LOS ANGELES, CA —The hatch-marked calendar on the wall might look ordinary, but to John Whipple, a 47 year-old machinist from Montana, it is a reminder the countdown has begun for a glorious day soon on the horizon.
In just over two years, Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, the beloved twins immortalized by dozens of family videos and 8 seasons on the popular TV show, Full House, will finally become recognized with legal consent status in more than six states, including Alabama, Kentucky, Mississippi and Nevada. The year after that, the pint-sized pixies will be considered adults in all states and may marry with or without the permission of their parents.
John Whipple has been counting down the days.
"Sometimes I actually figure out to the exact second when they'll be old enough to run away from home and live with me in my cabin," Whipple said. "But that's when I'm really bored. Usually I just calculate it to the minute."
Whipple has been in love with the pair ever since a particularly moving scene with their television Uncle Jesse, played by actor John Stamos. “I was moved to tears, frankly. Never in my life had I seen such acting talent attached to such young, nubile bodies.”
When the long-running sitcom left the airwaves, Whipple built a shrine and vowed they would never have be without a loving uncle again. "I promised them in my letters that they could sit on my lap anytime they wanted and I would give them the kind of advice they so desperately longed for."
Whipple was very concerned, however, that after the show's demise, the girls would stagnate and not be allowed to stretch their acting muscles.
"Boy was I wrong. Me and a couple of buddies were watching 'Passport to Paris' followed by 'It Takes Two' one night and we just couldn't believe how they've matured," Whipple said. "We all remarked how nicely they were entering puberty."
When asked if he would choose between the child-brides, Whipple bristled. “How can I choose between the Ashley, the precocious little one who’s better at math from the slightly taller, more independent-minded Mary-Kate? It’s just too damn hard. Besides, I don't think bigamy laws really apply to twins anyway."
A convicted sex offender, Whipple was sentenced to 5 years probation in 1995 for rigging a video camera in a girl’s middle school lockerroom. He says now he’s not really a danger to society because he knows when little girls say no, they mean no.
"Boy, I sure had to learn that lesson the hard way."