About the Museum
The Museum of Hoaxes is dedicated to promoting knowledge about hoaxes. (Click here for opening hours, etc.) On our blog we post about dubious- sounding claims, and whatever else strikes our fancy. The site is also home to the Hoaxipedia (the museum's online encyclopedia of hoaxes), and the Hoax Forum.

The museum was created in 1997 by Alex Boese. He's assisted by a staff of deputy curators and docents. Alex is the author of three books, most recently Elephants on Acid: And Other Bizarre Experiments (which has nothing to do with hoaxes). Check out the list of the Top 20 Most Bizarre Experiments of All Time for a preview.



Web Hoax Museum

Prankplace.com
THE TOILET MONSTER
Your wife will never yell at you about leaving the seat up again! The Toilet Monster attaches to the inside of the toilet bowl by suction cups. As the unsuspecting person goes to use the bathroom, they'll scream as they lift the lid and are greeted by the Toilet Monster! Not recommended for the elderly or those with a weak heart.

COVERT CLICKER
Secretly control the TV, anywhere, any time! This device is so small it is easily concealed in your pocket. It can control volume, change the channel or turn the TV on & off. It works on 90% of all TV's.


#57: Y2K CD Bug
In 1999 a Canadian radio station, in conjunction with Warner Music and Universal Music Group, informed its listeners that the arrival of Y2K would render all CD players unable to read music discs created before the year 2000. Luckily, the deejay said, there was a solution. Hologram stickers were available that would enable CD players to read the old-format discs. These stickers would be sold for approximately $2 apiece. Furious listeners, outraged at the thought of having to pay $2 for the stickers, immediately jammed the phones of both the radio station and the record companies, demanding that the stickers be given away for free. They continued to call even after the radio station revealed that the announcement was a joke.

Comments
Listed in chronological order. Newest comments at the end.
Page 1 of 1 pages
Thats the stupedest thing I've ever heard. Who the hell would believe a CD wouldn't work on something as lame and simple as a CD player, and how on earth is a holigrafic sticker supposted to fix all this?

raspberry
Then again that was the 20th century and there was a lot going around about a Y2K bug!

cool smirk
Posted by Amanda Hugandkiss  in  Australia  on  Sun Apr 10, 2005  at  02:47 AM
Idiots. How could a CD player know the year anyway?
Posted by Ian  on  Fri Mar 31, 2006  at  11:52 PM
I wouldn't put it past the recording industry to have actually tried that though.
Posted by Carl  on  Sun Apr 02, 2006  at  10:12 AM
It was canadians, of course they believed it.
Posted by Justin  on  Mon May 08, 2006  at  05:44 AM
Look up DRM, and regional encoding. Soon the recording industry will be able to charge you over and over for the same content.
Posted by Trollicus  on  Mon Apr 02, 2007  at  04:32 PM
I have but one thing to say to that Canadian crack. Search Rick Mercer talking to Americans.
Posted by Jay  on  Thu May 31, 2007  at  01:14 PM
Barely believable, but it does sound much nicer than the worlds going to end, machines are going to rebel, etc, etc, etc and all the other Y2K crap that was going around.
Posted by Genasai  on  Wed Dec 05, 2007  at  09:59 PM
Page 1 of 1 pages

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