GotchaBoxes are decoy gift boxes sold through the online store of The Onion
Boxes feature such fake "products" as a USB toaster and a 28-piece whisk set
Pranksters put real gifts inside the empty gag boxes, then watch the recipient squirmBoxes are the brainchild of Arik Nordby, a Minnesota graphic designer
Fake gadgets put the 'Gotcha!' in giving
http://www.cnn.com/2008/TECH/12/16/gotcha.boxes.onion/index.htmlThat's the punch line of the GotchaBox, a series of decoy gift boxes sold through the online store of The Onion, the satirical fake-news outfit. Other GotchaBoxes have featured such nonexistent products as a 28-piece "professional" whisk set and a build-your-own-umbrella kit.
Pranksters are encouraged to put their real gifts inside the gag boxes, then keep a straight face -- or better yet, ask sweetly, "How do you like it?" -- as the recipient squirms with discomfort.
The boxes are the brainchild of Arik Nordby, a graphic designer from Eden Prairie, Minnesota, who got the idea in 2004 after a birthday party for a friend's young son. The boy was visibly dismayed when a toy came wrapped in a box for a coffee pot.
:rofl: