It's a potty. It's a party. It's a prank!
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Vibes are unmatched. Photo: Kristen Swilley/Axios
When we started our bathroom series highlighting Southwest Ohio's MIPs (most interesting potties), we knew Jungle Jim’s had to make the list.
The intrigue: The famous grocery store feels like if a Bass Pro Shop, a Rainforest Cafe and a three-ring circus had a baby. No elaborate setup is spared, and that includes the bathrooms.
- The facilities look like a pair of porta-potties — right down to the doors. But open one and you’ll find the door conceals a full-size restroom with multiple stalls.
- A harmless prank you can hit your friends with? Weird, unnecessary and completely on-brand.
- They've even landed on lists of the world's best bathrooms, leading the pack back in 2007.
The backstory: Jungle Jim Bonaminio asked Rumpke if it would provide some porta-potties for the store. Rumpke apparently said yes, and the joke stuck.
- "This is just a perfect example of Jungle’s creativity and wackiness and fun," says Zack Cobb, the store's creative director.
- Cobb says the Fairfield location's bathrooms date to the late 1990s or early 2000s. The Eastgate location has had its bathroom setup since opening in 2012.
The scorecard:
🚽 Flush factor: ★★★★★
- A porta-potty door concealing a full-size, multi-stall restroom? Five stars for commitment to the bit.
✨ Party factor: ★★★
- Pretty tame once you're inside, but clean!
📸 Photo worthiness: ★★★★★
- You’re going to want the evidence. You don't have to actually go into the bathroom for the best picture, which is less awkward.
The bottom line: Jungle Jim’s sells groceries, but it also sells the experience of being at Jungle Jim’s. The bathrooms are Exhibit A.