Tattooed Mom
Categories: Dive Bars, Lounges, Restaurants [Edit]
Neighborhood: Society Hill530 South St
Philadelphia, PA 19147 (215) 238-9880
- Hours:
Mon-Sun 12:00 p.m.-2:00 a.m. - Price Range: $
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Street
- Attire: Casual
- Good for Groups: Yes
- Good for Kids: No
- Takes Reservations: No
- Delivers: No
- Take-out: No
- Waiter Service: Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
- Outdoor Seating: No
- Good for: Late Night
- Music: Juke Box
- Best Nights: Tue, Wed
- Happy Hour: Yes
- Alcohol: Full Bar
- Smoking: Yes
- Coat Check: No
59 Reviews for Tattooed Mom
This is the first bar I had been to in Philly. My first visit was about 3 years ago. One look at the jukebox selection was enough to add TM to my regular rotation of watering holes. I love the decor and especially when they have the arts and crafts made by customers up around the holidays. I went to TM last spring around Mother's Day on a study break to simply grab food and instead ended up spending a couple hours making a card for my Mom with the table of arts and crafts goodies they had laid out. Best study break I can remember!
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sorry I am just not a fan. The bartenders have been rude every single time I have been there, practically ingnoring us. It makes for an uncomfortable and unenjoyable experience. If only the bartender knew that I tip really well for great service.
Just another reason to not visit south street. Sorry Mom's, I've given you several chances and been spat in the face each time.
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somewhere on the rough seas of south street, shipwrecked like the rest of us, in an underwater den in an underwater town, you'll find an odd assortment of castaways that make up mama's tats. (mama's tats may be sold to you as a dive, a pool hall, or a lounge for arts and crafts, but we know better.) a very pale stranger will approach you to talk about vampires (which is really fucking freaky....and yet good conversation); there's a whorehouse madam at the pooltable and a septuagenarian in his cups; a few lost souls watching clusters of clocks popping up, breathing in bubbles; mama's got a lotta tats. so drink up, forget home if you can, and never, ever, trust a sailor on dry land.
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I really don't care for bars, so when I end up meeting people for drinks, I try to steer them here. Cheap food, cheap beer, couches, plenty of space. I like not elbowing everybody else in the bar or swimming through a sea of people just to piss.
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Dear Tattooed Mom,
Could I please take you back with me to Chicago? You are kitschy enough to make me want to wear a granny sweater but still hip enough to stay out late. Yet it's just enough kitsch that was still companion approved. The bartenders were on their game and served up some tasty drinks. Saw a lot of laid back looking locals, nobody acted pretentious. Too bad we were too stuffed from homegrown and it wasn't wednesday, because the .25 cent pierogi deal sounded amazing. If grandma style isn't your thing the perhaps the rock and roll upstairs will suit your needs. The free dum-dums at every table sealed the deal.
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I'm re-visiting this review because last night Mom showed us that she was both large and in charge. Our Unofficial Yelp Happy Hour pulled in a massive amount of people and Bobby, the dude who was basically running the entire restaurant, took such good care of us that all night long we kept wondering if he was an actual human or a robot. With speed, agility and humor he kept the drinks and pierogies coming all night. So Bobby, we salute you and Mom's. You continue to have a special place in my heart.
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1 Previous Review: Show all »
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02/18/2008
I haven't ventured in Mom's in quite a while...chalk it up to me not spending too much time down in… Read more »
I wasn't crazy about the beer selection, and I tend to prefer bars that don't offer PBR, but I've always loved the decor here. The service was busy and hectic, but A for effort. Busy and hectic might have had something to do with a huge group showing up on a Wed. night.
There were:
Cheap pierogies.
Tater tots. Actual, vintage, nostalgia inducing tater tots. I even got to throw some at people.
Corn dogs.
Now we get to the part that was critically important, yet no one mentioned....toys.
GLOW IN THE DARK SKULL RINGS. I got to yell by the power of grey skull all damned night. Rad. Spinning tops, jumping frogs and DUM DUMS.....yum yum.
A Limerick:
Tatooed Moms is a bar down on South Street.
The pierogie prices just can't be beat.
The beer stock does suck
But you might meet a (radio edit)
On Wednsday go down and find a seat.
