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Positive Pranking: The TP Edition

2010-09-15 · explainer · John · 3:01 · watch on YouTube

Topic: Nerdfighteria (also: Everyday life) · mode: Advocacy & fundraising · tags: civic or action cta, community lore, on location

John argues that pranks usually hurt or humiliate someone, takes up Amy Krouse Rosenthal's idea of positive pranking to decrease world suck by 'TPing' neighbours with Tootsie Pops, and asks Nerdfighteria to invent and film their own positive pranks.

What is said

The parts of the video and what is said in each (★ — how much it matters to the video).

00:00:00 — John loves pranks (a Hollywood executive called Looking for Alaska 'Prank Academy with some sad bits'), but pranks are designed to hurt or humiliate, like throwing Hank in a pool

  • ★★ John says he loves pranks: pulling them and writing about them. — 00:00:00
  • ★★ John says that in a Hollywood pitch meeting an executive described his first novel, Looking for Alaska, as 'Prank Academy with some sad bits'. (playful) — 00:00:00 · Looking for Alaska (novel)
  • ★★★ John says the problem with pranks is that they are generally designed to hurt, diminish or humiliate someone else. — 00:00:00
  • ★★ As an example, John says he recently threw Hank in a pool to hurt him and make other people laugh, and the footage still makes him laugh. (playful) — 00:00:00 · Hank Green

00:00:29 — Amy Krouse Rosenthal's positive pranking: the pranking ethos to decrease world suck; her Ding Dong ding-dong-ditching in Chicago; the idea to TP houses with Tootsie Pops

  • ★★★ John says his friend Amy Krouse Rosenthal called him with the idea of positive pranking: using the pranking ethos to decrease world suck. — 00:00:29 · world suck
  • ★★ John says Amy launched the positive pranking campaign by reinventing ding-dong ditching, delivering actual Hostess Ding Dongs to strangers throughout Chicago; the video is linked in the description. — 00:00:29 · Chicago (city)

00:00:58 — John's TP spree: Tootsie Pops from Target, 60 signed notes, vandalised mailboxes, Subway, TP-and-ditch, a friend's garden, a subdivision island

  • ★★ Following Amy's suggestion to TP houses with Tootsie Pops, John bought all the Tootsie Pops at Target (and a Diet Dr Pepper). (playful) — 00:00:58
  • ★★ John typed a note (readable in the description), printed it and signed all 60 copies. — 00:00:58
  • ★★ John started by TPing neighbourhood mailboxes recently hit by negative pranks with baseball bats, then gave Tootsie Pops at Subway. — 00:00:58
  • ★★ John combined TPing with ding-dong ditching, his heart racing as he ran away in panic every time. (playful) — 00:01:27
  • ★ John also TP'd the garden at friends' house with a note taped to their bush, more mailboxes, and a lonely island in a subdivision. (playful) — 00:01:27

00:02:07 — John hands positive pranking to Hank and Nerdfighteria: ideas in comments, Amy's video and Mission AmyKR, video responses; sore elbow; sign-off

  • ★★★ John turns positive pranking over to Hank and Nerdfighteria and asks everyone to work together in the comments on excellent positive prank ideas. — 00:02:07 · Nerdfighteria
  • ★★ John recommends Amy Krouse Rosenthal's original positive pranking video and her Mission AmyKR project. — 00:02:07
  • ★★★ John asks Nerdfighters who positive-prank to videotape it and upload it as a video response to this video or Amy's. — 00:02:07 · Nerdfighteria
  • ★★ John declares that their pranking shall heal the world. (playful) — 00:02:36
  • ★ John tells Hank it was fun hanging out in real life, but they are back to video. — 00:02:36 · Hank Green

In the description and comments

  • ★★ John's note to the people he 'TP'd' says the Tootsie Pops are not part of a marketing campaign but of Positive Pranking, an initiative started by Amy Krouse Rosenthal with the help of the Nerdfighters, and invites them to start their own positive pranking adventure. — video description · Nerdfighteria

Humor (significant)

  • A Hollywood executive summarised John's first novel, Looking for Alaska, in a pitch meeting. — 00:00:00

    “Prank Academy with some sad bits.”

  • John walks into Target to supply his positive pranks. — 00:00:29

    “Oh, hello, Target. I'm gonna need all your Tootsie Pops.”

  • John panics as he ding-dong-ditches strangers to leave them free Tootsie Pops. — 00:01:27

    “the consequences will never be the same!”

  • John discovers a lonely and desolate island in a subdivision. — 00:01:27

    “someone should TP that island.”

Threads in this video

Where the stories that moved here went next

Mentioned

Central: Amy Krouse Rosenthal · Positive Pranking · practical joke · Tootsie Pop

Also: Works: Looking for Alaska (novel) · Mission AmyKR

Organizations: Subway · Target Corporation

Terms: world suck

Concepts: ding dong ditch · toilet papering (“TP some people”)

Places: Chicago (city) · Hollywood

Products: Diet Dr Pepper · Ding Dongs (“hostess ding-dongs”)

Memes: Consequences will never be the same

Only in the description or credits: Indianapolis

Also centred on Amy Krouse Rosenthal: A Video about Videos · The Terrible Burden of Destiny: Chicago and Waupaca · SIGNING MADNESS · Beckoning Lovely · Because We're Here · Auld Lang Syne: The Anthropocene Reviewed

Also centred on Positive Pranking: Positive Prank Calls!!

Later videos replying to this one