Smallscreen News

'Aqua Teen Hunger Force' stunt brings Boston to a halt

By Stone Martindale Feb 1, 2007, 4:45 GMT

On the Web



Your Talkback on this Story

Latest Headlines in Smallscreen

Older Talkback

page: 1 

ken chaseFeb 1st, 2007 - 05:48:05

1) anyone who says this is a failed marketing campaign go check how many matches there are for Aqua Teen Hunger Force on news.google now (LA Times said it, you'd think they'd know something about advertising.) I bet about 1000 times more people now know what ATHF is now than yesteday.

2) Paranoia has become the american way of life. The govt has already figured how to leverage that into controlling the populace. Time to take a chill pill before its too late (or is it).

Report this comment

lk;asdfjklFeb 1st, 2007 - 05:56:52

how about posting a picture of the sign? *geez* Talk about paranoid.

Report this comment

disgruntled employeeFeb 1st, 2007 - 06:14:04

i think too many people are taking '24' too seriously

Report this comment

JasonFeb 1st, 2007 - 06:14:06

I suppose anything with lights, wires, and batteries should be considered hacked together bombing devices. Give me a break.

Report this comment

i did your momFeb 1st, 2007 - 06:15:21

This was a good marketing campaign now 100x more ppl know what athf is

Report this comment

NitsuntoFeb 1st, 2007 - 06:17:35

I am a photographer for a local paper here in Boston, MA.
As soon as I saw the thing, i said it was a viral marketing campaign for ATHF.
THIS IS ALL VERY SILLY TO ME. This is a HUGE over-reaction to what will eventually become a very common marketing strategy. They did not figure this out early on and arrested some poor art student as an expression of their hurt pride. KUDOS BPD for being so far out of touch with the modern times....

Report this comment

Barak09Feb 1st, 2007 - 06:30:53

regardless of how people are reacting to these 'threats' it's evident that there's enough concern out in the public and government where things like this is a big deal. i don't personally get the blinking device as a marketing campaign cuz i don't watch much of ATHF, but it seems like if there was some kind of disclosure on the event before, it might have made things less crazy for everyone.

Report this comment

sargamFeb 1st, 2007 - 06:43:17

Of course the ad campaign 'worked' - duh - but it was also unethical - duh!! - because it disrupted thousands of unwitting people's lives (a public nuisance), plus the actual crime of hoaxing bomb squads ie. misusing police resources.

Turner should pay for the police work plus a criminal fine plus another fine for hooliganism, in the form of a contribution to a general charity fund. And it should be enough to discourage trendy wanna-be's to come. Anything less than 5 million here will make their corporate ad managers crow about the clever score. The fine should take into account the size of the perpetrators pockets and it should more than wipe out their standing to gain.

Report this comment

BranFeb 1st, 2007 - 07:02:50

They didn't look like bombs, it wasn't a 'bomb hoax.' They were little magnetic things with lights on them in the shape of a character form the show. It looks nothing like a bomb at all and this whole thing is so stupid as to be beyond words. Turner shouldn't be sued, the morons who shut down a city because there were blinking light cartoon characters on things should be sued.

Report this comment

Mike S.Feb 1st, 2007 - 07:03:00

Ten cities. Ten devices per city. Fourteen days. That's 1400 'device-days' of exposure of crowds to something that experts can't tell from an improvised explosive device before ONE of them was noticed. GIVE IT UP FOLKS!!!!! If Al Qaida attacks they WILL succeed, 4 for 4 just like last time. If they aren't it's because Bush is paying them off and protecting Bin Laden.

Report this comment

MStoneFeb 1st, 2007 - 07:04:05

To those saying Turner should pay-- if the devices have been out for weeks (in multiple cities, none the less!) how and why are they responsible for Boston's sudden rash of stupidity? The fact that Boston is trying to pass this off as a 'hoax' is simply damage control to save face. Own up, Boston; your administration is foolish and simply out of touch.

Report this comment

hahaFeb 1st, 2007 - 07:06:03

stupid....it goes to show what a great society we are in right now, hardly the harmoneous, peaceful nation we all long to live in.

Report this comment

HethyrFeb 1st, 2007 - 07:06:18

How could anyone not know

Report this comment

SoliloquyFeb 1st, 2007 - 07:07:38

Sure, in retrospect it seems quite silly, but when you think about it, authorities HAVE to respond to strange packages like this. They didn't know what it was, and they can't just ignore it because it might NOT be a bomb. And it's not as if bombs haven't been placed by madmen before.

Think about if the opposite had happened: if there were strange, unidentified packages strewn about, and the authorites ignored them because they figured they were probably harmless. Later, they explode, killing hundreds of people. This is the kind of think the government is trying to avoid, and frankly, I don't blame them.