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MAJOR props to Bobby and Tattooed Mom's for taking such good care of us last night. Me and my crew had a dissapointing time at Center City sips prior to coming to TMom's. This was my first time here and I knew from the first moment that I walked in that I was going to have a great time there. The interior has so much character to it, with its graffitied walls, old school memorabilia, and plastic toys scattered all over the place.
We were also pretty much starving once we got here. Good thing it was pierogie night, which means they were $0.25 each! The piggies that we are, we were able to scarf down 15 of these in a matter of minutes. And that comes out to a total of $3.75!!! mmm and are they delicious with sriracha sauce! I don't remember the last time I've had pierogies, but now that I know about TMoms, I'll definitely come back for more.
And to top it all off, we got a free round of drinks on the house! Good company, good service, good food, good drinks. Makes me let out a happy sigh just thinking about it.
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Wow. I was not prepared for the awesomeness of Tattooed Mom. We had an unofficial Yelp Happy Hour here - read: about 20 of us took over the place without any warning. There was one server, Bobby, tending to all of us, and he did an amazing job. He got our food to us quickly, ditto for drinks, he split the tab several times, and not once did he even seem the slightest bit frazzled. He was downright graceful and cheerful the whole time - he even brought us plates for the amazing UNICORN CAKE baked by Jenna C. Needless to say, I am extremely impressed by the service.
My food got lost and I ended up waiting about an hour to actually get it, but the pancake-sausage thing on a stick was actually totally awesome. (Curiosity overwhelms my sense of reason sometimes, but this strange food had a satisfying payoff.) The pierogies were also excellent, and for 25 cents a piece, you couldn't go wrong. I don't even like pierogies, but these were little fried pockets of heaven. Mmm... trans fat.
The atmosphere was absolutely perfect for the event. I found it to be a little campy at first (it's very obviously owned/operated by the same people from Sugarmom's), but since it's on South Street, the camp works. It meant we could act totally ridiculous and not get thrown out. So feel free to bring a lot of friends, play with plastic novelties on the table and relive your childhood nostalgia, or get racy and start ladyposing next to the leopard-print cushions on the couch... Mom wants you to have a good time.
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1/2 burger and veggie burgers on Monday and Thursday!
Taco Tuesday!
Pierogie Wednesday!
$1 PBR pounders on Friday and Saturday nights!
Crafts day and other theme events on Sundays!
Tattooed Mom is indeed a bar that gives you an abnormal excuse to be happy everyday of the week! Grant it Sugar Moms does too, But I feel that Tattooed mom does it with less smoke and pretentiousness. It also doesn't do it in a basement and brings out a better crowd.
I should have bought that up in the last review. But hanging out with 20 plus of the Yelp crew, eating Unicorn cake, basking in all the incredible figurines and artwork, and encountering an incredible server named Bobby has helped me up my love for Tattooed Mom.
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1 Previous Review: Show all »
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07/15/2007
One time when I was in the bathroom I put my friends band sticker on the toilet plunger. I did it… Read more »
This place is great if you've just turned 21 and looking to Get Drunk. T-Mom's has the right atmosphere for young, rambunctious drunkards -- from the graffitied walls and amusement park ride seating to the cheap, stiff drinks and greasy food. I have many fond memories (or lack thereof) of stumbling home from this place in college. Taco Tuesday's still one of the best cheap dinner deals in the city.
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$1.50 tacos? Awesome. $1.50 PBR tallboys? Awesome. (Only on Tuesdays? Hey, I can't get drunk every night anyway, whatever.) I love how the downstairs feels like a totally different place from the upstairs. If only the rest of South Street wasn't so awful.
I'll have to go back and try this sausage-wrapped-in-a-pancake-on-a-stick business.
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I haven't spent much time downstairs, I'm more of a fan of UPSTAIRS. I like sitting in the bumper cars or watching someone play pinball. I don't drink beer but the drinks I got were affordable and strong. The bar food is great. I guess I have yet to go to a bar where the food sucked. It's a fun place, I really like the atmosphere. I've only gone here during the weeknight so I'm not sure about the weekend experience.
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the only reason to ever, EVER travel to south st.
Good spot for some good fried bar food. decent beer selection. service can be spotty for this almost-dive. Really this is the only bar on South Street worth anything. I kick it in here every now and then.
Try the pancake wrapped sausage corn dog thingy. Also, taco night and pirogi night are must attend philadelphia events. srsly.
cheap cheap cheap. good shiz.
