Mooninite two gives Menino the finger

Today in Boston, Mooninite landings across Boston forced police to scramble into action and block off traffic. But no fear, citizens, it was all part of an Aqua Teen Hunger Force promotion - well, except for the part about police scrambling into action and pissed-off public officials. Who would have thought planting odd objects with flashing lights on bridges could possibly have caused the slightest alarm in any part of our peaceful, carefree nation?

Hang on, don't answer that.

Clearly, this is one of the odd things that can happen when either a) PR is too cheap to shell out for actual billboards (no halted MTA bus, no fuss - and you can flip off entire richly deserving neighborhoods at a time), or b) PR is okayed by the same brilliant minds who decided 12 Oz. Mouse was a good pickup.^*

In a clever use of the classic "Well, I'm sorry you decided to be offended" defense, most famously utilized in Justice Brown's opinion upholding segregation in Plessy v. Ferguson but called into action any time anyone feels obligated to non-apologize for something they're not the least bit sorry about (and probably wish they could do again just to see you react), Turner Broadcasting offered the following brief 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 law enforcement on the exact locations of the billboards. We regret that they were mistakenly thought to pose any danger.

Meanwhile, following 5 minutes of intense online research (4.9 if you count the time it took to type "Aqua Teen Hunger Force" into Google), the Boston Globe article helpfully fills in readers on what exactly is going on:

The boxy character is named Err and appears to be raising his middle finger and giving an obscene gesture. Err is described on the "Aqua Teen Hunger Force" website as "rebellious and angry."

Sounds like a perfect Al Qaeda recruit to me.


^* PR decisions not actually okayed by same brilliant minds who decided 12 Oz. Mouse was a good pickup. In no plane or tangential dimension of the multiverse have brilliant minds considered 12 Oz. Mouse a good pickup, ever.