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[UPDATE] Free Vibrator Giveaway Cock-Blocked By Mayor's Office
By
John Del Signore
Published Aug 8, 2012
Modified Aug 9, 2012
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By
John Del Signore
Published Aug 8, 2012
Modified Aug 9, 2012
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[UPDATE BELOW] The hotly anticipated Trojan vibrator handout went terribly wrong in the Flatiron District today, where eager beavers stood on a line that stretched around the block waiting for their free Pulse toys. Minutes after the giveaway started, the publicity stunt experienced interruptus for reasons that remain opaque. A tipster who was waiting for her vibrator tells us that shortly after 4 p.m. a representative armed with a clipboard marched along the line ejaculating, "The Mayor's Office is closing us down!"
The Mayor's spokesmen have not yet responded to our probing questions about the Trojan rep's allegation, but another reporter on the scene says it was "shut down on 23rd Street due to a parking violation." Our tipster, who asked to remain anonymous because she doesn't want the whole world to know she was waiting on line for a free sex toy when she was supposed to be working at her desk, tells us that a few people on the front of the line did receive vibrators, but then the giveaway ended and the truck pulled away to loud booing.
Witnessing a social media fail unfold for #trojan right now as their free vibrator activation experiences a glitch.
— Nakia (@KiaJD) August 8, 2012
No! Police shut down the free vibrator line!
— Eye Doñiego deFrance (@eyemusing) August 8, 2012
Went up the block to get my free vibrator courtesy of Trojan..and the man shut them down cu apparently they has thousands of people in line
— Brittany(@__BrittBrat__) August 8, 2012
We'll update once we get to the bottom of this, but this certainly doesn't bode well for the free vibrator handouts scheduled for tomorrow in Union Square, Murray Hill, SoHo, and the Meatpacking District.
Update 6:17 p.m.: A spokesperson for the mayor's office has issued this statement: "All commercial promotional activity taking place in the street needs a street activity permit. This activity promoting Trojan products, which impeded pedestrian and street traffic, did not have a permit. The production company affiliated with the event is currently in discussions with the Mayors Office to hold a promotional event with proper permits at a later date." We're trying to find out what this means for tomorrow's giveaway, and we'll update when we know more.
A shocked and dissatisfied crowd reacts to the handout's abrupt and anticlimactic conclusion.
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free vibrator alert
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John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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