Tuesday, November 14, 2006
Who Would Steal A Hillbilly Sponge?
Who Kidnapped Spongebob Squarepants?
Spongebob ransom photo demanding: "A chocolate milkshake with real chocolate in it and a decent straw to suck it through." - With a recent plague of "Spongenappings" sweeping across America, law enforcement officials are hard-at-hand to explain the thefts of the inflatable Nickelodeon character from the roofs of Burger Kings, the charge often leading to a felony conviction and hefty fine.So what's the appeal? Why steal Spongebob?"Spongenappings" are certainly nothing new. Here are some other examples, worldwide:Spaghetti Eddies Fat Boy filched (USA):http://www.rednova.com/news/display/?id=14951Sherwood Bear mascot stolen from forest (UK) http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/nottinghamshire/3696182.stm Gizzard City fiberglass chicken decapitated, inflatable Shrek stolen, Big Boy lucks out (USA):http://edition.cnn.com/2004/LAW/06/25/stupid.crimes/Peko-chan kidnapped, auctioned on Yahoo for ¥250,000 (Japan): http://www.chipple.net/mt/archives/000724.phpMr. Shrimps head stolen (USA): http://www.brownsvilleherald.com/ts_more.php?id=61779_0_10_0_C Why someone would steal a mascot is unclear, but it is probably a mix of teen rebellion and trivial teen values, as most of the perpetrators are teenagers.As teens struggle into adulthood, they covet symbols of prestige, and the act of stealing a mascot, (both the brazen act and the trophy), is considered a status symbol among their social peer group . Fortunately, the passage into adulthood usually remedies the problem, as the perception of what is considered prestigious is shifted to more adult values, like obtaining high-paying jobs, houses and automobiles (hopefully legitimatly). It also explains all those hood ornaments missing from luxury cars on my street in the 80's, although I didn't have anything to do with that. ;) ¶ 9:17 PM
Who Kidnapped Spongebob Squarepants?
Spongebob ransom photo demanding: "A chocolate milkshake with real chocolate in it and a decent straw to suck it through." - With a recent plague of "Spongenappings" sweeping across America, law enforcement officials are hard-at-hand to explain the thefts of the inflatable Nickelodeon character from the roofs of Burger Kings, the charge often leading to a felony conviction and hefty fine.So what's the appeal? Why steal Spongebob?"Spongenappings" are certainly nothing new. Here are some other examples, worldwide:Spaghetti Eddies Fat Boy filched (USA):http://www.rednova.com/news/display/?id=14951Sherwood Bear mascot stolen from forest (UK) http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/nottinghamshire/3696182.stm Gizzard City fiberglass chicken decapitated, inflatable Shrek stolen, Big Boy lucks out (USA):http://edition.cnn.com/2004/LAW/06/25/stupid.crimes/Peko-chan kidnapped, auctioned on Yahoo for ¥250,000 (Japan): http://www.chipple.net/mt/archives/000724.phpMr. Shrimps head stolen (USA): http://www.brownsvilleherald.com/ts_more.php?id=61779_0_10_0_C Why someone would steal a mascot is unclear, but it is probably a mix of teen rebellion and trivial teen values, as most of the perpetrators are teenagers.As teens struggle into adulthood, they covet symbols of prestige, and the act of stealing a mascot, (both the brazen act and the trophy), is considered a status symbol among their social peer group . Fortunately, the passage into adulthood usually remedies the problem, as the perception of what is considered prestigious is shifted to more adult values, like obtaining high-paying jobs, houses and automobiles (hopefully legitimatly). It also explains all those hood ornaments missing from luxury cars on my street in the 80's, although I didn't have anything to do with that. ;) ¶ 9:17 PM
