Monday, September 28, 2009

Improv Everywhere and the Subway Yearbook Photo

The merry pranksters behind Improv Everywhere have done it again. After bringing their signature off-kilter flash mobs to stores, malls and travel hubs, the mischief-makers retreated to their original stakeout of choice: the New York City subway. Famous for creating the now-annual No Pants Subway Ride in which a keenly planned group of nonchalant "strangers" spring up en masse on one train line and all sans pants, the gang retreated underground once again.

This time, the trickery involved a spontaneous yearbook photo shoot, in which unassuming passengers were invited to sit pretty for a complimentary portrait while en route to their destinations. The willing participants were told that the photographer was hired by the MTA to photograph the diverse subway riding population and that their pictures would be published in a book at the end of the year. Even though it was all merely a prank organized by Improv Everywhere brainchild, Charlie Todd (the dude in the video with the mustache), the good sports who agreed to have their photos taken get to see their precious mugs on the web -- merely a bonus point for partaking in the all-in-good-fun. And besides, a viral video is almost as good as a yearbook, right?

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