Abhiroop Das
Raphael Bob-Waksberg’s Netflix venture, ‘Long Story Short,’ follows the Schwooper family over the course of several decades, tracking how each member of the family transforms in the face of changing times. The show strings together snapshots from their life, creating a timeline that is nonlinear but conveys the characters’ anxieties perfectly. With each episode comes a new element of their lives, which has impacts both in the past and the future, dictating the lives of Avi, Shira, and Yoshi as well as their parents, Naomi and Elliot, as part of the family. Episode 3 of the show, titled ‘There Is A Mattress In There,’ features one such plot beat that puts Yoshi’s character to the test. The product is not only a comedic device, but also a lens through which we gain insights into the life of the youngest Schwooper sibling. SPOILERS AHEAD.
TAMIT is a Fictional Product that Surpasses its Real-Life Antecedents
TAMIT, or There Is A Mattress In There, is a fictional company created by the writing team of ‘Long Story Short.’ Within the narrative, it serves as a unique piece of technology that starts out with the potential to revolutionize the mattress industry, but ends up in a completely unexpected space. The name of the product itself describes what’s special about it, as it comes with a small tube that is capable of fitting an entire mattress within. When opened, the mattress springs out and regains its full form, but can also be stuffed back into the device. While the technology required to achieve this effect does not exist outside of fiction, it is likely that it borrows from the real-life practice of vacuum compressing mattresses during transit. This process shrinks the bedding to a great effect, with some products also guaranteeing up to an 80% reduction from the original size.
While vacuum pressing bears some vague similarities to how TAMIT functions, there is one key difference between the two: it never shrinks the mattress small enough to actually fit inside a box. This reinforces the idea that TAMIT is a creative device made specifically for ‘Long Story Short.’ Another possible reference point for the device is inflatable mattresses, which are often used by people who travel outdoors. These mattresses often come in the form of many tubes strung together, and usually come in the form of a small tube or pouch, before being inflated to their full size. This mechanism bears a strong visual resemblance to the fictional mattress, but the clear difference between their workings makes it less likely to be a direct inspiration for the creators.
TAMIT’s Rise and Fall Has Parallels in Real Life
One notable facet of TAMIT is the wordplay involved in its name. While also serving as an acronym, it also plays on the idea of taming a bed. This makes it a unique product, and Yoshi makes a good profit selling the tubes to a number of people. His real skills shine through when he makes a deal with his father’s university, selling thousands of tubes in one go. However, an unintended side effect of the tubes comes to light when they begin to burst open on their own, with the spring mechanism causing severe destruction to life and property. News about the product’s issues spreads like wildfire, causing an immediate decline in sales. This mirrors some of the real-life failures in Mattress innovations, such as the fall of the waterbed trend. As the name suggests, waterbeds were filled with water, and while they were initially a hit, the practical complications of the idea soon put it out of public attention.
Although TAMIT only takes center stage for one episode, the company, as well as the product, plays an important role in Yoshi’s arc, serving as a vessel for his desires to take flight. The mechanism of stuffing the mattress in, only for it to come out with a bang, can be interpreted as an analogue for the character, who is frequently forced to bottle up his emotions and wants in favour of what is socially acceptable. To begin with, Yoshi lands his job as a TAMIT salesman after ditching the work of a regular worker, and when his endeavours fail, he has a similar outburst. This connection is also pointed out by Yoshi himself in later episodes, when he draws parallels between the product and his sexual frustrations. As such, it is likely that the primary reason for the product’s creation has less to do with real-life inspirations and more to do with conveying how Yoshi grows as a person throughout the show.
Read More: Long Story Short Timeline, Explained
