Everyone loves the AirPods. They’re one of Apple’s most popular accessories, and those who don’t own them lust after them. Which is exactly why cold-hearted Twitter prankster Pablo Rochat created life-size AirPod stickers to place around his neighborhood.
Because the only thing better than an AirPod is watching random strangers try and pick up an AirPod that’s not there.
“I made life-size AirPod stickers and stuck them on the ground, all over the city,” Rochat writes the San Francisco-based artist.
I made life-size AirPod stickers and stuck them on the ground, all over the city pic.twitter.com/hIrZD0wfom
— Pablo Rochat (@PabloRochat) November 17, 2019
Sadly, Rochat — whose joke-filled Twitter feed is well worth following — doesn’t give us any reaction videos. That’s a real shame as it would be great fun to see how people behave once they realize they’ve been pranked.
Update: Yes, he did! And apparently he placed some of his fake AirPod stickers on the steps of an Apple Store! See below.
Fake AirPod sticker prank
Footage of the AirPod sticker prank in action: pic.twitter.com/p9k1a8U29A
— Pablo Rochat (@PabloRochat) November 19, 2019
Back when I was a kid, people used to superglue coins to the sidewalk to elicit similar reactions. Here in 2019, of course, everyone uses Apple Pay or bank cards. Still, an AirPod makes a good substitute.
If you want to get in on the fun, Rochat is happy to help. He created free templates of an AirPod and an AirPod Pro so you can great your own fake AirPod stickers. Just download them, print them, and go out and graffiti your own neighborhood.
Luke Dormehl is a U.K.-based journalist and author, with a background working in documentary film for Channel 4 and the BBC. He is the author of The Apple Revolution and The Formula: How Algorithms Solve All Our Problems … and Create More, both published by Penguin/Random House. His tech writing has also appeared in Wired, Fast Company, Techmeme and other publications.
