The 'lighter' side of #balloonboy

If you got out of the house, sat down at the computer and opened a web browser, or turned on the TV at any point on Thursday afternoon, you probably witnessed some of the insanity that involved a UFO-like Mylar balloon supposedly carrying a little boy named Falcon. And if you use social media, you are probably tired of hearing about him and how he was actually in the attic of his home while law enforcement scrambled to find him after discovering that he did not make the entire journey to the field nearly 50 miles away.

If nothing but waste a lot of tax payers’ money, #balloonboy — a name he probably won’t shake anytime soon — sure generated a ton of interest in social media. His debacle provided some of the best comedy you could ask for, but not necessarily penned by stage comedians or late-night hosts — but by those most active in the social media sphere.

Considering that the situation is getting more and more serious by the day — charges will be filed against the parents — it’s nice to know that we can still have a laugh, especially that the kid wasn’t hurt in the incident. With that, here’s ScoopTheDirt’s five favorite #balloonboy memes and references:

5. Balloon Boy Gets Scolded

College Humor’s take on “Balloon Boy” folds references to trending topics and memes (like the ever-popular Kanye West incident and Up references) into a single video.

See more funny videos and funny pictures at CollegeHumor.
4. “I’mma let you finish…”: Kanye West makes his appearance

Who wasn’t expecting this one? (And if you weren’t… really?!)
3. I WANT TO BELIEVE

Who can’t resist a good poke at the believers? I know I wasn’t making the only UFO jokes
as the story developed; unfortunately my try at this was the far-less-successful

#omfgufo hashtag.
2. GO FALCON, GO: The t-shirt

The folks over at Zazzle were all over the fad within hours of Ballon Boy taking flight.
Not only is it a crafty sketch, it’s proof you remember. Will it sell? I for one hope so.
1. The Prince of the Air

Maybe only the 90’s Kids found this one funny — or anyone who has seen daytime syndicated
television in the last decade — but we at ScoopTheDirt think this is top-rate humor. It’s a
tough call whether or not everything is funny, and a lot of Internet trends push that
boundary, but we’re happy to declare this meme the funniest we’ve seen in a while.
BONUS: Check out SNL’s balloon reference on Weekend Report!