Flamingoing

I've found the new line of work that I'm going to go into: Flamingoing.

Flamingoing involves offering one's services as a professional flamingo prankster. People pay you to place flocks of pink flamingoes on other people's yards. A note is left along with the birds, "You've been flamingoed," and there's a number the victim can call to find out who played the prank.

Flamingoing, as a line of work, has been pioneered by two high school students, Emily Lohmeyer and Paige Prentice of Nevada Union High School. They charge $35 to "flamingo" someone's property. They're using the money they raise to pay for a trip to Europe. So far they've earned $700!!!

From TheUnion.com:
Prentice and Lohmeyer usually plant about 20 flamingos in the front yard. The job can still be risky at times.
"We've had experiences when dogs have barked," she said. "We had one experience when the owner let the dogs out when they started barking, and they got within 5 or 6 feet of us. We were hiding behind the bushes, so the dogs didn't see us. They were distracted by the flamingos. Then Emily and I jumped up and sprinted for our car."
When I start my flamingo business, I think I'll add a "rude gnome" option -- allow customers to include a few of those mooning gnomes from prankplace.com, along with the flamingoes.

A nod should be given to the University of Wisconsin's Pail and Shovel Party, who were responsible for what remains the most famous flamingoing event.

Pranks

Posted on Fri Sep 14, 2007


Comments

Heh.. I've 'forked' a friend's yard before: Get a box of 500-odd plastic forks, and stick them into their lawn, tines down. For additional style points, arrange in various patterns.
Posted by Robin Bobcat  on  Fri Sep 14, 2007  at  03:48 PM
My friend once paid people to flamingo his father's house on his birthday, so I don't think those two students are really 'pioneering' it as a business. Smart idea, anyway.
Posted by Jacob  on  Fri Sep 14, 2007  at  06:46 PM
What does it cost them to get the flamingos and how many do they recover afterwards? Is this $700 clear or pre-expenses? Have they paid for a business licence? Have they paid their income taxes and Social Security taxes on it? Are these high school students of legal age to be working? Are they unionized? These and other questions America wants to know.
Posted by Christopher Cole  on  Fri Sep 14, 2007  at  07:33 PM
This really isn't anything new. About eight years ago we did it to my Father for his birthday. Most of the rental and party stores up here in Canada can do the flamingoes, they also have skunks, rabbits, penguins and ducks should you wish for them instead. I've personally known it to be around for at least ten years at my uncle's rent-all shop and there are many many many variations.
Posted by Transfrmr  on  Fri Sep 14, 2007  at  08:12 PM
Transfrmr, the flamingo prank isn't new... but doing it as a profession? I hadn't heard of that before.
Posted by The Curator  in  San Diego  on  Fri Sep 14, 2007  at  11:49 PM
Do you get to keep the flamingos after they've been placed on your lawn? From what I remember from mcphee.com, they aren't that cheap, so I think they'd be losing money at $35. if the "victim" kept the plastic birds.

You'd certainly have an argument for keeping them if they were put on your lawn, I think.
Posted by Cranky Media Guy  on  Sat Sep 15, 2007  at  03:33 AM
>>You'd certainly have an argument for keeping them if they were put on your lawn, I think.<<

Well, there goes my business plan. There always has to be one lawyer in the crowd who ruins everything. 😜
Posted by The Curator  in  San Diego  on  Sat Sep 15, 2007  at  01:23 PM
Alex, it's been done by companies up here in Canada for quite some time, at least in Montreal, mostly party supply stores, rent-alla or florists. That's where I saw it first, and that was at least ten years ago. After the prank, they let you keep one flamingo as a souvenir, but come and pick up the rest.

They're simply "rented" for the occasion. Of course they don't hold you responsible if someone steals a few, it's a cost of their business.

A quick Google this listing of companies/shops that will do it in Canada: http://www.canadianbusinessdirectory.ca/category.php?cat=1189

Click on some of those links and you'll see what I mean.

They also have way more variety than I knew of aside from flamingos 😊

Maybe it just took some time for the Flamingo business to head south?
Posted by Transfrmr  on  Sat Sep 15, 2007  at  09:29 PM
I'm more of a client than a lawyer, Alex.
Posted by Cranky Media Guy  on  Sun Sep 16, 2007  at  01:51 AM
We did fundraisers like this when I was a teenager. You could either pay for insurance against being flamingoed...or pay to have someone else's yard flamingoed...and then they had to pay a fee to get the flamingos removed.

If you paid for insurance, but then someone else paid for you to be flamingoed...there was basically a bidding war to see who could give us the most money.
Posted by Maegan  on  Sun Sep 16, 2007  at  09:11 AM
What were you raising the funds for, Maegan?
Posted by Cranky Media Guy  on  Sun Sep 16, 2007  at  03:25 PM
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