On the morning of January 31, 2007, the Boston Police Department and the Boston Fire Department mistakenly identified battery-powered LED placards depicting the Mooninites, characters from the Adult Swim animated television series Aqua Teen Hunger Force, as improvised explosive devices (IEDs), leading to a massive panic. Placed throughout the U.S city of Boston, Massachusetts, and the surrounding cities of Cambridge and Somerville by Peter "Zebbler" Berdovsky and Sean Stevens, these devices were part of a nationwide guerrilla marketing advertising campaign for Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film for Theaters.
The massive panic led to controversy and criticism from U.S. media sources, including The Boston Globe, Los Angeles Times, Fox News, The San Francisco Chronicle, The New York Times, CNN, and The Boston Herald. Some ridiculed the city's response to the devicesincluding the arrests of the two men hired to place the placards around the areaas disproportionate and indicative of a generation gap between city officials and the younger residents of Boston, at whom the ads were targeted. Several sources noted that the hundreds of officers in the Boston police department or city emergency planning office on scene were unable to identify the figure depicted for several hours until a young staffer at Mayor Thomas Menino's office saw the media coverage and recognized the figures.
After the devices were removed, the Boston Police Department stated in its defense that the ad devices shared some similarities with improvised explosive devices, with them also discovering an identifiable power source, a circuit board with exposed wiring, and electrical tape. Investigators were not mollified by the discovery that the devices were not explosive in nature, stating they still intended to determine "if this event was a hoax or something else entirely". Although city prosecutors eventually concluded there was no ill intent involved in the placing of the ads, the city continues to refer to the event as a "bomb hoax" (implying intent) rather than a "bomb scare". A deal was reached in which Berdovsky and Stevens agreed to carry out community service and issue a public apology, and Attorney General Martha Coakley admitted that the state could not prove that the pair had any intent to incite panic. Government agencies extracted several million dollars from Turner Broadcasting and Interference, Inc., which was used to pay police who participated in the hysteria.
Reflecting years later, various academics and media sources have characterized the phenomenon as a form of social panic. Gregory Bergman wrote in his 2008 book BizzWords that the devices were basically a self-made form of the children's toy Lite-Brite. Bruce Schneier wrote in his 2009 book Schneier on Security that Boston officials were "ridiculed" for their overreaction to the incident. In his 2009 book Secret Agents, historian and communication professor Jeremy Packer discussed a cultural phenomenon called the "panic discourse" and described the incident as a "spectacular instance of this panic". In a 2012 article, The Boston Phoenix called the incident the "Great Mooninite Panic of 2007". A 2013 publication by WGBH wrote that the majority of Boston youth thought that the arrests of two men who placed devices were not justified.
Planning
In November 2006, Boston area artist Peter "Zebbler" Berdovsky met a man named John, who worked for a marketing organization named Interference, Inc., in New York City. John then asked Berdovsky if he would be interested in working on a promotional project, with Berdovsky agreeing and enlisting Sean Stevens. Interference shipped Berdovsky 40 electronic signs, and Adrienne Yee of Interference emailed him a list of suggested locations and a list of things not to do. According to police, the suggested locations for the devices included train stations, overpasses, hip/trendy areas, and high traffic/high visibility areas. The signs were to be put up discreetly overnight, with Berdovsky and Stevens being paid $300 each for their assistance.
Berdovsky, Stevens, and Dana Seaver put up 20 magnetic lights in mid January, dubbing the activity "Boston Mission 1". While Stevens and Berdovsky put up the lights, Seaver recorded the activity on video and sent a copy to Interference. On the night of January 29, 2007, in what was called "Boston Mission 2", 18 more magnetic lights were placed. This included one under Interstate 93 at Sullivan Square, in Charlestown.
Devices The devices used were promotional electronic placards for the forthcoming Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film for Theaters. Each device, measuring about , consisted of a strap of D-batteries and electrical tape following installation.
The LED lights were arranged to represent the Mooninite characters Ignignokt and Err displaying the middle finger. Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley said that the device "had a very sinister appearance. It had a battery behind it, and wires". Others compared the displays to the Lite-Brite electric toy.