Report this comment

SoliloquyFeb 1st, 2007 - 07:07:53

Sure, in retrospect it seems quite silly, but when you think about it, authorities HAVE to respond to strange packages like this. They didn't know what it was, and they can't just ignore it because it might NOT be a bomb. And it's not as if bombs haven't been placed by madmen before.

Think about if the opposite had happened: if there were strange, unidentified packages strewn about, and the authorites ignored them because they figured they were probably harmless. Later, they explode, killing hundreds of people. This is the kind of think the government is trying to avoid, and frankly, I don't blame them.

Report this comment

MikeFeb 1st, 2007 - 07:20:48

I work in advertising, and this is the sort of thing marketers and their agencies are doing since the mass market is becoming so splintered. In this case, Turner got more publicity than they ever imagined they would. But actions come with consequences. Turner should have to pony up some big bucks because their actions caused a big disruption in the Boston economy and created anxiety within thousands of people. You don't get a free pass when you do that.

Report this comment

Cybernetic Ghost of Christmas Past from the FutureFeb 1st, 2007 - 07:51:39

SARGAM YOU TWIT…

NOW PAY CLOSE ATTENTION TO WHAT THE CYBERNETIC GHOST OF CHRISTMAS PAST FROM THE FUTURE IS SAYING WITH THE WORDS THAT ARE FLOWING OUT OF HIS MOUTH…(pssssttt…it has something to do with global warming)…

Thousands of years ago...Thousands of years ago, before the dawn of man as we knew him... there was Sir Santa of Claus: an ape-like creature making crude and pointless toys out of dino-bones and his own waste, hurling them at chimp-like creatures with crinkled hands regardless of how they behaved the previous year. These so-called 'toys' were buried as witches and defecated upon and hurled at predators who were awoken by the searing grunts of children. It wasn't a holly jolly Christmas that year; for many were killed!

Thousands of years ago...the ice had made the globe inhabitable. Santa Ape did not know where the North Pole was. How could he? He was born before science existed. So he carved and placed his workshop right here (referring to Carl's house). Long before they unionized, and Christmas was celebrated at each full moon, in front of the great red ape

….I'm not finished. You should have gotten a snack. A war-like race of elves from the Red Planet landed on the ice-encased Earth and they were immediately enslaved by the unevolved Santa Ape to make his confused toys using galactic elfin technology. Toys were made into recognizable shapes and given names like 'train,' but these toys were also thrown at predators and defecated upon because they were so stupid. Christmas still sucked, in a big way.

...And that is where babies come from.....for machines...

Report this comment

GhostOfPatrickHenryFeb 1st, 2007 - 08:08:43

The only people that misused police and government resources were the police and government of Boston. These Lite Brite™ things were placed in Boston and 9 other cities 2-3 weeks ago! Mayor Menino claimed 'It is outrageous, in a post-9/11 world, that a company would use this type of marketing scheme.' But is this scheme really outrageous when 90% of cities where these things were placed were not put into a panic by incompetent, overzealous government officials?

Only Boston officials went off half-cocked (reacting like hysterical Jerseyites listening to Orson Welles' War of the Worlds broadcast in the 1930's), put their citizens into a panic, and ground their city to a screeching halt. Not to mention, they sat on their butts for 2-3 weeks before doing so.

Mayor Menino's post 9/11 paranoia is just another bit of evidence (like the oxymoronicly-named, Bill-of-Rights-attacking 'USA Patriot' Act) that we are our own worst enemy. We are stripping ourselves of the liberties and freedoms that previous generations over the past 230 years sacrificed so much to attain. And by doing so we are handing victory to the radical Islamists.

People of Boston! Do not let your incompetent officials off the hook for their paranoid, extreme over-reaction that shut down your city! Demand accountability! Do not let them divert you from examing their own failures by blaming Turner, its marketing agency or their employees.

If Boston officials can't tell the difference bomb and a Lite Brite™, do they even have a chance to prevent a real bomb attack?

Report this comment

OwekFeb 1st, 2007 - 10:51:42

i cant help but sit here laughing, then having a break and laughing some more!
when a light up sign cause cause such havoc, it really shows how truely paranoid some people are.
surely some1 knew and just left every1 else running round like headless chickens, i would have.

Report this comment

MichFeb 1st, 2007 - 12:57:08

'Turner shouldn't be sued, the morons who shut down a city because there were blinking light cartoon characters on things should be sued.'

And if they hadn't 'shut down' the city (which they did not - they took precautions to block off AREAS of the city within the range of reported sightings), and something had happened, you'd be screaming for their heads. They took precautions; that's their job. Whether the Boston officials are out of touch or not, I can't believe Turner Broadcasting was stupid enough to endorse this idea. In these times, planting any sort of unexplained and unannounced device in a major city is just asking for panic. It will be a miracle if the higher-ups who approved this don't go to jail.

