Unicorning new planking, Viral Internet memes have taken many forms over the last several years. Be it ‘planking,’ Tebowing’ or ‘owling,’ the arbitrary, bizarre Internet meme is here to stay – and the latest means of entertainment for the web’s geekiest contributors is about as weird as they come: ‘Unicorn Army.’
‘Unicorn Army’ – like ‘Tebowing’ and ‘planking’ before it – doesn’t require much skill. In fact, it requites no skill at all – all you need is a rubber unicorn mask, a camera and a friend willing to snap a photo of you wearing your mask in any random, public, inappropriate place.
‘Unicorn Army’ was started last fall by a Los Angeles-based film producer who began collecting unicorn masks and handing them out to friends for pictures.
‘I put it on when a pizza delivery guy was at the door and his expression was priceless,’ Laura DeMerchant, who inadvertently started the meme’s craze, told the Huffington Post. ‘It’s such a goofy creepy thing. Especially if you wear one to Costco to get free samples.’
DeMerchant posted hundreds of photos of people posing in unicorn masks on her website, UnicornArmy.com, before the idea was picked up by the general public and the meme went viral.
One of ‘unicorning’s’ biggest fans is adult film star Andy San Dimas, who is a friend of DeMerchant’s and knows first hand that ‘unicorning doesn’t always go according to plan.
Earlier this month, San Dimas was ejected from a Pittsburgh Pirates baseball game for ‘unicorning’ in the stands and blocking an aisle.
According to reports, she was wearing a unicorn mask and dancing in the aisle with the hopes of getting on the stadium’s jumbotron. It didn’t work – a security guard asked her to take her seat, but she didn’t and was ultimately thrown out.
San Dimas says she didn’t hear the security guard ask her to take her seat.
Later, a Pittsburgh police officer got in a bit of trouble after he was photographed with San Dimas wearing her unicorn mask.
Acting Pittsburgh Police Chief Regina McDonald said in a statement after the incident: ‘We are aware of the photos on the Internet (Facebook) and are currently investigating the incident.’
The investigation is understood to be probing whether the unidentified officer’s behaviour was appropriate under the circumstances. According to authorities, it remains ongoing.
‘I feel stupid,’ San Dimas told The Huffington Post after the incident. ‘I’m embarrassed. I usually only act ridiculous when I get paid.’
Embarrassed or not, San Dimas sees a future in ‘unicorning.’
‘I think it’s the new ‘planking,’ she said. ‘And I think it’s safer. I heard someone died while planking. Unicorning is not as dangerous — just to a police officer’s career.’
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