Aqua Teen Hunger Force viral ads cause Boston bomb scare

Oh, you viral marketers and tricksy Adult Swim promo squads, what've you done now? No longer content with offending parents and making the male aged 18-30 demo chortle with glee at their New Jersey debauchery, it would appear Aqua Teen crossed over into real life to wreak havoc promoting the upcoming ATHF movie. Geeky Lite-Brite-like visages of the Mooninites caused shut downs in several transit arteries in Boston, including Interstate 93, the Longfellow Bridge, and Storrow Drive, leaving thousands asking WHAT HAPPENED TO THEIR FRICKIN' CAR?! Strangely, Turner stated that these viral ads have been in place in 10 major cities for between two and three weeks, which leaves one to wonder why no one noticed the strange, pixelated cartoon characters flipping the bird until just this afternoon, and just in Boston.

[Thanks, Dan]

Update: One's for sale on eBay! Thanks, everybody.

[jon @ Jan 31st 2007 7:38PM]

I want that marketing company working for me. I heard about this on NPR. Bet thats even better results than turner paid for.

[Nicholas Twillie @ Jan 31st 2007 11:07PM]

I'm sorry but this has to make the Boston emergency personnel look really stupid. oh including the idiots who thought they were explosive devices. But then again better safe than sorry!

[Ben @ Jan 31st 2007 7:38PM]

Looks like their marketing campaign worked ... spent a few k for cheap signs and most of the US has heard of it by now.

[Stas Neyman @ Jan 31st 2007 7:41PM]

Oh man. I WANT THIS sooo bad!!! I would totaly steal one if I saw it!!! Are there any in SF?!!

[Sean @ Jan 31st 2007 7:44PM]

This one really makes me upset. It may be some of the media's fault too though. I work in downtown boston and I take the subway to work everyday. Durring lunch I check the news and the media is making it seem like there are bombs all over the city - they report of bombs in "suspicious packages" scaring everyone.

The media wanted this to me another terrorist attack, and was trying to scare people into thinking this so they will watch the news. After seeing what was really posted around the city I shouldnt have been scared at all today. I hate the media for sensationalizing everything.

but the campain should have just used paper posters - they did have the bomb squad blowing these things up which led to the media getting a huge boner and reporting TERRROR!!!

[Monty @ Feb 2nd 2007 11:29AM]

They used LEDs and not posters because that's currently quite the fashion. And this was all about the Cool (yes, I happen to make light-up things myself). Surely you've seen some of the graffiti done with conductive paint and LEDs?

What pisses me off is that these were done with care not to leave a mess to clean up (magnetic; pops right off, no property damage) and were fun/pretty to look at. These signs brought anyone with half a brain a little happiness in addition to advertising something (which I happened to love anyway). It should have gone down as exactly the right way to do guerilla adverts. They weren't *that* clever, but they were pretty.

Monty

[exo @ Jan 31st 2007 7:55PM]

"...which leaves one to wonder why no one noticed the strange, pixelated cartoon characters flipping the bird until just this afternoon, and just in Boston."

'Cause the people of Boston are f-ing morons. There's a reason they're called Massholes.

[SornyPanafonic @ Feb 2nd 2007 1:26PM]

hahahahahhahahahaaaa... massholes. never heard of that before but thats awesome.

[SornyPanafonic @ Feb 2nd 2007 1:27PM]

im guessing pez is from boston. eat a cock pez. go yankees!

[josh @ Jan 31st 2007 7:57PM]

Why does a boxy, pixely, character flipping you the bird automatically make some assume that means bomb?

[Brian @ Jan 31st 2007 8:02PM]

OMG! Hit the deck, it's an F-bomb!

[Nick @ Feb 1st 2007 12:58AM]

hahahaha LMAO

[Chris Moroz @ Jan 31st 2007 8:06PM]

Because terrorists make bombs out of LED's that flip off their targets...

Boston, kudos to your Homeland Security experts!

[Ryoga Vee @ Feb 2nd 2007 1:39AM]

I cant stop laughing over this.
Greatest news week ever

[Shibathedog @ Jan 31st 2007 8:08PM]

PS. I didnt make this but i post YTMNDs relating to articles sometimes so here. http://paranoidboston.ytmnd.com/

[Mike @ Feb 1st 2007 1:05PM]

ahahaha thats great.

[Ignignokt @ Jan 31st 2007 8:11PM]

When I say your dumb name, please stand up briefly, but then quickly drop to your knees and forsake all others before me.

[mothmonsterman @ Jan 31st 2007 8:21PM]

Here I am, rock you like a hurricane.

The moon rulz #1!