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I've had some preconceived notions of Tattooed Mom's before I ventured there last night. But I was feeling pretty open minded and I decided to give it a second chance. Mostly I stereotyped it to be a hipster, scenester, whatever type dive with cheap Pabst Blue Ribbon and equally horrifying American beer. Personally none of the above is my bag. While nothing is wrong with that, it's charm simply just did not rub off on me like it does with the majority of others. The guy checking ID's at the door was rather ignorant, but don't let that ruin an otherwise so-so beer.
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I think everyone has a love/hate relationship with Mom's.
I live close by, so it is a default bar for my friends and me. We used to go upstairs a lot (smoking in the back room, pool tables), but I find the downstairs much more appealing now. It's much more tame, especially on a week night, it's almost quiet. The upstairs usually makes you feel like doing drugs in the bathroom and/or making out with strangers.
I have seen mice downstairs, which is sort of an unspoken truth about restaurants, but I like to remain in denial of it and not have the evidence run across the floor.
Tattooed Mom's is pretty inexpensive, and the food is good. They have good daily food and drink specials. I just don't necessarily recommend going on the weekends.
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Somehow, Tattoed Mom has managed to remain fairly bullshit free despite their location. Taco Tuesdays? Pierogie Wednesdays? Hells yes. You can easily stuff yourself for $5. Add a couple of PBR tall boys to the equation and I am in a happy place. Because sometimes the simple things are all you need.
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It's easy to hate on South Street bars, but similar to what Nate F. said - TM has remained consistently awesome despite the area's rapid decline. The downstairs and upstairs provide two very different climes for drinking - I usually opt for the sea foam green downstairs for lounging on the couches and conversation, and upstairs for pool and drunken cigarettes.
The food isn't particularly anything special - it's bar food, but GOOD bar food at that. Like most have already mentioned, the pierogies are top notch - so much I went for the Wednesday special last night. And I love the basket of condiments they give you. I'm a sucker for condiments.
Good times all around.
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The best part about tatooed mom's the crappy upstairs with scribbles all over.. or at least it was when i was there a long long time ago..
If you were a regular back then, you probably know a cute happy little goth girl named suzi Q.. siouxie.. or something of that sort.. that's my gal! She used to hang out there tons, and she's the one who dragged me there decked out in her leather apparel.. REAL friends make you play dress-up!
Anyway, hanging out at tatooed mom's with her always made me feel like we were little kids again with our own special secret clubhouse.. but we were the bad kids, the ones drinking alcohol..
Sue always went for the cops hanging out outside once she was even the littlest bit tipsy-- what is it with punkrawk girls and men in uniform?!
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This place has the best bar stools at the downstairs bar. That would be enough for greatness, but they take it further with a good veggie burger and tater tots, and decent cheap beer. Every time I've been there the service is pretty good, the bathroom is clean, and the atmosphere is cozy and interesting; i.e. if the conversation is boring there's plenty to gaze at!
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Ok, so I am going to be a little biased since Mom's is my FAVORITE hangout, ever!
I am absolutely addicted to Mom's cheap Veggie food and PBR specials. There are always food specials going on including $3 regular and veggie burgers on Monday and Thursday, Taco Tuesdays, Pierogie Wednesdays, and half price sandwiches on the weekend during the day. There are also tons of beer specials and even when there's not everything is reasonable.
Free craft Sundays are the perfect place for cheap fun. They have a craft table open to guests including coloring books, felt, construction paper, and even GIMP! There are also tons of great board games to play while hanging out and once a month they so a specialty craft like making sock puppets or ties for father's day.
The atmosphere is both chill and artistic punk at the same time. The memorabilia is everywhere and ranges from a bumper car in the front window to a 16" Stay Puffed Marshmallow Man on one of the shelves. The little alleyway has some great exhibits of crafts past including two robots that strangely resemble c3po and the robot from Mystery Science Theater.
You'll notice a lot of different crowds hanging at moms including what's left of the dwindling Philly punk scene, bike messengers, your indie artists and even some of the "newer" South Street crowd is making their way to the bar for a new experience.
The bar tenders and wait staff are all great without a doubt. Add a blend of old school punk, new wave, indie and even country tunes from the jukebox and you're set for the night.
Thanks, mom.
