Tampa stores plagued by “kids in chicken suits” making videos

The mix of YouTube, cheap video equipment and creative kids indulging in street theater is taking a toll on stores in Tampa.

Bored or rebellious – and with way too much time on their hands – young people are arming themselves with video cameras and cell phone cameras and creating all sorts of mayhem at stores. Then they post their exploits on the video-sharing Web site YouTube or social networking sites such as MySpace.

I love that they are “arming themselves.” Because “equipping” just wouldn’t have had the needed sensationalist ring to it, I guess. And what kind of havoc are these darn kids these days wreaking?

Thrill-seekers venturing into Publix stores wearing a chicken suit, gingerbread man suit and banana suit. At one point, the banana prankster breaks into a mock cry when seeing the bananas in the produce section.

But WAIT! Do not be deceived by the surreal and creative nature of this one video! Some of them are causing REAL PROBLEMS!!!

Most of the videos appear to be harmless, but one isn’t: teenage girls enter what appears to be a Publix and take videos of large-bottomed women. Once again, the theme song is "Baby Got Back."

Sadly the reporter never does explain exactly what harm is actually being inflicted.

I would actually pay extra for my produce if the store could guarantee me something as creative as the above every time I shopped.

BTW, is this the first interesting thing ever to happen in Tampa? 

Via The Obscure Store & Reading Room

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This summer’s biggest waste of marketing dollars? Harry Potter & The Simpson’s Movie

There was no point in spending a dime on advertising for either one. Marketing them was like doing PR for YouTube: Sit there and watch the fish jump in your boat. That said, co-branding with these two things was a GREAT idea. I was down in Orlando last week and went to one of the 7-Eleven’s that were rethemed as a Kwik E Mart and I loved it. All they did was throw up some signs and boom! A hit was born. (I’ll post my pics at some point in the future. Best signage was the one of Hans Moleman frozen in the ice machine). Place was mobbed.

I haven’t seen any co-branding with HP & The Deathly Hallows, has anyone else?

Quick reviews (without spoilers):

Harry Potter & The Great Big Bags of Cash: The final HP was too long by about a third but better than I expected it to be. The actual writing, i.e. sentence structure and syntax, was much better than in the last two. In 5 &6 I approached each sentence concerned that I wouldn’t be able to find my way out once I started in. There were several things that seemed invented just for book seven — like a certain species’ use of a different type of magic — that felt like they were there only because the author had painted herself into a corner. Apparently Ms. Rowling feels that having characters wander around pointlessly builds tension or something.

Simpson’s Movie: It’s about a B to B+ episode. At 1.5 hrs long, it doesn’t suffer from the bloat and padding that seems to go along with most movies of TV shows. Also they didn’t let it get over run by guest stars. Tom Hanks is great and I was quite pleased to see Green Day go down with the ship. My only real complaint is that we were promised screen time for ALL the secondary characters and I do believe they missed one: God. The bearded one was conspicuously absent. Next time guys. Also, I want more musical numbers.