What started as a spoof of the adult Internet on NBC’s “Late Night with Conan O’Brien” has become a full-on Web phenomenon rivalling that which it seeks to parody.
Horny Manatee first appeared on Dec. 4 as part of a sketch about college mascots. O’Brien’s ad-libbed reference to a fictional website, HornyManatee.com, resulted in NBC buying the domain and hastily developing a site there.
Since then, the costumed character has become a semi-regular bit, stretching langorously on the stage to arouse band members and guests like “Inside the Actors Studio” host James Lipton (who read “Ode to a Manatee” before dancing with the creature on one show). The manatee’s “adult” website has taken on a life of its own, and the character has developed quite a following at YouTube.
After seemingly ascending to the status of “niche” all on its own, HornyManatee.com skewers traditional adult Internet topics. It includes hot manatee-on-manatee and man-on-manatee action, “manateen” and manatee schoolgirl titillation, shaved manatee, racy manatee twins, manatee “upskirt” footage (who knew manatees wore skirts?), a “live” manatee voyeur cam, and manatee anime. Fetish enthusiasts can sneak a peek at the manatee bedecked in bondage gear or displaying its piercings. The adult-entertainment acronym “MILF” takes on an entirely new complexion as the manatee gets jiggy wit’ a walker.
The website also includes 21 gallery pages bearing user-submitted fan-pics of the manatee en flagrant delicti alone and with various others.
O’Brien claimed hits to the website topped three million within a week.
The website continues to accept user submissions via email.
