What is the best birthday present that you’ve ever gotten? Was it a surprise birthday party? Your favorite dessert? Perhaps it was that *insert item here* that you had been dying for?
One thing is for certain: It probably wasn’t thousands of well wishes from complete strangers. But that’s exactly what one New Jersey dad got after his sons put up a billboard telling the world that their old man is turning 62.
The lucky birthday boy, Chris Ferry, has two sons that had no clue what to get their dad for his birthday – until his older son, who is 30 years old and is also named Chris, had the thought to buy out a billboard and urge people to wish pops a happy birthday, that is.
His brother, Michael, 28, loved the idea, but it took the duo a few days to get up the guts to do it. After all, they weren’t sure if their dad would be angry about sharing his birthdate, and his phone number, with complete strangers.
In the end, they decided to “go big or go home” and plastered their dad’s face, phone number and a simple request to wish their dad a happy birthday on a billboard along a stretch of New Jersey highway.
They signed it “Love, your sons.”
Almost immediately, dad started to get birthday greetings from locals who had read the sign, racking up more 15,000 wishes. And that number has kept growing larger since a photo of the billboard went viral.
In fact, Ferry says that he’s getting a call or a text message almost every minute since the sign went up, and yes, he is trying to answer every single one of them.
And this, my friends, is a prank done well. It has all the elements: It’s hilarious, the butt of the joke isn’t hurt and can share in on the laughs, outside people can join in on the fun and best of all no one has lobbed cheese at an infant.
Kudos to Chris and Michael for giving a gift that keeps on giving in both laughs and cheers.
In fact, to show my love of this prank, I think I’ll give daddy-o a call and wish him a happy 62nd sometime between his birthday on March 16 and when the sign comes down on April 6.
You should too.
What would you do if your kids pulled a prank like this? Tell us in the comments!
