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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), the Hoax Forum, and the Top 100 April Fools' Day Hoaxes.

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.

REMOTE CONTROL FART MACHINE
The Brand New Fart Machine has “BoomBox” Technology, which allows more vibrant, natural sounding farts. Simply hide the little speaker, then from up to 100 feet away, press the included remote, and the hidden speaker lets out one of 15 disgusting fart sounds. Place under your co-workers desk, and let the laughter begin.


Cheerleader Toss
The cheerleader goes up, and comes down exactly through the basketball hoop. It seems like there has to be a trick to it somehow, though I can't figure out what the trick might be. As I watched the movie clip, I kept thinking 'what if her foot got caught in the net'. At the very least the net must be rigged so that it would rip away from the hoop if her foot were to catch it.
Posted By: Alex | Date: Thu Dec 23, 2004 | Permalink | Total Comments: 81
Category: Sports
Comments
Listed in chronological order. Newest comments at the end.
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I have played basketball since i was in the 5th grade and know how big the rim is and the reaction of a net for a ball to pass through. I have seen it countless times in my day. Any one who thinks that this video is fake is completely wrong. watch the clip carefully you'll see how the net moves with her body and how the after shock of the net moving reacts to an object of her size after she passes through it. I am 6'4 and a little less than 200 pounds and i have pulled myself up through a rim before and I know if I can fit through it than a lot of girls could.
Posted by phillip  in  dub - v  on  Wed Oct 26, 2005  at  05:48 PM
Its phillip again who posted the last message. To those who think it is too dangerous of a stunt to be performed. Your right but these people probably practiced for a long time using something has round as the rim. Yes it is dangerous but they did it it is no illusion.
Posted by Phillip  on  Wed Oct 26, 2005  at  05:52 PM
Of course this is possible. It either happened or it didn't. Simple as that.
Posted by Darrin  in  Austin Texas  on  Wed Nov 09, 2005  at  05:34 AM
if you watch it slowly you can see that she goes in front of the rim, and they animate it so the net moves and add sound. watch her closely and you can see she goes in front.
Posted by Dan  on  Mon Dec 05, 2005  at  05:11 PM
This is a fake. Not that its impossible to do, it just happens to be a fake.. If you watch frame by frame you will notice that the back of her head actually goes further than the rim itself... if there really was a rim there, it would have definitely HURT! But there wasnt a rim when they did it, they just superposed it later and animated the net, easy stuff to do. Plus the cameraman just stares and says nothing??? Hum seems weird to me for a little homevideo!! If i were filming I would be yelling something like "holly fucking shit!!!"

plus the girl is like "are you sure?" and nevertheless does it a couple seconds later!! If She had a doubt i dont think she would have risked it!
Posted by Alex  in  san diego  on  Tue Dec 06, 2005  at  09:48 PM
Didn't anyone notice in the frame by frame that her left hand is outside the hoop? A fake for sure... also... her hands didn't get caught in the net... they should have been because they were not tight at her side but her fingers were 'out' to the side.
Posted by mike  on  Sat Dec 31, 2005  at  01:39 PM
SO FAKE AL.

Another case solved by INSPECTOR HANDER!
Posted by hander  on  Fri Mar 03, 2006  at  04:09 AM
It makes me laugh, some of the arguments for the "real" case on this one, Honestly i'd never let anyone throw me through a basketball hoop, no matter how big it is. I worry when i toss my flyers without precision tricks in the air, she comes down on an angle, kinda like a swing, and i don't think there's any way she'd be able to do that coming through a hoop. My 2 cents worth: Fake.

D
Posted by Dale  in  Sydney Australia  on  Tue Mar 07, 2006  at  04:13 AM
It looks good! But slowed down, her left hand just could not fit. The weave and shape of a net is the same as a chinese finger trap. As she is passing through the net, it is stretching to get longer, yet her left hand is completely poking out. 40+ kg's of free falling weight passing through a net with a hand sticking out like that would certainly cause the hand to react in some way. I would like to believe this is real, but that left hand leaves great reservations.

