Settlement Reached in Aqua Teen Movie Stunt Turned Boston Bomb Scare

Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakly has announced that Turner Broadcasting Systems (TBS) and the advertising company they hired have agreed to pay two million dollars in retribution in a settlement regarding a recent publicity stunt turned terror/bomb scare.

When an employee of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority spotted a device with wires and lights on a stanchion that supports an elevated section of Interstate 93 (I-93), above Sullivan Station, it resulted in the Boston Police Bomb Squad receiving a phone call from the MBTA requesting assistance in identifying the device.

Boston police officers mistakenly identified the small electronic devices found throughout Boston and the surrounding cities of Cambridge and Somerville as improvised explosive devices (IEDS). Parts of the interstate were closed and after more of these devices were spotted, bridges were closed and boat traffic stopped by the Coast Guard.

These suspicious devices turned out to be innocent battery-powered LED placards with an image of a cartoon character called a "mooninite" giving the middle finger that was used in a guerrilla marketing campaign.

Apparently Cartoon Network had hired an advertising company called Interference Inc., to promote the Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie, which opens in theaters on March 23^rd. The film is based on the animated TV series Aqua Teen Hunger Force (ATHF) on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim late-night programming block. Cartoon Network is apparently the actual client of the firm and their parent company is Turner Broadcasting Systems. Interference Inc., then hired two men, Peter Berdovsky and Sean Stevens, to place 38 devices at various locations across the city.

Boston Mayor, announced over the weekend that the estimated costs to the city were estimated at $500,000 and that the cost to the local transit system was approximately $500,000. The Attorney General stated that placement of these devices caused major disruptions of public transportation, serious traffic problems, negatively affected local businesses and most significantly, cost Boston and surrounding areas thousands of dollars. The other million dollars is stated to be going towards Homeland Security and other programs. Considering what the mayor stated as estimated costs, the amount of the settlement sounds fair at first glance but consider all the disruption that was caused.

There are claims that similar devices were in place for over two weeks throughout other cities including New York City, Chicago, Seattle and Philadelphia and that nobody in any of the other cities overreacted because of the devices. Whether or not anyone in these other cities noticed these devices or how they reacted to them if they did is unknown.

Discussion on Internet message forums include statements that the reactions to these devices were ridiculous and now the city of Boston and its residents are being laughed at. It is not obvious at this time just how much Boston will suffer from this bad publicity, so how can they be sure that the settlement is fair?

Sources: CNN and Various Internet Message Forums and Blogs