Cock and bull story

Tina Purcell, a business major at Chico State, as well as a wife, mom and entrepreneur, runs sierracanyon.net, an online store that sells, among other things, products made from bulls’ sex organs. She’s got bull-penis canes and walking sticks, a golf putter, gavels, as well as bags made from dried bull scrotums.

So what are you selling here?

I have this gavel, it’s made out of a bull penis. All of the ones made out of [bull penises] are stretched out over a metal rod. They dry them and they stretch them and…

[Interrupts] Who is they?

Well, I’m not going to release that information [laughs]. It’s a company, my supplier back in the Midwest. I buy the product from them and retail it. I also have the bull scrotums that have been dried. I’ve got hanging ones or the ones on the stands. This [holds up a dried bull scrotum] is what I call the mother of all scrotums.

Oh my god, it’s huge!

I know. I order these by the case and when that one came I said, “OK, I’m putting that one aside.” I haven’t sold that one because it’s almost like a double-yoked egg.

What gave you this idea?

I was working for this company … we took donated items and liquidated them on eBay and used the funds for a nonprofit. Somebody donated one of these bull scrotums and there was a marketing sticker on it. I called them and they sent me a catalog. I just thought, it’s a great conversation piece, it’d make a great gag gift, I know that people will buy them. When I first saw the scrotum I was a little bit shocked, like, ‘Take it back!’ But after I got over the initial shock I thought, “This is great!”

What do you use these [bull scrotums] for?

Whatever you want. The supplier doesn’t give instructions [and] I don’t think we want to limit the functionality of the product.

You’re sure not going to wear it around your neck…

No, but these would make great little trash bags or caddies to hang in your pickup…

It’s good you don’t have to go out and get these things yourself.

Yeah, the price would be a little bit higher if I had to do that [laughs].