by Haggis (Sean Loyless)
January 31st, 2007 @ 8:00 pm
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Adult Swim Make Cartoons, Not Bombs
Ted Turner is going to be pissed.
[adult swim], in all their wonderfully surreal glory, got in a heap of trouble today after a major bomb scare in Boston ended in the realization of a viral marketing campaign from the network.
In promotion of the upcoming Aqua Teen Hunger Force movie, Cartoon Network’s bastard child [adult swim], known for its Family Guy and Futurama repeats as well as a wealth of original programming that includes treasures like Metalocolypse, Sealab 2021, and Assy McGee, had placed images of two of the show characters (Ignignokt and Err of the Mooninites) in Lite-Brite form in different locations around some of the major cities.
The idea was that fans of the show and viewers of the network would find the promotions, most of which were hung from various locations including off the side of bridges, and would then submit pictures of where they found it. Boston had a very different reaction to the promotion, however.
According to the CBS Affiliate in Boston, the police department responded to several reports of “unknown devices” which “…forced the temporary shutdowns of Interstate 93 out of the city, a key inbound roadway, a bridge between Boston and Cambridge, and a portion of the Charles River…”
Cartoon Network and Turner Broadcasting have since apologized for the out-of-control campaign, and have released the following statement:
“The “packages” in question are magnetic lights that pose no danger. They are part of an outdoor marketing campaign in 10 cities in support of Adult Swim’s animated television show Aqua Teen Hunger Force. They have been in place for two to three weeks in Boston, New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Atlanta, Seattle, Portland, Austin, San Francisco and Philadelphia. Parent company Turner Broadcasting is in contact with local and federal enforcement on the exact locations of the billboards. We regret that they mistakenly thought to pose any danger.”
The hoax cost the city “about $750,000″ and included the detonation of one of the “devices.”
Here’s Flickr user Vanderlin’s page with several photos of the promotion he found.
Update: The story has apparently reached CNN.com’s front page.
