Like MySpace Tom and pencil-line eyebrows, the Big Mouth Billy Bass is an icon of the 00s. It is also one of the most irritating inventions of all time.
Billy crooned tunes like Bobby McFerrin’s ‘Don’t Worry, Be Happy’ and Al Green’s ‘Take Me to the River’ in homes and shops up and down the country, and became such a sensation he even appeared in shows like The Sopranos and The Simpsons.
After struggling to cope with his fame Billy eventually retreated from the spotlight in the mid-00s, but now he’s making a go of an unlikely comeback – in an extremely 2018 way.
Yes, the Big Mouth Billy Bass is being remade – and now he’s compatible with Alexa.
Big Mouth Billy pairs with Amazon Echo
You can pair Billy with an Amazon Echo, and then he will respond to Alexa voice commands, lip sync the answers and dance to any music you play.
You can use him to him for all your usual voice command-fare, from setting alarms to checking the news and weather.
And yes, he has his original song, ‘Fishin’ Time’ built in too – in case you were worried he wouldn’t be annoying enough.
Two years in the making
Billy’s reboot has been more than two years in the making. In 2016 developer Brian Kane came up with the idea to hack one to make it work with Alexa.
A year later the makers decided they wanted to make it a reality, and now it’s available to pre-order on Amazon for $39.99 (£31).
Unfortunately, if you’re desperate to mount this new modern Billy on your wall, you’ll have to pay a $21.38 (£16.73) shipping charge, as he’s currently only available in the US.
The 00s throwback will be released on 1 December, just in time to fill stockings all over the world once again.