[HeroicAutobot @ Jan 31st 2007 8:38PM]

I've seen at least one of these in Seattle and didn't think anything of it at the time, other than, "I do believe it's supposed to be flipping me off."

[Charles @ Jan 31st 2007 8:49PM]

I saw one of these in giant form rocking my face outside a stripclub in Portland.

[Missey @ Feb 1st 2007 1:43PM]

I know that club ;) ATHF rawks the panties off the girlies! WHOOT!

[Sammy D Kat @ Jan 31st 2007 9:07PM]

That's really pathetic to think that people thought that those were bombs. People are idiots & the media is just hyping it up.

[Castle @ Jan 31st 2007 9:19PM]

Seriously, viral marketing is stupid and obnoxious. Now there a companies that post fake news stories on Digg and have them dugg up. They tag graffiti all over the place, and now they cause a huge traffic jam in Boston. There should honestly be a law against deceptive advertising.

[SH @ Jan 31st 2007 9:25PM]

By instilling a state of fear and irrational reactions, the real terrorists have succeeded once again.

[ttisblib @ Jan 31st 2007 9:33PM]

Remember this happened with Mission: Impossible III and the newspaper racks? When will the dumb Madison Ave types (in this case, Williams St.) learn? Start fining these companies that do these stunts the cost to clean up the mess they caused, plus throw in a few million for the inconvenience factor, they might start to figure it out.

[John Doe @ Jan 31st 2007 9:44PM]

I hope everyone realized that the terrorists have already won. The nanosecond someone can shut down roads based simply on the illusion that it might be a terrorist plot, they have gotten exactly what they wanted: being able to bring America or segments of America to a standstill without any actions on their part whatsoever. All they need to do now is sit back and watch up implode on ourselves with the occasional terrorist act to push things along. Congratulations Shrub lovers. As C&C he has created this climate of fear. He pushes policy. He gives the speeches that either inspire or scare a nation. He is the President. He has used the power of the words terror and WMD to get his way and we now see the outcome of his fearmongering.

[August @ Feb 1st 2007 6:54PM]

Right.

And he also cleaned up the economic mess your homeboy "what the definition of 'is' is" Clinton left behind.

[Jackson @ Feb 3rd 2007 5:14PM]

You mean the Budget Surplus that bush frittered away?

[p @ Feb 5th 2007 2:27AM]

And these are the idiots we want "protecting" us? What a load of rot! I think I'll take care of myself, and I recommend you all do the same...

[John Doe @ Jan 31st 2007 9:46PM]

PS- And if you think this is the only example of people's overreactions think again.

[010111 @ Jan 31st 2007 9:57PM]

just so you know... the police have arrested one of the people who was subcontracted by the ad agency to hang these signs up.

http://www.boston.com/news/globe/city_region/breaking_news/2007/01/artist_arrested.html

presumably it was done by subcontracted workers in every city they were used in. i don't they got paid enough to make being arrested worthwhile.

i doubt anyone at the ad agency or turner has been arrested.

though... a lot of this could've been avoided with some permits and/or permission before doing it. that's one of the ways Sony got out of getting in too much trouble over the PSP Graffiti ads... they simply put the graffiti in places that was already allowed to have advertising.

[paul34 @ Jan 31st 2007 10:00PM]

gotta love how paranoid people are these days

fear, when there is too much, makes you weak

which is exactly what my fellow American people have become

[Gamer90 @ Jan 31st 2007 10:29PM]

I just found out that the person arrested faces Felony Charges and jail time!

[SideSwipe @ Jan 31st 2007 10:30PM]

That's priceless. People can be so paranoid.

[Dustin @ Jan 31st 2007 10:42PM]

And now I realize that the traffic I had to sit in was for.. a cartoon? man I'm pissed.

[Alex @ Jan 31st 2007 10:49PM]

Boston's overreaction to this ranks about as high on the stupidity meter as the incident involving those Super Mario question mark ("?") blocks in that small town that those girls put up that led to a similar scare (though on a smaller scale).

I only heard about the incident on the radio and read about it on-line. Did they show pictures of the devices on television early on?

[Andrew @ Jan 31st 2007 11:26PM]

I wish I could say "better safe than sorry," but you can't. Even assuming the response was perfectly executed, it was a little late. I live in Boston and these things have been up for THREE WEEKS... OOPS...
If they had been real bombs they would have exploded weeks ago.
I'm actually embarrassed to be from this state.