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Though coming here as huge yelp crowd was entertaining for some booze-fueled good times this place has few redeeming qualities beyond cost. The food, if it can be called such, is of Philadelphia Public School cafeteria caliber - bringing back such horrors as Tater tots and Chicken fingers. The Mrs. T Pirogues were palatable, however, as was the Falafel but both require the culinary expertise and patience of ... well, me. Preheat Oven...Open package... Insert item... Done in 1o-15 minutes. I generally refrain from eating while out what I can prepare at home in a 30 minute time crunch.
My take on this place was not helped by its dank basement feel. What some have called in earlier reviews the bars "punk-rock appeal" - seems to me like a bullshit excuse by the owners not to invest back into the business and pocket cash instead. Shit furniture, institutional green colored walls (???) that badly need repainting, 80's retro memorabilia and half-assed arts and crafts projects does not a punk bar make. Where is the anti-establishment message? The anti-authoritarian ideologies?
All I see is PBR specials... No thanks.
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I won't review this place so much as I'll let one menu item represent the whole: Sausage and Pancake on a Stick (a la Corn Dog) for one dollar. To paraphrase a precise equation from one of my coworkers, delicious = very yes.
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Tattooed Mom's is my favorite place to hang out in the city. Cheap food, cheap beer and a friendly bunch of people make this place enjoyable. Tattooed Mom's is not a bar for the local yuppies and to be honest if you are one of those people I would rather you stay away. There are plenty of other "spots" you can go and drink yourself until you think you are back in your Frat / Sorority days.
I love the food there and since my wife and I eat there on quite a regular basis we have mad most of what is on the menu. Anna whips up some mean Tacos and an awesome veggie chicken Parmesan sandwich. They have a great beer selection however I stick to the PBR pints and pounders, especially on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights when a pounder only costs you a buck.
Bobby and Sara are the coolest and friendliest servers / bartenders I have met in this city. Sara will always crack you up and Bobby is always attentive, he also has some really cool art work for sale at Jinxed on 4th Street.
So if you are not an uptight yuppie or a bunch a rowdy frat boys please stop by. Sandwiches are always 1/2 price from Noon until 4PM and there are always nightly food and beer specials. Oh, before I forget if you are not a veg order a pancake and sausage on a stick they are so damn good.
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Yeah it's a little trendy now and usually too crowded on the weekends to step foot in but I hold a special place in my heart for anywhere that recognizes pierogies as a food staple, hence my love for JONES and my adoration for Tattooed Mom's. So take your 25cent pierogies, couple that with some Yuengling and it's the perfect recipe for a happy Stacey. See, it doesn't take much!
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Yes, yes, yes! I want random furniture and bizarre knick knacks and a great list of beers, wines, and other drinks to whet your whistle at this great south street dive. Love that each table comes with a table full of dum dums and penny toys like spider rings to keep people like me coming back for me. The graffitti room upstairs is pretty rad, too, but i prefer the more low-key setting downstairs. My favorite place for drinks in philly for sure!
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I seriously love Tattooed Mom's. This is the best place in town for cheap eats, simple beers and a good time. Go upstairs for a slightly more private feeling, but anywhere in this place is OK with me. It's got just enough dive to it and no bullshit to make it a comfy place to unwind any night of the week.
I must mention a side note - usually, the crowd is cool but lately it's been kinda weird on the weekends - like the unfortunate South Street crowd lost their Miller Lites and stumbled in to the wrong place by accident. But for the most part, Mom's is a consistently awesome place to be.
In closing,
corn dogs
good, inexpensive drinks
25 cent pierogies
toys on the tables
awesome staff
did i mention corn dogs? have one when you're drunk. it will change your life.
Mom's will always be my good old stand-by bar. Yes, it's dirty. Yes, the music is too loud. But Mom's doesn't try to be something it's not. It's a dive, and one of the best ones around.
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When my friends and I feel like heading out for a cheap night with good people we go to TACO TUESDAY!!! Seriously, the bartender is the best, the doorman is the best, and the wait staff is the best. We love it!
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Tattooed Mom's is great. The drinks are stiff and the beer is cheap. But better than all of that are the perogies. I just ate some. potato-y and greasy. Wednesdays they are 25 cents a piece, and pan fried to perfection. Decor is kitchy and cool, and the free lolly pops and toys add to the experience. Like Chrissy R., i don't hang out on south street all that often, but tattooed mom's is where i go when i am there.
