Political Pranks - The Art of the Prank

October 8, 2008January 15, 2019

Recruiting Pranksters to Pass the Buck… back!

A call to action from Joey Skaggs, Editor of The Art of the Prank at ArtofthePrank.com:

Calling All Pranksters (and non-pranksters too)!

Greed, dishonesty, government deregulation and lack of oversight got us into the largest global financial crisis since the Depression. Express your outrage at having to bail out the bastards while they pass the buck! Print these “Useless Bucks” and put them in circulation. In other words, Pass the Buck… back. Take them to your financial and banking districts and give them away; Toss them from high places; Place them on those nearly useless ATM machines; Start your own bail-out program by giving six useless hundred dollar bills to all your friends. Do anything you want with them, just don’t try to spend them!! They’re useless.

Pass the Buck… back

If the Fed can print money indiscriminately, so can we!

Download this pdf template, print your own useless dollars, and put them in circulation around the world. Document your actions in video or stills. Mount your video on YouTube or another embedable video service and send us the URL, and, if you take stills, submit your photos to ArtofthePrank.com. We’ll post your most inspired examples of Passing the Buck… back.

40 years ago, this past August, Abbie Hoffman and a small group of “Yippies” infiltrated the New York Stock Exchange and dumped dollar bills on the Stock Exchange Floor as a statement about greed. As part homage to Abbie, and because of our own outrage about the current situation, we encourage you to do the same today.

Here are the Instructions: Continue reading “Recruiting Pranksters to Pass the Buck… back!”

October 2, 2008January 15, 2019

Hobo Polar Bear Causes DC Train Station Shut-down

Mark Jenkins: homeless polar bears art prank, by David Pescovitz at BoingBoing.net, September 30, 2008:

A Washington DC train station was shut down for a couple hours recently as a bomb squad investigated this “hobo polo bear” standing near a trash can. Turns out, the stuffed animal was part of a collaboration between Greenpeace and prankster artist Mark Jenkins.

From an email Mark sent me:

We made a series of human-like homeless polar bears and installed them around DC to get people to think about the issue (of melting arctic ice) with more empathy. it seemed people liked them a lot and took pictures of their kids in front of them, etc. but most were removed pretty quickly by the authorities. the last image is one that was met with ill-fate after being deemed a “suspicious package.” so the whole thing ended up have a touch of irony to it when compared to the actual situation. Continue reading “Hobo Polar Bear Causes DC Train Station Shut-down”

August 30, 2008January 15, 2019

‘Fake’ Obama Money Pulled From GOP Fair Booth

From AP, August 28, 2008:

Fake money showing Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama with a headdress has been removed from the Snohomish County Republicans booth at the Washington State Fair.

August 28, 2008January 15, 2019

She’s in the Dog House No More

Update, August 26, 2008:

Charge dismissed in case of dog registered to vote

Woman who signed dog up to vote accepts deal
USA Today
September 6, 2007

Seattle (AP) “” A woman who faced up to 90 days in jail for registering her dog to vote has agreed to a deal that could remove the charge from her record.

Jane Balogh, 66, will not be prosecuted on the charge of making a false or misleading statement to a public servant if she does 10 hours of community service, pays a $250 fine and avoids violating the law for the next year, District Judge Mariane Spearman said Wednesday.

Balogh registered her Australian shepherd-terrier mix, Duncan M. McDonald, to vote in April 2006 by putting her telephone bill in the dog’s name and using that as identification when she mailed the form to election officials. She said she did it to protest a change in the law that she believed made it too easy for non-citizens to vote. Continue reading “She’s in the Dog House No More”

August 5, 2008January 15, 2019

Santa Cruz Bicycle/Activists Plant Seeds of Protest

Bicyclists Attack Failed Businesses With Seeds, Art
by Anonimo
Santa Cruz Indymedia
August 4, 2008

“We don’t need another parking lot” read one of over 30 stenciled cardboard signs erected Friday evening…

Friday, August 1st – “We don’t need another parking lot” read one of over 30 stenciled cardboard signs erected Friday evening across the fences of various failed businesses throughout Santa Cruz by a group of bicyclists as part of a “Going Out of Business & Green Futures” community ride.

Part protest against car culture, part living art project, and part prank, the group of about 20 bicyclists visited the sites of former gas stations, drive thrus, autodealerships, and more, planting wild flower seeds, and other decorations depicting a deteriorating economy and hopes for a greener, wilder future. “Property is Theft”, “My heroes carry guns in the their minds”, and “Community Garden Coming Soon!” read some of the signs posted outside fenced off buildings and pavement cracking open with weeds. Continue reading “Santa Cruz Bicycle/Activists Plant Seeds of Protest”