[BS @ Jan 31st 2007 11:22PM]

Ok, so I don't quite understand Boston. Wasn't it Boston officials who wanted to charge Sony for the police force it took to calm down people waiting in line for a PS3? I think the people of Boston need to pull their heads out of their asses... Why is it that of the 9 cities, only Boston is having a problem? If it is found that Turner placed advertisements illegally, fine them. If this is another case of "dialing while stupid", the people who called in the bomb scare should be fined. I'm really sick of the paranoia. Do you actually think you would SEE a bomb before it goes off anyway?

[Kris Morey @ Jan 31st 2007 11:28PM]

I searched for one of these guys on eBay...

http://cgi.ebay.com/Mooninites-Ignignokt-LED-Advertising-Bomb_W0QQitemZ130075321405

In the auction's first -4- hours, it jumped from $20 to $1,175.

[Dave @ Feb 1st 2007 12:20AM]

They're being sold on eBay?! We have to alert Homeland Security before the terrorists snipe the auction and get their hands on this dangerous Moon-based technology.

[Radioman @ Feb 1st 2007 12:13AM]

Tell the Boston PD, that there is a Bar on the Corner of 5th and Lexington with a Neon Beer sign in the window. It could be a bomb. After all it is all lit up, and has wires sticking out of it, and it glows. It could be dangerous.
Alert Homeland Security, there is a billboard at the end of my street that looks suspicious.

I hope my sarcasm is extremely apparent

[Radioman @ Feb 1st 2007 12:13AM]

Tell the Boston PD, that there is a Bar on the Corner of 5th and Lexington with a Neon Beer sign in the window. It could be a bomb. After all it is all lit up, and has wires sticking out of it, and it glows. It could be dangerous.
Alert Homeland Security, there is a billboard at the end of my street that looks suspicious.

I hope my sarcasm is extremely apparent

[yessindeed @ Feb 1st 2007 12:14AM]

This is outrageous that we have to put up with the constant bird flipping by these mooninites. Ignignokt & Err are making a mockery of our justice system. If not for my eHelmet I would go insane...


http://www.adultswim.com/shows/athf/stuff/soundboard/

[Dave @ Feb 1st 2007 12:17AM]

This is where our "war" on terror has brought us. We have to remove our shoes and throw away our liquids before boarding a plane, we have a color scheme to tell us exactly how afraid we should be, we allow our government to spend billions on a war with no clear purpose or end, we are okay with complete invasions of privacy and the deterioration of the Bill of Rights, and now we're afraid of fictional characters from the Moon. All this, and we each have a better chance of being struck by lightning than being the victim of a terrorist attack. If there truly is a "war" on terror, this is just one more incident to illustrate just exactly which side is winning.

[August @ Feb 1st 2007 11:08PM]

Yeah.

Because the part of the world where the "terrorists" come from has never held a grudge against one certain demographic or race...for oh, say, hundreds and hundreds of years.

This is a completley recent development.

God dammit people are stupid.

[Mauricio @ Feb 1st 2007 1:11AM]

why are they calling the an advertising campaign a "HOAX" it wasnt a hoax of any kind! it was an ADVERTISING CAMPAIGN!

The word HOAX implies that these ads were made to look like bombs purposely! Which in fact they werent.

Paranoia Drops Bombs! and President Bush Creates paranoia!

[jaxhud @ Feb 1st 2007 2:48AM]

You're spot on Mauricio. The Boston prosecutor's office is out of its freaking gourd charging this dude with felonious perpetration of a hoax. WHAT WAS THE HOAX??? It was a lite brite of a cartoon character! Is the neon sign above my neighborhood bar a hoax too? What a crock! Bostonians need to extract the corncobs from their bums. "Hoax" must be the scapegoat word of the day in the Boston Municipal Government building. The FBI and Boston police's disproportionate response is to blame. They blew up an LED sign attached to a battery? WTF? I thought these people had bomb sniffing dogs and exposive detection devices. The FBI knew darn well what these things were, but they dragged it out to TERRORIZE the country for a few hours. Chertoff is the real criminal.

[happythoughts @ Feb 1st 2007 1:14AM]

A new flavor is gonna come out at starbucks and people are gonna think its a bomb next - you watch.

[Castle @ Feb 1st 2007 1:19AM]

Honestly, what do people expect the Boston Police department to do if they got a call saying that there is a suspicious object with lights suspended under a bridge? Ignore it, laugh it off like its another viral marketing tactic? This has nothing to do with Homeland security, the general public isn't used to guerrilla marketing, to most its more illogical to have someone put LED objects under I-93 that is normally inaccessible to the public.

[iwantfood4321 @ Feb 1st 2007 1:46AM]

I can't believe that nobody in boston pd watches ATHF and thought about calling Turner before causing a scare!