Aqua Teen Hunger Force Promo Causes Panic In Boston
Yesterday a marketing campaign for Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim show “Aqua Teen Hunger Force” caused a massive panic in Boston, when LED signs of Ignignot and Err (Mooninite Marauders characters from the show) were mistaken as explosive devices. Boston authorities overreacted and shut down half of the city and the Adult Swim art was subsequently detonated by Boston police.
Media & Blog Coverage
“Froth, fear, and fury in Boston” (Boston Globe)
“Hoax packages cause alarm in Boston” (CNN)
“Aqua Teen Hunger Force LED art shuts down Boston” (Phillip Torrone, Make Magazine)
“Suspicious Packages in Boston” (Skadz, Metroblogging Boston)
“LED ad campaign ignites terrorism scare in Boston” (Mark Frauenfelder, Boing Boing)
“Promotional Gadgets Grip Boston in Fear and Loathing” (Gizmodo)
“everybody panic!” (Wil Wheaton)
“AQUA TEEN HUNGER FORCE Hysteria In Boston… sad commentary on the times we live in?” (Ain’t It Cool News)
“Boston and the ATHF: the day after” (Bob Sassone, TV Squad)
“Non-Terrorist Embarrassment in Boston” (Bruce Schneier)
“Cartoon Network Chief Quits Over Marketing Stunt” (Associated Press)
“Some Thoughts on Last Week in Boston” (Wooster Collective)
Meme Propagation
A Little Something for the Hackers in Boston (bunnie)
Here’s a video of the LED art being installed by the guerrilla marketing company Interference Inc as well some photos.
Last month I came across one of the Aqua Teen Hunger Force promos while driving around Los Angeles.
UPDATE 1: Boston police have arrested Peter Berdovsky and Sean Stevens, the artists who were hired by Turner Broadcasting to install the promotional artwork. Peter’s website zebbler.com not currently online, but his MySpace page is still up.
UPDATE 2: Turner Broadcasting has issued an apology regarding the controversial marking campaign.
UPDATE 3: The LED signs had been previously installed in 10 other cities without incident, including San Francisco. So why did Boston freak out like it did? Wil Wheaton has an excellent analysis of how it all went down.
UPDATE 4: littlestarletta who is LMAO about this situation on LiveJournal, found this great 1-31-07 memorial image.
UPDATE 5: Sean and Peter made their official statement to the media, were they only would discuss hairstyles from the 70’s. Hilarious.
UPDATE 6: The video of Peter and Sean (aka GlitchCrew) installing the LED devices in Boston is now online.
UPDATE 7: Two Ignignogt LED signs were found by Michelle and Safire in San Francisco.
UPDATE 8: Peter Berdovsky and Sean Stevens have apologized for scaring Boston.
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I personally think it could have happened in any of those cities. It just takes one paranoid person and a couple of clueless cops.
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What a bunch of undercultivated, overmedicated, insidious, apathetic fucks. I hope the scary light bright man scarred them for life.....stupid ass cops.
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------------------------------------
Contact:
Jeffrey Scott Holland
502.224.8348
jshpaint@gmail.com
JEFFREY SCOTT HOLLAND WITHDRAWS
"PROJECT EGG" PUBLIC ART INSTALLATION
FROM BOSTON
As you may know, last year I left green Easter Eggs in various
public and semi-public places in several American cities, as part
of my PROJECT EGG public art installation. This April, it had been
my intent to the expand the egg hunt to cover the entire nation,
with eggs hidden in the major cities of each of the fifty states.
However, in the wake of the ludicrous and Orwellian response of
Boston city officials to the Aqua Teen Hunger Force ad campaign,
I have been deeply morally appalled at behavior and statements
of Boston Mayor Thomas Menino and Assistant Attorney General
John Grossman, claiming that lightboxes such as those used in
the Aqua Teen Hunger Force ad campaign were no longer
appropriate in a "post 9/11 world", and that the "hoax" perpetrators
"clearly intended" the lightboxes to be mistaken for bombs.
These so-called public officials are apparently blissfully ignorant of the simple fact that terrorist bombs logically do not call attention to themselves with flashing lights and cartoon characters.
Given this chilling effect the powers-that-be in Boston have cast on
free expression (not to mention common sense), I must withdraw my
intent to give away Easter Eggs in the state of Massachusetts in
April. I will not give these men further fuel in their drive to present
themselves as intelligent and valiant fighters of "potential" terrorism
in the name of national security, which is the real hoax being
perpetrated here.
To paraphrase Senator Jordan in the original Manchurian Candidate
film, "these men could not be doing more harm to America than if
they were paid Russian agents".
Jeffrey Scott Holland
http://www.jeffreyscottholland.com/
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it's 1024x768 http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/47817374/
And here's just a fun picture I made afterwards with it :P
http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/47875026/
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"Level 3, beware the Gorgarton. He's in love. "
"Shoot em' in the head!"
"Head shot, rampage, killing spree!"
"You have mastered Moon Master, you are the Moon Master!"
"No f--king way!"
"Yes way Err." (Aqua Teen Hunger Force -- Moon Master)
I always knew that Err was a terrorist. As soon as all those Bostonians saw him flipping them off, they immediately came to the same realization.
Wait till they get a load of Balloonenstein. :-)
Once again George W. Bush has saved us all from the evils of 80s era video game characters. Thank heaven for God Emperor Bush and the paranoia he has brought to our great country.
What a joke, let's just hope that Sean and Pete don't wind up at Guantánamo Bay, stripped of their rights and being force fed through nasal gastric tubes.
The hot new hip fashion item for today's discerning terrorist,
The Err LED light Brite T-shirt
http://www.makezine.com/blog/archive/2007/02/ho...
Get them while supplies last.
note to site owner: you cannot type or paste in the boxes provided for e-mail addresses or web site URLs on Internet explore, I had to switch to Mozilla to post this comment.
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