The 63336 Calendar of Atypical Awareness Campaigns and Odd Observances

16 May 2011

May is National Smile Month, when we should all be paying more attention to our pearly whites and helping push the message that we should brush our teeth twice a day. Awareness Days and Months are a good way for a charity or movement to get free publicity. 1 December has become known as World AIDS Day and October has become Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

So what other awareness months are escaping our attention whilst the big charities have already established their own times of the year? 63336 has discovered some awareness campaigns that might be worth a bit more celebration.

January: International Fetish Day (3rd Friday of the year). No longer do leather lovers and whip devotees have to hide in their suburban homes. Now, once a year, they can attach a purple ribbon to their breast ("Perverts Wear Purple" is their slogan) and be proud of the fact that they enjoy a regular spanking.

February: Clean Out Your Computer Day (2nd Monday of February). Forget Valentine's Day, isn't it time you had a good look at what's on your hard drive? Computers have memories too.

March: Middle Name Pride Day (Friday of the first full week of March). So what if your parents gave you the middle name Aloysius or Aphrodite, this is the day to tell people how proud you are of your extra names. A day to tell your future spouse about your ridiculous middle name rather than waiting for them to giggle at the wedding ceremony.

April: National Cleavage Day (first week of April). Perhaps one of the few things in the world that doesn't need more awareness, this is a celebration held in South Africa, so expect an increase of British male tourists in Johannesburg at this time of year.

May: Zombie Awareness Month (whole of May). Sponsored by the Zombie Research Society, you can show your concern for zombies by wearing a grey ribbon. May was chosen because of the link with spring and renewal. Time to renew being vigilant for the inevitable zombie epidemic.

June: National Doughnut Day (first Friday in June). This should be as big as Christmas really. It actually has serious roots: to honour women who served doughnuts to soldiers in the First World War. Now it can be used as an excuse to out "dough" Homer Simpson.

July: National Ice Cream Month (whole of July). As one of the warmest times of the year in the Northern hemisphere it makes sense to remember that ice cream is there for us, to cool us down and cheer us up.

August: Yorkshire Day (1 August). Although stereotyped in the media with images of whippets, flat caps and cricket, today is the day to enjoy some Yorkshire pudding and say what you like because you like what you say.

September: Ask a Stupid Question Day (last school day in September). Always wondered when the end of the world will be, why the moon is made of cheese or who would win in a fight between Superman and Lawrence Llewelyn-Bowen? Well, this is the right day to ask 63336 the questions you feel are too silly to ask anyone else. We won't judge you for being curious.

October: Global Handwashing Day (15 October). Although it sounds innocent and worthy enough, to encourage children around the world to wash their hands and avoid diseases, 63336 suspects Palmolive enjoys a spectacular boost in sales on this day.

November: National Novel Writing Month (whole of November). For those making excuses that they have a book in them but don't have time to write it, now is the time to put pen to paper or finger to keyboard. NaNoWriMo (catchy) challenges writers to churn out 50,000 words in November.

December: Monkey Day (14 December). Whilst most people are gearing up for Christmas, there are still some that take the time to remember our simian friends. They aren't just here to entertain us in zoos or make amusing tea commercials you know.

63336, launched in April 2004 and the world's first premium text based question and answer service, is designed to answer – in minutes – any question sent via premium text or from the 63336 mobile app. From the start it has led the market in providing the fastest, most accurate, and most entertaining way to get answers to any question: from trivial, to tricky, to downright troublesome. Answers are provided by a highly–skilled workforce of home-based researchers, 95% of whom reside in the UK. The service is available 24/7, even when you're abroad.

Since the launch of the 63336 mobile app, asking questions has never been easier. To download the 63336 app for free, point your mobile browser to http://63336.com/a. Customers may also follow the 63336 twitter feed @the63336.

Press contacts

Please contact us if you want to know more.