SOMERVILLE, Maine — Mary Winchenbach has made a career out of the fact that poop jokes are still funny to people of all ages. The comedian and entrepreneur went viral last fall in a video from the Common Ground Fair, explaining her products made from moose droppings.
In 2018, Rob Nesbitt did a story for NEWS CENTER Maine about her "Tirdy Works" operation based out of her home in Somerville, which is east of Augusta. A lot has changed since then, including the growth of her business, and a new television series.
Tirdy Works started as a joke more than 15 years ago; Mary glues moose droppings to clocks or platters; makes people out of poop; or creates funny games from it. In the last year, her sales have skyrocketed.
"Now I’ve got seven employees, I’ve got a business where I’m shipping crap all over the world," says Mary. "I’m building a {expletive} shack to keep up with the orders, and it’s just unreal."
As Mary's house becomes filled with crap, she's shining a spotlight on her own small town through a new television show. Scout Productions is behind shows like "Queer Eye" and "The Fog of War." Now this camera crew is producing 10 episodes in Somerville with Mary and her family.
"There are lessons here to be learned by anyone in any city, whether you’re in Boston or Chicago or L/A or wherever you are, right here in a town of 500," says Chad Greulach, the producer of Mary's unnamed show.
What sort of lessons can you learn from a woman who glues hair to pieces of moose droppings? "People are so serious nowadays and with all the politics going on, people are getting mean. Turds are universal; everyone can relate. It makes people smile and kind of come together, don’t you think?" Mary doesn't take herself, or her work too seriously. Something she showcased when she was flown out to Los Angeles to tape an episode for Tosh.O.
For months, the production crew will be following Mary and her family as they collect droppings; attend craft shows; and crack jokes, focusing in on a small town entrepreneur trying to make the people around her smile... and make a few bucks off a turd.
The show does not have a name yet. When it's edited, it will air on a WarnerMedia/Turner station like TruTV or TBS.