From his self-titled David Lynch Coffee brand to his infamous Airfix model kit-style ‘animal kits‘, Twin Peaks creator David Lynch is known for being somewhat of an inventor.
The eccentric TV series director, who is also known for unnerving drama movies such as The Elephant Man, recently went viral on Twitter after users re-discovered him enthusiastically showcasing his “humane mouse trap” during a segment on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno in 2000. Sharing the clip on Twitter, the user wrote, “Thinking about how excited David Lynch was to show everyone his humane mousetrap.”
During the segment, Lynch explained, “Mousetraps are like mathematics: two and two is four, and mousetraps have got to catch a mouse.” Pointing out the details of the contraption to a confused-looking Leno, Lynch added, “I’ll tell you what the deal is: there’s the door. It runs on electricity: there’s a microswitch under here, and there’s a little door back there which you can put the food in.” In terms of what food to put in the mousetrap, Lynch said he preferred cheese and crackers. He then pointed out the small tunnel at the front of the trap with a see-saw-like flooring, which works as a trap door to humanely trap the mouse inside.
“Plenty of room for the tail to fit,” the drama series director cheerily added. “So, the mouse comes along and sees this giant 2001 monolith in the living room,” an incredulous Leno said. “Jay, come on, it’s a prototype!” Lynch exclaimed in response.
thinking about how excited David Lynch was to show everyone his humane mousetrap pic.twitter.com/WLc9UxIq3A
— ecto🦠drome (@ecto_fun) June 29, 2022
With the clip circulating online, fans were fascinated by Lynch’s invention. “Him worrying about not hurting the tail added a year onto my life” one user tweeted. Another joked that “David Lynch is the missing link between Willy Wonka and the Saw pig.”
Given it’s been over 20 years since Lynch invented the trap, who knows how high-tech it is now?