Wednesday, April 2, 2008
April Fool's prank over, EnidBlyton.net restored to normal
Well, I confess that I didn't really hire anyone named Sarah to run the site. As many of you guessed, it was all a silly prank. I didn't expect anyone to take me seriously, but I have to say I had a lot of fun answering messages in a really dumb way, regardless of whether the person I was responding to believed it or not. I tried hard to get all my Enid Blyton facts wrong, and to generally come across like an airhead from Alabama. Now, just for the record, I have nothing against Alabama, or airheads for that matter (especially pretty ones), and although I've never actually met the lady whose photo I used, I'm certain that in real life she's very smart and not in the least bit interested in hair.
Actually, scratch that last comment. It turned out that "Sarah" — or Candace Bailey as her real name is — is in fact very interested in hair, but this was pure coincidence. I went looking for a picture of a nice young lady and typed in "alabama girl" because I had some twisted hope of finding someone "Alabama-like"... but actually I just picked the first nice girl I came across. Afterwards I dug deeper, went to the site the picture came from, and found to my amazement that she'd been in a hair contest or something.
So, after introducing Make-Believe Sarah, let me now introduce you to Very Real Candace (scroll down the page to the second picture). Assuming Candace is still on this page when you view it, I hope I haven't caused her any offense in using her picture. She's an actress (born in Alabama) and has appeared in episodes of The Sopranos. As I write this, apparently she's dating Seth Green. So there you go. You never even knew you were talking to someone so famous!
As I said above, I never really expected anyone to take me seriously, but some of you folks did. Without naming names, it was mostly the younger ones that were fooled, and I know they're going to be mad at me. Especially as they actually liked the purples and pinks better than my dull greys! There were also a few adults (at least they seemed like adults) who appeared to be taken in; these visitors weren't regulars though, so they can be forgiven. For the most part, though, I just had fun answering questions in a scatter-brained way... and if I annoyed or offended anyone along the way, well, I'm sorry.
Just to clarify something: I was David Preston, the very first poster on April 1. I just wanted to kick it off and test my pink writing. I was also Jessie, Sarah's friend. (Jessie is probably the first girl on that website link above.) And, needless to say, I was also Sarah's mom. Anita Bensoussane was Miss Grayling, with a clever hint about Zerelda and her pranks. Everyone else was real, although some played along and others were fooled.
What surprised me was the amount of fun I had answering as someone else, and deliberately getting it all wrong. I like and appreciate all the messages I get to the site, but occasionally I'm asked questions I can't possibly know the answer to, like the value of a poem, and although I usually answer "sorry, not sure," in a polite and respectful manner, sometimes I feel like shouting, "How the heck do I know??" As Sarah I felt that I could be slightly less than respectful, because I wasn't "me" but someone else. I hope I wasn't outright rude to anyone, but if so, I blame Sarah completely for that.
This is what it must be like for actors. They immerse themselves in roles and in the process — even off camera — say and do things they would never normally say and do. Some people also do this "alter-ego" thing for real — wearing costumes and fighting crime using fanciful, mysterious monickers guaranteed to spark exciting newspaper headlines, while during the day holding down ordinary jobs as reporters or photographers or — sorry, I digress.
My thanks to those who joined in the silliness. And my apologies to those who were simply taken in. Oh, and just so we're clear, I'm afraid there's NOT going to be an online chat session this week entitled "George Kirrin Girl Power vs. Anne the Weedy Wet Limp Lettuce Leaf." Furthermore, there's not going to be a new page entitled "Hair Fashions in Enid Blyton." Sorry to disappoint.
I'll be keeping all the messages written by Sarah; they'll be distinguishable by the pinkness of the font. I'll also be storing a screenshot of the purple-pink site for posterity, in case I ever decide to dip into my feminine side and actually go that route. Don't hold your breath though. In the meantime I guess it's time to say goodbye to poor make-believe Sarah. I'm already missing her. *sniff*
This post has 11 comments
P:S-Did I sound too fierce?
The fact that Ritu and Somita were taken in just proves how good I was at being a girl. Erm... hold on...
And Nigel, I have no idea what Julian would say to all this. Perhaps we should ask ol' Joe? I'm still waiting for those pictures of you in a frock though. The internet world could do with a good laugh! :-)
And Ilsa, your point is well taken. You're not the only one to mention that! *Slaps own wrist* :-p
I was taken in whole into your trick and was totally shocked when you said it was a fool. You are a bad old git, you know. I truly, truly believed in Sarah and all the craps about her you made up. I don't know how I was convinced with her, because I didn't at first. Her face looked familiar, like a television celebrity which she is really at the reality world. And Anita, you perfected the whole thing because I sort of believed in Miss Grayling. You could be an actor too, Keith, try out an audition!
However, I like Sarah because she is lively and warm. She has creative ideas and amazingly friendly. You should try acting like her several times, Keith. She has this unique connection with girls because the way she tells about her hair is very girlish-like. I don't mind being tricked twice by you, because my friends fooled me four times and I was shocked to death! I assure you, your April Fool of Sarah is really unbelievable!
Love and cheers,
Mimsy Kirana
P/S: A short nickname of my first name would be nice, too. Plus, I already told Sarah this. Which is an absolute shame.
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