Subsequent panic
On January 31, 2007, at 8:05 a.m., a civilian spotted one of the devices on a stanchion that supports an elevated section of Interstate 93 (I-93), above Sullivan Station and told a policeman from the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) of its presence. At 9 a.m., the Boston Police Department bomb squad received a phone call from the MBTA requesting assistance in identifying the device. Authorities responded with what the Boston Globe described as "[an] army of emergency vehicles" at the scene, including police cruisers, fire trucks, ambulances, and the Boston Police Department bomb squad. Also present were live TV crews, a large crowd of onlookers, and helicopters circling overhead. Peter Berdovsky arrived at the scene and video recorded the situation. He recognized the device under police investigation, but made no attempt to inform them. He returned to his apartment and contacted Interference. Interference told him that they would handle informing the police and that he should personally say nothing about the situation.Man in Boston Scare Videotaped Police: Defendant in Boston marketing stunt scare videotaped police response, attorney says Feb. 6, 2007
During the preliminary investigation at the site, police found that the devices resembled improvised explosive devices. Similarities included a noticeable power source, circuit board with exposed wiring, and electrical tape. After the initial assessment, Boston police shut down the northbound side of I-93 and parts of the public transportation system. Just after 10 a.m., the bomb squad used a small explosive filled with water to destroy the device as a precaution. MBTA Transit police Lieutenant Salvatore Venturelli told the media at the scene, "This is a perfect example of our passengers taking part in homeland security." He refused to describe the object in detail because of the ongoing investigation, responding only that "It's not consistent with equipment that would be there normally." Investigators were trying to determine "if it was a hoax or something else entirely", according to Venturelli. Northbound I-93 reopened to traffic about 10:05 a.m. By 10:21 a.m., the police timeline reported it as "some sort of hoax device".
At 12:54 p.m., Boston police received a call identifying another device located at the intersection of Stuart and Charles Street. At 1:11 p.m., the Massachusetts State Police requested assistance from the bomb squad with devices found under the Longfellow and Boston University bridges. Both bridges were closed as a precaution, and the Coast Guard closed the river to boat traffic.
At 1:26 p.m., friends of Peter Berdovsky received an email from him, which alleged that five hours into the scare, an Interference Inc. executive requested Berdovsky to "keep everything on the dl". Later, Travis Vautour, a friend of Berdovsky, confirmed that he would be staying quiet while the situation was being reported. Two hours later, Interference notified their client, Cartoon Network. Between 2 and 3 p.m., a police analyst identified the image on the devices as an Aqua Teen Hunger Force cartoon character, and police concluded the incident was a publicity stunt. Turner Broadcasting System issued a statement concerning the event around 4:30 p.m. Portions of the Turner statement stated that they regretted the devices being mistaken for danger, and assured that they were not. They further clarified that they were part of an outdoor marketing campaign in 10 cities to promote Adult Swim's animated television show Aqua Teen Hunger Force. They also said that they had been in place for two to three weeks in Boston, New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, Atlanta, Seattle, Portland, Austin, San Francisco, and Philadelphia. Parent company Turner Broadcasting was in contact with local and federal law enforcement on the exact locations of the billboards.
Some devices had been up for two weeks in the cities listed before the Boston incident occurred, although no installation permits were ever secured. Berdovsky and Stevens were arrested by Boston police during the evening of January 31, and charged with violating Chapter 266: Section 102A of the General Laws of Massachusetts, which states that it is illegal to display a "hoax device" with the motive to cause citizens to feel threatened, unsafe, and concerned.
Reactions
News about the situation quickly spread around residents and the news. The Boston Globe stated that the "marketing gambit exposes a wide generation gap", quoting one 29-year-old blogger, writing, "Repeat after me, authorities. L-E-D. Not I-E-D. Get it?" The Brainiac blog earned praise from other media outlets for its timely coverage of events, even as the paper continued to report on simply "suspicious objects".
Los Angeles Times editorials derided the reaction of Boston's officials, remarking, "Emergency personnel and anti-terrorism squads shut down more than a dozen highways, transit stations, and other locations across the city Wednesday after receiving reports about multiple suspicious devices." They also went on to describe the devices, stating that they "had dozens of colored lights, exposed wires, and circuitry, and were powered by a row of D batteries wrapped in black tape." They also compared the devices to a bigger version of Hasbro's Lite-Brite, referring to the Lite-Brites as "a toy for artistic grade schoolers." Bruce Schneier summed up the incident as a "non-terrorist embarrassment in Boston".Schneier on Security: Non-Terrorist Embarrassment in Boston February 1, 2007
The Boston Herald stated that part of the reaction in the response could be blamed on two packages that did not blink. According to Boston Police Commissioner Ed Davis, phony pipe bombs were also discovered that day, one inside Tufts-New England Medical Center at 1 p.m. A security guard described "an agitated white male" fleeing saying, "God is warning you that today is going to be a sad day." The Herald went on to characterize the placement of the devices as a "coordinated hoax". Davis also mentioned other incidents of the day that may have influenced the reaction, including a Washington, D.C. metro stop being shut down due to a suspected package, and fumes emanating from a package at a post office in New York City, resulting in four people being treated there. "It was almost like we had a kind of perfect storm of circumstances falling into place", Davis said.
The advertising magazine Brandweek said that the incident, which they labeled a fiasco, would cause marketers to "steer clear of guerrilla tactics until the controversy around the Aqua Teen Hunger Force stunt-turned-bomb-scare in Boston dies down". It further said that the incident "will no doubt be followed by a reassessment of the potential price of what used to be known as a low-cost method to generate buzz".