Worst parents in the world punk kid into thinking he got an Xbox 360
By Ryan Block 
posted February 29th 2008 5:54PM
posted February 29th 2008 5:54PM
Jonathan, you out there? Screw those people, they clearly don't understand what it is to be a kid and to want an awesome gadget so badly you can taste it. We've been there our whole lives. Since, as a publication, we can't just adopt you and raise you as our own, I will personally send you an Xbox 360 and some games -- but only on the condition that you swear to you'll never let your douchebag family play with it. Hit me up at engadget at gmail dotcom, make sure you can identify yourself so I know I've got the right person.
Update: We've been flooded with email from well-meaning geeks and even Microsoft; just about everyone wants to help us hook up Jonathan. We totally appreciate the sentiment, but we've got this covered. We think we've gotten in touch with his family (who let us know he never got an Xbox, and the whole thing really was a prank on the poor kid); once we know for sure we have the right people we'll post again.
the parents did him a favor... it would just red ring on him in a week anyway.
thanks for doing that, that's amazing. Keep us updated.
I don't think it is real.
Why can they afford a camcorder?
that was clearly taken on a cellphone camera. Have a good look at the zoom. regular cameras have variable zoom, whereas this had set zoom sizes..
or maybe its just a hella old crappy video camera
Please send him some games too.
Man, it's like no one reads the other comments. HEY LOOK AT ME, HELLO!? He did end up getting it.
@author: when you have contact, pls open a paypal donation site!
its horrible to see that kid punked by his lameass brother.
i wanna donate for more games! seriously!
ps - dont send him squat. he just made $400 for landing on the break.com homepage. he has more than enough to buy his own now.
@Christ-ian, thats so true, because it is so out of context for adults it seems funny, but this is the stuff that scars children for life. how about in twenty years when he's too scared to put down the deposit for a house because hes worried the deal will fall through and he'll lose his money. years of psychotherapy i tells ya.
Why would you do that to your kid? Horrible, simply horrible... you just wanna kick them for doing that to the poor kid!
...
THAT WAS AWESOMEEEEE.
"...look at the camera and cry."
That's brutal. Just brutal.
Awww, thats so sad.
They could probably afford it if they skimmed a little bit of cash from mommy's pie budget.
As if they upload it to youtube too...!
can u just send the poor kid a new family instead?
Apparently his mom could afford some food for her fat ass.
Horrible, Horrible...
I can't wait until this kid gets his hands on a gun and plays a little joke of his own.
I'm gonna send that kid's fat mom an empty big mac box and watch her cry when she opens it
lol
saw this on ebaums first, still laughing ahahhahaahahhahahahhh
Poor kid. If you watch around 2:20, you can see the exact moment his soul dies.
We should take up a donation to send this kid a lot of games. Ryan, if you find him I'll purchase a game to donate.
thats sick!!!!!! i almost cried!! poor kid!!!!!
They must've jacked the 360 box from somewhere though..?
Sorry to say, guys, but he definately was acting in the beginning. It's a mean thing to do, but the fact that he didn't realize that it weighed way to little to actually be an xbox is pretty funny. They took it a bit to far by continuing to laugh at him after he started crying, but I can guarantee that he was acting.
I feel so sad for that kid; I am willing to chip in to get that kid one. I am sure if his mother would stop eating they would be able to get the kid one.
One day that kid will get older and we may all see him and his parents on the news and it won’t be a good thing.
something tells this kid probably doesn't browse engadget... but seriously, i hope SOMEONE who knows him does so he can get one. that is so f***ed up. :(
What next? You going to add a racist card?
Does anyone else think that this might be a scam video posted on Youtube just to con some generous suck... err... people into donating an XBox 360 to them?
Anyway, if this works, I'll make sure to post a video of one of my cousins opening an iPhone box with socks in it or something :-)
Check the video description...the kid got a 360. They were teaching him a lesson for snooping around.
For all you people saying he did get it look at the youtube text!
I'm not sure if he did or didn't get it. But I grew up with families like this (foster care, was being shipped to family to family ever 3 months). And I DIDN'T get the present at the end (this happened more than once, but I remember the nes the most :/ ). So, from my perspective, there is a very good chance he didn't get it either. Even if he did, he seems like the younger one so, other people like his brother is probably taking up all the time with the machine and the cruelty that seems to be, in the way his parents/family treats him, is real. Point being, Ryan please send it to him if you can. This was me when I was younger. Hell, I'll throw in a few games and some MS points. I'm serious. You have my email address, hit me up and we can do this together.
I'm sure Ryan will cross reference the shipping address with the xbox live subscription database (I'm sure MN can help him out), to see whether the household has an active Live account and how long it's been active. That can help confirm the situation.
What horrible parents. Somebody should call Child Services on those people. It makes me wonder what other horrible things these people do to their children. My heart sunk when I saw this video. I feel like buying that poor kid an Xbox too...
Man those parents need to go to hell! That is wrong! That kid deserves a Xbox 360. You don't torture a kid like that, and exspect the kid to be ok with it. Man, parents these days!
Damn I feel really bad for him that sucks you see the saddness in his eyes he def deserves the xbox and the way his family acts I doubt they really got it for him and if he did I have to see that video to believe it.
...What do you mean you can't adopt him? Even if you let him sleep in the Engadget offices (or that posh Apt of yours Ryan); Hes still better off than in that environment. You can tell they are bad parents, when is the last time he went to a barber or when do you think any of them put a comb thru that hair?
I wonder if Madonna or Angelina read Engadget....
Wow, I teared up when I saw that. I'd toss in for a few titles for that xbox. Provided, as stated above, that his douche bag family never touches them...
I love how this was reported under the basis that the author THINKS they are LYING about how the prank actually happened, and is assuming he didn't actually get the thing like it says in the video description. What, are they going to go through the trouble of trying to find a clean package to play a cruel trick? Get real.
pwning an adult is fine... but damn a little kid on the holidays that soo f'd up. Kid looks like a foster kid
I really am surprised by most of the posters here. I don't see why I should feel bad for some spoiled kid who went behind his family's back. What if the family hadn't been able to afford the 360 or any gifts? It may not have been the best execution, but Christmas isn't about gifts. The kid should have been grateful for what he had and what he received. That kid is old enough to understand gifts. I know my parents "taught" me to be grateful for socks and shirts when I was young. The user has one video and no followup. I don't see that as reason to not believe that the kid got the 360. A bad practical joke is not reason to insult the mother or the family. The kid learned a lesson and probably got an Xbox. I know my parents would have made me learn the hard way(no Xbox).
dude, this is engadget, not anticapitalism.org
Does that mean I'm too realistic or use to much logic or something?
I hope this kid gets an Xbox as well.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G9_B6VkRViQ
I also hear some lonelygirl15 had parents who did the same. Nobody needs or deserves a video game console. I just don't understand why we shouldn't believe the poster. The box looked nice and new which leads me to believe the contents are probably close. The family probably left the room to get it right after the waterworks began.
The real idiots are you guys for giving those posers sympathy.
You're falling into their trap.
That is horrible! Poor kid.
You Engadget guys are so cool giving the boy a 360. Respect!
My parents have done stuff like this to me in the past, like giving my brother and I N64 games saying they would fit in our other system (an NES)... of course, when we went to the TV, the N64 was there beside the NES
As long as you get the system in the end, it's all good =)
Good going Engadget...!
What would be cruel is that if the family really could not afford an xbox, was that Engadget gave him an xbox. Guess what? He would have an xbox with no money for the games and no money even for the subscription.