Can we get any more info on this University of St Thomas stuff? Who is this girl? Where are these people from? Does anyone know anything more about these people that did this or that radio interview?
Posted by James  in  Australia  on  Tue Mar 21, 2006  at  05:46 AM
Yea listen Craig! I dont know about you but i think your a pretty big scum bag! If you're not in jail already, you should because just by reading what you said you sound like trash to me. If I was a police officer i'd take one look at you and be like yup! look at this guy! definatly should go to jail. He looks like he just walked out of a trash can!
Posted by Megan  in  Buffalo  on  Fri Jun 23, 2006  at  12:35 PM
do you know any websites with cheerleading show
Posted by monika  in  Del Rio, TX  on  Sun Aug 06, 2006  at  02:34 PM
i think that his is so real. if you look closely and you kee clicking on the pause button to pause it, you can actually see the girls foot gowing through it. i am also a cheerleader, and it definantly would be possible for someone as tiny as she is to go through a basketball net. Also, once she gets out of their hands, she is holding her head which ment that she banged her hea. and, if you watch the clip over and over,you could see that while she is going through the net, she does hit her head.
Posted by RM  in  Connnecticut at 3:01 PM  on  Sun Dec 24, 2006  at  12:01 PM
it's fake fake fake!! raspberry

you can tell by everyone's reactions that it's an obvious setup!!
Posted by Jayden  on  Sun Dec 24, 2006  at  02:17 PM
It's real no problem. I was cheerleader for years and have seen girls tiny enough to do this so it's very possible. She porbablly did knock her head on the way down because of her angle. No trickery here... speaking from actual experience tossing people into the air tongue laugh
Posted by Kelley  in  MI  on  Sat Jan 27, 2007  at  12:44 AM
PS yes it was irresponsible and reckless but not impossible fellow cheerleaders who posted. They took the risk though and now it's online entertainment tongue laugh I was a base for girl who when you spotted her waist you fingers tips almost touched she was so frail. I also work at gym where I have to move basketball hoops all of the time (we have a removeable one that attaches to the existing hoop to lower it for little kids)... they are actually alot lareger than they appear
Posted by Kelley  in  MI  on  Sat Jan 27, 2007  at  12:51 AM
the issue here is not whether or not she could fit through the hoop.. but the accuracy of the toss.
and yes, back-tuck basket tosses can reach that height..

but the risk? if the flyer is an inch off or a finger is sticking out.. that's it.

there's no way
Posted by cat  on  Wed Feb 21, 2007  at  09:44 PM
It's totally fake!


The swish sound it makes only happens if the net is rubbing against something hard like a basketball. Second, this kind of sound represents nothing but net, she's holding her head, I didn't hear the sound of her head hitting the rim.

If you look at the descent rate when she comes down before entry (Normal rate) and then entry (it's fast).

If you do it frame by frame and you look at the contrast level of the girl, before, during and then after you'll notice a major shift.

If you look at the placement of her hands, let me tell you finger+net means lots of pain.

There are more clues.
Posted by Wai Huang  in  Toronto, Canada  on  Thu Dec 06, 2007  at  01:48 PM
if you go to this site:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WcD8ExEKxcg
and look at it on the second time they show it in slow motion and freeze it at 19 seconds, the hoop isn't there at all, and her stomach is bent so that her back is pointing out, which would touch the rim!
so this is just a stupid video editor's video

and what kind of a girl would risk her life just for a video?
Posted by dogem  on  Wed Dec 26, 2007  at  02:09 PM
cool smirk Looks like a trick to me
Posted by Cheerleading  in  k  on  Sun Feb 17, 2008  at  04:57 PM
haha - I can't believe people are still posting to this board!! i'm now willing to put money on that it's a fake. show me the money people!! $$ :D $$
Posted by Jayden  in  Brisbane, Australia  on  Tue Feb 19, 2008  at  04:40 AM
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