A bacon-themed coffin sounds like a killer gift for some fat-loving foodies, but it smells like a hoax to at least one professional prankster.
J&D Foods, a Seattle-based company that specializes in various bacon-themed products, such as bacon mayonnaise, bacon soda and even bacon lubricant has just added a bacon coffin to its list of products.
The allegedly genuine bacon casket sells for $2,999.99 and is supposedly made of 18-gauge gasketed steel with "a premium Bacon Exterior/Interior, and includes a Memorial and Record Tube, Adjustable Bed and Mattress and Stationary and Swingbar handles."
The company also claims the pork-themed casket includes a bacon air freshener "for when you get that buried-underground, not-so-fresh feeling."
Since the bacon coffin's press release came out suspiciously close to April Fools' Day, it reeks of a prank, according to Alan Abel, whose most famous pranks include getting seven people to pretend to faint during a taping of the Phil Donahue talk show and creating a fake organization called the Society for Indecency to Naked Animals (SINA), whose mission is best summed up by their tagline: "A nude horse is a rude horse."
"It has to be a hoax," Abel told The Huffington Post. "Any ad agency would throw up at that. When we think of bacon, we're talking heart attack. I cannot believe it's real. The real joke would be if someone purchased it."
Still, he concedes that it's not out of the realm of possibility that someone might buy it.
"A few years back, I did a prank called 'Euthanasia Cruises,' where people could go out on a boat called the 'Last Supper,' eat and have sex for three days before jumping off to Davy Jones' Locker," he said. "We had calls from about 100 people who were interested."
Justin Esch, who co-owns J&D Foods with partner Dave Lefkow, insists the coffin is real -- except it doesn't use real bacon.
"That could smell bad," he told HuffPost.
Esch claims he's already sold one coffin and is getting interest from all around the world, including funeral homes in Great Britain.
"We're saying that this is the coffin for people who love bacon to death," Esch said.
Journalist Monica Garske, who has done numerous stories on J&D Foods in the past (including one for AOL News on their attempt to make a bacon statue of Kevin Bacon), says that the company is "legitimate," but tongue-in-cheek.
"They are jokesters who have fun, but the Kevin Bacon statue was real," Garske told HuffPost. "Still, I wouldn't put it past them."
Esch admits he and Lefkow have done April Fools' Day pranks in the past, but that the bacon coffin is a step beyond that.
"We sent this release out around April 1, thinking people would think it's a joke, but the real joke is that it's real," he told HuffPost Weird News exclusively.
But whether the bacon coffin is real or merely a killer prank isn't important, according to branding and marketing expert Brannon Cashion.
"It's an extreme attention-grabber like a diamond-studded iPad cover," Cashion told HuffPost. "I don't think they will sell too many, but I do think people who go to their site will see it and buy other things."
Plus, bacon coffin or no bacon coffin, Cashion says J&D Foods has the Internet sizzling.
"When you write this story, they've won," he said.
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
It's Another Trump-Biden Showdown — And We Need Your Help
The Future Of Democracy Is At Stake
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
Your Loyalty Means The World To Us
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our news free for all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
The 2024 election is heating up, and women's rights, health care, voting rights, and the very future of democracy are all at stake. Donald Trump will face Joe Biden in the most consequential vote of our time. And HuffPost will be there, covering every twist and turn. America's future hangs in the balance. Would you consider contributing to support our journalism and keep it free for all during this critical season?
HuffPost believes news should be accessible to everyone, regardless of their ability to pay for it. We rely on readers like you to help fund our work. Any contribution you can make — even as little as $2 — goes directly toward supporting the impactful journalism that we will continue to produce this year. Thank you for being part of our story.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
It's official: Donald Trump will face Joe Biden this fall in the presidential election. As we face the most consequential presidential election of our time, HuffPost is committed to bringing you up-to-date, accurate news about the 2024 race. While other outlets have retreated behind paywalls, you can trust our news will stay free.
But we can't do it without your help. Reader funding is one of the key ways we support our newsroom. Would you consider making a donation to help fund our news during this critical time? Your contributions are vital to supporting a free press.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our journalism free and accessible to all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our news free for all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. Would you consider becoming a regular HuffPost contributor?
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. If circumstances have changed since you last contributed, we hope you'll consider contributing to HuffPost once more.
Support HuffPostAlready contributed? Log in to hide these messages.