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
FUNNY T-SHIRTS
Browse our top quality t-shirts, and you are guaranteed to find one perfect for you, or to give as a funny gift to a friend or family member. Our shirts come in your choice of sizes, most are available in Medium, Large, XL, 2XL and 3XL.

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.


#3: Instant Color TV
image1962: In 1962 there was only one tv channel in Sweden, and it broadcast in black and white. The station's technical expert, Kjell Stensson, appeared on the news to announce that, thanks to a new technology, viewers could convert their existing sets to display color reception. All they had to do was pull a nylon stocking over their tv screen. Stensson proceeded to demonstrate the process. Thousands of people were taken in. Regular color broadcasts only commenced in Sweden on April 1, 1970.
• Read the full article about Instant Color TV.

Comments
Listed in chronological order. Newest comments at the end.
Page 4 of 4 pages « First  <  2 3 4
 TV was a novelty in Denmark then. Anybody could have fallen for this, even you. If it is presented right, noone is safe
Posted by Peter  in  Denmark  on  Sun Apr 01, 2007  at  04:14 AM
smile yeah suckus
Posted by Billy Bob Morrow  in  Jupiter  on  Sun Apr 01, 2007  at  09:16 PM
XD u know things like these bug me. y i comment on all of them is beyond me. but my therapist said that it would be good 4 me
Posted by Peter Cotton Tail  in  PLanet X  on  Sun Apr 01, 2007  at  09:18 PM
:=) y would u make things so serious. things like this r suppose d2 be for laughss. ur not supposed to be seriouus. TV was a novelty in Denmark then. Anybody could have fallen for this, even you. If it is presented right, noone is safe. so who ever u are that posted this take a chill pill.
Posted by Yo Host  on  Sun Apr 01, 2007  at  09:21 PM
these smileys dont work.
Posted by R 2 D 2  in  Tatoween  on  Sun Apr 01, 2007  at  09:24 PM
Too fall for something like this, well might be stupid today, but back then I think it would be more likely.

Comment to Norwegian, You're a jackass. Grow up and stop pushing everyone over the same edge.
Posted by Nicke  in  Sweden  on  Sun Apr 01, 2007  at  10:17 PM
How can you say that swedish people are stupid?
First of all, It is a hell of a joke, top of the line I must say.

Second. If you had a black&white TV, why not turn it in to at color TV for a cost of nearly nothing? I wolud say that this joke i the best i ever heard.
Posted by Matti  in  Finland  on  Mon Apr 02, 2007  at  04:46 AM
Isn't it strange how those who accuse the people who fell for this prank for stupidity, seem to have the bigger problems with typing and spelling in proper English..? Hmm...

Any-hew, I can see why this was a succesful joke: back then, there were no sarcasm or pranks on TV - everything that was said on there was serious business and trusted!

So, yeah, one can say that the TV folks misused the people's far too great trust in them by pulling this joke but I believe that people, perhaps, also had the ability to laugh at themselves back then. It was before 'teh Intranets', you know, where everything is serious and You are the most important person of them all... wink
Posted by El El  on  Mon Apr 02, 2007  at  04:56 AM
Well, vad kan jag säga.. Vi i Sverige är väldigt tröga.. Förutom jag för jag har 133 i IQ. Slå det om ni kan!
Posted by Blondgirl  in  Sweden  on  Mon Apr 02, 2007  at  09:34 AM
How stupid! Well it's quite funny of course, but stupid that people thought it would actually work!
Posted by Annonymous  on  Sun Apr 15, 2007  at  10:43 AM
I believe it, because the Swedish are blond. Hot but blond!
Posted by Shorty  in  New Mexico  on  Mon Apr 16, 2007  at  09:33 AM
They did the same joke in Norway too, and people went for it there as well. Only that was in 1987.
Posted by Johan  on  Mon May 21, 2007  at  04:47 PM
I used to hang around with an au pair from Jonkoping (sigh). She made me promise never to speak my version of Swedish to any other human being.
I remember a cartoon from early '50's TV where you could draw on a piece of plastic over the TV screen, like if the character needed to get across a river you'd draw a bridge for him, things like that. Probably still got it around somewhere.
I tried the thing with the nylons and it doesn't work. What...over the _TV_, you say...?
Somebody want to tell me how to get this thing off my head? Please hurry--it's getting hard to breath...
Posted by King Edward IV  on  Mon May 28, 2007  at  08:06 AM
Ah! Thats a classic, that we still talk and laugh about back home.

And it erned it self a third place. Im proud smile
Posted by Dragonmind  on  Thu Aug 23, 2007  at  11:37 PM
Y dont y'all talk english liek normel pepol? Bunch a' durn fur'ners, anyhow. With all yur funny talk, an' et'n yer fis heads raw, an' all. DANG! Most ig'nernt thing I ev'a heard tell a'.

Back'n 'Skogee, Oklahoma w'll had caller on blak'n'wite TVs long befor eny a' ya'll did.
We jus' pored a gen'ners snort a' Jack Daniel's throu a ol' peice a' moldy Wonder Bread. An' then we drunk it.
Worked real good. Them Sears N Roebucks TVs had all the callers on em ya sure could ever ask fur!
Posted by Some Okie from Maskogee ;-)  on  Mon Dec 24, 2007  at  08:15 AM
I just wrote a blog for our local newspaper and talked about those plastic sheets you tape on the TV. I was researching it and found this article through a search engine. Thanks for your comments, all. I just wanted to reply to the one who thinks people had no common sense back in the day. All I have to say to you is LOL! You must be joking. Technology is not knowledge. I would like to see you do long division or name the 50 states. People back then were innocent...thank you God, but they were not stupid or lacking common sense. I wish the world were innocent again! Youngsters today think they are so smart, but they don't know the answers; they just know how to find them on the internet.
Posted by Karen  in  Wisconsin Rapids, WI  on  Thu Jan 03, 2008  at  07:46 AM
Hahaha, I can't believe someone would fall for that. A nylon sock? Tch!
Posted by Tv izle  in  Turkey  on  Sun Mar 02, 2008  at  01:22 AM
The same thing is happening with 3D and I hope the solution is quicker.
Posted by Jon Corlett  in  Lakeland, Florida, US  on  Fri Mar 28, 2008  at  08:09 AM
King Edward IV

Is the cartoon of the 50s youre talking about is Winky Dink?
Posted by Yuri  in  New York  on  Tue Apr 01, 2008  at  03:03 PM
Page 4 of 4 pages « First  <  2 3 4

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