Anonymous’ Use of Guy Fawkes Masks Actually Helps WB Make Money. LOL Irony.
Anonymous has become synonymous with their use of Guy Fawkes masks in public. An unforeseen correlation is the driving up of profits for WB, a fat cat corporation who makes mad money off the sales of these masks. The irony. It’s delicious. I am ladling it into my mouth. Yum!
In a New York Times piece published this week, writer Nick Bilton makes the keen observation that the cultural ascension of hacker group Anonymous has been a financial boon for Warner Bros., the media company that owns the Guy Fawkes image that protesters wear as a mask. Based on the character “V” from Alan Moore and David Lloyd’s classic graphic novel V For Vendetta (as well as the film based on the book), the Guy Fawkes mask sells over 100,000 units a year, with Warner Bros. — the parent company of comics publisher Vertigo — earning a licensing fee for each mask sold.
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According to the New York Times, the Guy Fawkes disguise worn by Anonymous members outsells masks of Darth Vader and Batman. Additionally, some of who’ve wished to participate in Anonymous protests have been unable to do so due to mask shortages.
“We sell over 100,000 of these masks a year, and it’s by far the best-selling mask that we sell,” said Howard Beige, executive vice president of Rubie’s Costume, a New York costume company that produces the mask. “In comparison, we usually only sell 5,000 or so of our other masks.” The Vendetta mask, which sells for about $6 at many retailers, is made in Mexico or China, Mr. Beige said.
Amazing, right?