Internet fads come and go faster than a hiccup, but one that’s somehow lasted almost as long as the internet itself is the “Rick roll.”
The term refers to an online prank in which the “Rick rollee” receives a URL address and it leads them to the music video for singer Rick Astley’s hit debut single “Never Gonna Give You Up.” The opening synthed “doo-de-doo-doo-doo-doo” has created more grins and eye rolls than when the song scored an ungodly amount of airplay in 1987.
Sky Elements Drone Shows found a way to Rick roll a sizable portion of the city for April Fools’ Day with 300 of its customizable drones by forming a QR code in the sky that linked to Astley’s music video.
@thriceasnice Drone QR code in the Dallas, TX sky line! #aprilfools #rickroll #dallas #drone ♬ original sound – Cody Gohlke
Preston Ward, the chief pilot and general counsel for Sky Elements Drone Shows, says the idea for the prank came from marketing guru and ideas guy Jared Guynes a couple of weeks before April 1. Guynes is the spiky haired guy behind ambitious attractions such as the Vanilla Ice and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles reunion show in 2014 and Jared’s Epic Nerf Battle at AT&T Stadium, which is now an ann