You spot the person of your dreams across the room. But you have no idea what to say to them. What do you do?
Thanks to a group of University students and alumni, there’s a solution. Using pick-up lines from a toll-free phone number or a novelty compact disk available at many music stores, breaking the ice might be a little easier.
The concept is the brainchild of Cara Wehrenberg, Gregory Royal, Ann Marie Iwan, Paul Krumrich and Becca Ripley, all of whom were in the midst of the single scene themselves. They said they’re hoping that the popularity of the phone line — 1-888-PICK-UP6 — and the CD will transfer to the Pick-Up 6 game show planned to air on Fox this summer.
Wehrenberg, a graduate with a degree in kinesiology, now lives in Los Angeles and is helping the game show get off the ground. She said that the whole idea started as a conversation between friends.
A few friends sitting around talking about the local bar scene mentioned how all the pick-up lines were getting old and that there should be a way to get new ones. Some took the conversation seriously and started marketing strategies to start up the phone line.
Originally, the line was advertised in local papers. When it first began, they had almost 2,000 callers a week. Now that the number is not advertised, an average of 25 callers a day use the number.
The number uses various ways to give the caller new pick-up lines. A collage of different voices shoot out propositions and rejections.
“I’m one of the two top lovers in the world — and my daddy’s gettin’ old,” and “Oh baby, you got a case of the zactlys — ’cause you are ‘zactly what I’m lookin’ for,” are the latest in proposals.
Callers can also leave their own ideas for new pick-up lines at the end of the message. “Do you wash your clothes in Windex? Cause I can see myself in your pants,” was once a suggestion.
The CD also uses a skit and music format to get across new proposition lines to the listener. About 1,000 CDs have been sold and they can still be found at Sam Goody stores around the country.
Ripley, a senior in Spanish and Latin American studies, who was there from the idea’s inception and worked on the CD, is also one of the voices on the phone line. She said the concept has become more popular lately. The Los Angeles Times ran a story Tuesday about the phone line and TV show.
Ripley was interviewed Friday on the show “Everyday Living.” The show highlighted Pick-Up 6 as part of a singles and dating Valentine’s Day special.
The company that markets the CD is still taking mail orders. Wehrenberg said there is also a possibility for another volume of Pick-Up 6.