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I don't hang out on South Street very often, but this was a nice little diamond in the rough for me. The decor is my favorite part -- bright and fun and artsy in an avant garde way. A bit of a dive [which I like in my bars].
Prices are fair -- not too crazy -- and they certainly give you what you pay for. I drank whiskey and Coke the night I was there, and they definitely gave me a little Coke with my whiskey. :) I had dinner there, as well, and they had some excellent food, for bar food.
And as is common with Philly's Mom's bars, they had a super fun jukebox and crayons/toys on every table to play with -- and lollipops! Can't forget those, hehe.
As usual on South Street, though, I got a little bit of a cooler-than-thou vibe from the patrons. Nothing too serious as to make me yawn and leave, but a little uptight for a dive bar. But the bartenders and waiter were really cool, so that definitely balanced it out.
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Pierogie night, Taco Tuesdays, Craft Sundays... Could a girl want anything more out of a bar?! Absolutely not! Tattooed Mom's has been one of my favorite bars of all time even before I lived in Philly! It's a great bar to go to whether you want a relaxing couple-a-drinks and good conversation with some good buds or if you want to drink your face off and get crazy wasted with those same good buds. With two stories to do either in, it's got way more than enough room. It also has one of my favorite "bar food" menus because it features selections for both carnivores and herbivores alike. For instance, on one menu you can find your carnivorous sandwiches and on a seperate menu, you can find those same exact sandwiches veggie-style! That way, nobody misses out. Mom's definitely has something for everybody.
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I have not been here in years and should return soon. In general Im tired of the whole Philly atiitude and avoid places like South St.. However, this place I remember as being cool. The next time Im in Philly I will stop in.
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Mom's is my go-to bar when I just want to relax with friends while drinking cheap beer and eating cheap food... without feeling cheap. It's sort of like hanging out in your crazy great-aunt's living room, if your aunt had disaffected hipsters lounging about and a velvet nude on the wall. You can't beat the specials, either. Wednesdays are my favorite, featuring 25 cent pierogies. Taco Tuesdays aren't bad either. If, like me, you're OK with drinking shitty cheap beer when it only costs a dollar, head over on Fridays or Saturdays for $1 PBRs. And don't miss the monthly craft days, held on Sundays. You might decorate anything from a potato to a construction paper heart with paint, glitter, pipe cleaners and googly eyes. And be still my heart--they added tater tots to the menu!
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It's definitely one of the better bars on South Street. I used to think it was an actual tattoo parlor before I walked in. Oops. Decent drinks and I like any place that have Taco Tuesdays and Pierogi Wednesdays specials. If you're anti-smoking, I'd suggest staying downstairs with the puke green walls. You can smoke, play pool, and write on the walls upstairs.
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decent beer selection and cheap food.
but oh my god. the wall color.
let's just say it's the color your skin might turn after having too many beers, right before you lose them all.
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Let's see... is it cool to hate this place now because it's becoming too cool to hang out here? Or is it so cool to hate this place that it's even more cool to come here anyway even though you know you're better than that?
Augh. You know what? I don't care. This bar is unique, fun, and no matter what some people say, you still don't have to deal with a lot of bullshit here, and I like that. So what if a few hipster fuckers want to sit around and be annoying? I'd rather have that than a bunch of frat boys. At least I can kick a hipster's ass if need be.
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I love Mom's. There's writing all over the walls, go karts to sit in, and a loud jukebox with punk. They have special food days of the week, Taco Tuesday being my favorite. It's best to go upstairs with a group of your friends and shoot some pool. Lately, though, it seems like a lot of unsual characters have been frequenting the place. I don't know what this is about, but I feel like there may be a rumble a brewin'.
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Four Stars!
It's a pretty big place, although I don't smoke they let people smoke in the back room upstairs. The beer is cheap, the food is good or was it because I was drunk? No, no...the veggie burger and waffle fries are delicious! I didn't like the bartender, he was anal retentive and had an attitude problem. Bumper cars, couches, and pool tables galore!
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Cheap Pabst and the hooker on the wall is the only thing that makes this place worthwhile...expensive and dirty yuengling draughts, a clientele of played out punk rock guys and size-you-up-hipsters, shitty service and a we're so cool it hurts atmosphere make this place suck. this place has seen its day. ten years ago called, it wants it's bar back. fucking blaaaahh..and this is coming from a person who loves sugar moms...the toys and shtick are great, this south street locale just straight sucks.
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