Wednesday, April 02, 2008

April Fools!

I hope you all enjoyed this year's April Fools gag. I haven't actually been able to see the results yet--why they don't install computers with Internet access in the backcountry continues to mystify me--so I left Wassa in charge of pulling it off. I hope at least a few of your were fooled by the joke. It was months in the making--my part (including the creation of the theme, buying the mcletterboxing.com domain name, and such) had to be done before I left for the trail.

As for McBoxer, all I can say is that I'm so glad I had Wassamatta_u on my team, because sheeze, I'd probably have wanted to strangle the guy myself had I thought he was real. Wassa really took the gag to a whole new level I had never envisioned when I first proposed the 'selling out to McDonalds' joke to him with that McBoxer persona.

He also lobbied for the mcletterboxing.com website. I liked the idea but wrote it off as too time consuming and I had bigger fish to fry. He wouldn't let the idea die, however, and enlisted a few folks to help create the website and give the caper a certain legitimacy that otherwise wouldn't have been there.

I'm not sure if the other folks who helped pulled off the joke want to remain anonymous or not, so I won't say their names here. I'll let them introduce themselves (assuming they haven't already on the message boards--like I said before, I can't read them myself at the moment).

Now we must hatch another caper.... Hmmmm.... *ideas twirling in the head*

*evil, sinister laugh*

Special kudos to wassa for helping me to pull off the best April Fools joke in AQ's history.

I know a lot of you like the random themes theme from a couple of years back, so I set that to run on April 2nd. Figured if it ran on April 1, it would spoil the McJoke gag. Not to worry, though, the random themes will only last one day and AQ hasn't flipped out. (At least that's the way I had set it to work.)

Last year's April Fool joke is still available for your viewing pleasure at http://www.atlasquest.com/press/2007/

Just in case you missed it last year or wanted to relive it this year. =)

I have been able to read my AQ mail, and I got three absolutely scathing messages about what a horrible thing I'd done and how ashamed I should be by ruining letterboxing. One person even told me now I could trade in my Payless Shoes for clown shoes, which I thought pretty funny (even if I'm actually wearing shoes from Sears at the moment).

Happy trails!

15 comments:

Kaaren said...

Hee hee. I refrained from commenting on the site all day. But I wanted the day to be OVER already. I was McOver it. LOL Good one.

Anonymous said...

I'm betting you got more than 3 scathing e mails this year!!! Don't worry---we know who the perpetraitors are. They egged the crowd on all day. I hope you've got lots of time because you've got maybe thousands of posts to read from yesterday's AQ board. Good one, Ryan......

Oread said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Oread said...

An April Fools payback for you.... I remarked the BMT good luck finding Springer Mt

Teresa said...

That was awesome, Ryan!! I laughed my butt off!

Anonymous said...

Don't know which we enjoyed more: your and Wassa's twisted humor, so detailed and well done, or reading the messages of building outrage the past few weeks (egged on beautifully by BR1). Yesterday's tumultuous responses were perfect. We weren't in on the joke, but had it pretty well figured out. It was Wassaful! Well done, you two.
Grumpy Grinch

Anonymous said...

I think you are wicked!!!

Anonymous said...

GG and everyone,
I was actually enlisted by wassa during our first night boxing foray...we finalised everything @ y'all's house during your recent event...I feel I went a little over the top, for that I am truly sorry since I am not really a mean spirited person...
Be Safe...
BR1

ps...those other that were in on the joke and emailed wassa direct about me being totally ticked...I knew about it and we played a joke within a joke on you...so APRILS FOOL...

be safe...
BR1

pugnasties said...

For those of us who are apparently living in caves and missed this whole thing - could you put the mcletterboxing website to the way it was so we can be in on the joke.

(see what I miss when I'm sick for a few days, **sniffle, blow nose, cough**)

Anonymous said...

This truly was a goodie. I just sat back and thought "Are these people really this gullible?"

Good one guys!

Anonymous said...

For anyone who wants to see the site, check out http://www.mcletterboxing.com/homepage.html

-ArtGekko

Anonymous said...

Oh my, you had me fooled! I just raised my eyebrows and figured you made a deal with McDonald's while hiking in Florida. ...and it seemed like some the the veteran letterboxers were good with it. : )

You are evil! Enjoy!
donutz716

k1s2c3-Jones said...

Oh how funny this was! From the moment I logged on in the morning, I knew it was a joke! I had even figured y'all had set up Mcboxer!
I must say, way to go!!!!!!!!!

Anonymous said...

oh, it went beyond the McAq and Mcletterboing.com.............you see i have been teased about my over excitment for boxing by my whole family..........so when i logged in and saw the news, i just couldn't let it go. dh went out for a coke and i called him to see where he was and he mentioned he was at McDs to get a bite to eat at the same time. i looked at the clock.......10:45, oh, i said, could you get me one of those new letterboxing happy meals.....but only get me one if they have the new letterboxing ones. i told him what kind i wanted and said good bye. he came home and said when he asked the lady about them she told him that they didn't have them YET and were using up the left overs from past themes. i said oh, ok, but when they come in i want one.
latter that day when my son was home between classes and watching tv i asked him if he saw the new commercials for the new letterboxing happy meals. no, he hadn't seen any McD commercials. i said the girls will be so excited to hear about them. and he was like......they will never eat there again. and they won't belive that they have that as the theme.

well last night was busy at our house and nothing more was said...............................

tonight on the way to the girls basketball banquet while passing a McD i said to my dh......oh, you know those new happy meals.......

and he said yes..........

and i said April fools.........

and he just laughed that laugh that only a dh can do in such a situation.........and said i will never ever be able to go there again.

i am laughing so hard that i can barely drive........the girls are like tell us ...........

dh turns up the radio and says oh, nothing........

i tell the girls and they laugh,

just had to be there, i told them just how far things went with the mock up boxes, the website.......

thanks for some McGreat laughs

McCondo

Anonymous said...

Hee hee. You do realize I was joking when I sent that email, right? :)

~ The Toadfrogs