Report this comment

toogoodFeb 1st, 2007 - 13:44:13

i have to say this is the ultamite advertising. Nothing has gone wrong in this act to get publicity. I almost gaurentee this was almost what was wanted (less how much it will be costing them)to happen. Now EVERYONE knows what Aqua Teen Hunger Force is and its awesome. Right on guys,

Report this comment

KCFeb 1st, 2007 - 14:29:17

So, in Boston 4 Duracells and a bunch of blinking LEDs looks like an improvised explosive device? I hope the Boston authorities don't notice the scoreboards at Fenway Park. It would be a pity to see such a landmark blown up by the bomb squad over some cop's fear of blinking lights.

While I don't expect the police to be able to visually identify largely irrelevant cartoon characters from a trivial late night cartoon, I do expect them to have the judgment and training to recognize (and investigate) a small electronic device without pushing the big red stop button on an entire city's functions.

I don't really think the Turner Broadcasting folks owe Boston much more than a sheepish apology, much less the threat of arrest and fines. Perhaps Turner should charge the city for the training exercise. Boston most clearly needed it.

I do hope the city management is busy cleaning their panties, wiping the egg of of their faces and taking this lesson to heart. And I hope they spare themselves the embarrassment of losing any case they might try to bring against Turner or their agents.

Report this comment

jbFeb 1st, 2007 - 17:35:21

Amazing ... when I finally found a picture (not easy to do) of the 'device' I couldn't believe anyone could mistake it for any kind of dangerous device, but then, consider how 'bright' those making that determination must be!

Report this comment

Osama Bin LadenFeb 1st, 2007 - 18:17:35

The Moononites are part of our Jihad against the Great Devil that is American Neon Lights. All praise and power to Allah's Lite Brite (now available in 3 Mullah approved colors). La, la, la, la, la ..... Allah Akbar.

Report this comment

Capt. MorganFeb 1st, 2007 - 18:17:41

They should be thankfull that they showed Boston how ill prepared they are in the event of a real threat. It's not like the items were put in place the night before, but 2 weeks ago !!!!!

Report this comment

Steven HawkinFeb 1st, 2007 - 18:19:11

If being stupid is painful, then Boston must be in agony.

Report this comment

Flip_66Feb 1st, 2007 - 19:33:33

Why Didn't Boston check with FEMA or any of it's neighboring cities when they discovered (about 2 weeks late) these LEDs (lit Explosive Devices)?
Apparently EVERY other major city cleaned them up just like any other piece of advertising found in public places.

Report this comment

timomgwtfFeb 2nd, 2007 - 00:00:21

Hey why'dja yank mah comment? It was just the stinking ATHF theme song.

As for the reaction/response, I wonder if any of the 'powers that be'...I mean...'the powers that freak out' in Beantown are between the age of 15 and 45...there has GOT to be someone hip with a badge up there.

If there was any crime at all...it was the over over over over OVER OVER O-V-E-R reaction.

Boston...you Chicken Little...these guys pulled a 'Borat' on ya.

Tic...toc...tic...toc...now I'm just waiting on the evangelicals to demand a boycott of anything that they don’t understand or see humor in.

I am sure that Peter Berdovsky and Sean Stevens are quite happy to have a jump start to their careers…get used to it people…I’m sure that there is more to come.

01-31-2007…NEVER FORGET!

DA MOON RULZ #1!!!!

Report this comment

fallguyMay 7th, 2007 - 14:46:04

These devices did not look threatening. A huge over reaction by someboydy. So this is the sum of all fears? Obviously the other cities did not have a problem, but Boston did. After the first one was taken down, how were the rest treated?

Ignignot: Hello, Carl, I am Ignignot, and this is Ur.
Ur: I am Ur!
Ignignot: We are Mooninites from the inner core of the Moon.
Ur: You said it right!
Ignignot: Our race is hundreds of years beyond yours.
Ur: Man, you hear what he's sayin'?
Ignignot: Some would say that the Earth is *our* moon.
Ur: *We're* the Moon!
Ignignot: But that would belittle the name of our Moon, which is the Moon.
Ur: Point is, we're at the center, not you!
Carl: No, the real point is I don't give a damn. (slams door)
Ignignot: Is your ego satisfied?
Ur: Damn no!

Report this comment

page: 1 

Like M&C on Facebook

Custom Search
Viral Web

Sites We Like

Daemon's TV
Hot Cuppa TV
Mediablvd Magazine
Must Hear TV
The Deadbolt
TV Aholic
TV by the Numbers
TV Newser
TV Tango