. It's like poking fun at the victims at Kent State or the Boston Massacre.
The protesters march even for the uninformed who will say"lighten up," and I feel some things should be taken seriously. Please don't mock these brave people.

[astilly]

Is that a HEDGE-fund-manager being devoured in its beak?

[acoleman3]

hedge-fund....lol oh wow. that was pure genius my friend.

[bkennelly]

ROFL

[AmyLuthien]

That's freakin' funny!!!! Good one! :D

[merijnvw]

hilarious!

[hammer9876]

Cool! Congrats on being featured!

[fde wolfe]

Love these!! And love your instructions!! Thank you!

[gasp]

This caused me pain. Literally. I laughed so hard my tea came out my nose. Thanks for making my morning with this one :-)

[studleylee]

I agree!!!!

[jessandstavro]

Great first instructable! I see more fun things coming from you...way to go!

astilly: lol

[chiapetrescue]

I love this. I think I need to make one. Thanks

[HarveyH44]

Pretty cool, wish I would have seen this a few weeks ago. I had about 50 yards of old fire hose, that would have made awesome tentacles. Also have a box of assorted plastic bottle caps (soda, gatorade, fruit juice). Oh well, the hose went in the trash, the brass fittings save for the scrap yard. Maybe next Halloween.