Category:
Publicity Stunts

Girl Frozen Alive

A popular publicity stunt for selling cars during the 1960s.

Philadelphia Inquirer - July 10, 1968



Louisville Courier-Journal - Nov 12, 1965



Marion Star - June 17, 1965



Lebanon Daily News - Oct 7, 1968



Cincinnati Enquirer - May 7, 1969

Posted By: Alex - Wed Sep 19, 2018 - Comments (5)
Category: Death, Publicity Stunts, 1960s

Plennie Wingo - Around the World Backwards

Plennie Wingo walked around the world backwards in 1931, hoping the stunt would make him money. He later described the journey in his book Around the World Backwards.

And in 1976, when he was 81, he reprised the stunt by walking backwards from San Francisco to Santa Monica.

More info: wikipedia, Sideshow World

Chicago Tribune - May 6, 1932



via Amazon


Posted By: Alex - Sun Apr 29, 2018 - Comments (0)
Category: Publicity Stunts, 1930s

Ferrous Faucets

Back in 1977, a small-time huckster named Eric Herrmann bought a bunch of old, porcelain Hot and Cold faucet handles and got the idea of selling them as necklaces.

On the theory that nothing sells like scandal, he called them "Ferrous Faucets," and then asked Farrah Fawcett to endorse them. In response, her lawyers threatened to sue him for capitalizing on their client's name, which apparently was exactly the response he wanted. The controversy was deemed newsworthy, and newspapers throughout the nation ran the photo he supplied them of a model wearing his Ferrous Faucets, thereby boosting his sales.

Shenandoah Evening Herald - July 15, 1977



St. Louis Post-Dispatch - May 25, 1980



image source: worthpoint.com



Tampa Bay Times - Nov 24, 1977

Posted By: Alex - Wed Nov 22, 2017 - Comments (2)
Category: Jewelry, Publicity Stunts, 1970s

House Wrapped in Cellophane



Apparently, Christo had a predecessor.

Source of image.

Posted By: Paul - Thu Sep 28, 2017 - Comments (3)
Category: Architecture, Domestic, Publicity Stunts, 1930s

Artist Lays Egg

Poincheval hatching eggs



Chuck mentioned a few weeks ago that French performance artist Abraham Poincheval would soon be sitting on a dozen eggs until they hatch. He's now well into the process of doing that and has hatched nine eggs already.

More in extended >>

Posted By: Alex - Sat Apr 22, 2017 - Comments (0)
Category: Publicity Stunts, Performance Art, Farming, Eggs

Alice White and Bunnies

image

image

image

I am not sure why 1930s actress Alice White was made to pose with bunnies so often, but she certainly looked fetching with them.


Source of third foto.

Posted By: Paul - Thu Jan 12, 2017 - Comments (7)
Category: Animals, Anthropomorphism, Movies, Publicity Stunts, 1930s

Church Of Bacon

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Move over Spaghetti Monster, The Church of Bacon is new in town! With bacon's popularity peaking its an idea whose time has come.

Update: For those who are reticent to take a Google survey (sorry about that) Here is a link to the Church of Bacon website.

Posted By: Alex - Sun Sep 13, 2015 - Comments (9)
Category: Publicity Stunts, Religion, Bacon

Displayed In Pairs

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Someone in Portland, Oregon must have gotten a deal on a large quantity of orange and white dildos. They are turning up around town tied in pairs and thrown over the power lines. No reason has been given and no one has claimed responsibility yet.

Posted By: Alex - Tue Jul 14, 2015 - Comments (8)
Category: Pranks and Revenge, Publicity Stunts

Miss Kangaroo

Loretta North of Australia probably thought it was quite an honor when she was picked to serve as "Miss Kangaroo" and tour the United States with two kangaroos. It was part of a publicity stunt to promote the 1952 movie Kangaroo. But it doesn't sound like the tour went very well. One of the kangaroos promptly died. Loretta herself had to be hospitalized for strep throat. And while the other kangaroo survived, it was impossible to toilet train him.



Posted By: Alex - Sun Apr 26, 2015 - Comments (5)
Category: Publicity Stunts, 1950s

Tim Hortons Yarn Bombed

Corporate-sponsored "yarn bombing" stunt. Tim Hortons hired knitters to entirely enclose everything inside one of its restaurants in knitted wool. Yahoo! News.

Posted By: Alex - Mon Dec 29, 2014 - Comments (7)
Category: Publicity Stunts

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Alex Boese
Alex is the creator and curator of the Museum of Hoaxes. He's also the author of various weird, non-fiction, science-themed books such as Elephants on Acid and Psychedelic Apes.

Paul Di Filippo
Paul has been paid to put weird ideas into fictional form for over thirty years, in his career as a noted science fiction writer. He has recently begun blogging on many curious topics with three fellow writers at The Inferior 4+1.

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