Charlie Todd: The shared experience of absurdity

[93mainer]

LOL the first lady on the subway reading a book titled "RAPE"!! Wonder what was going through her head!!

[EvoMitsubishiLancer]

i meet him at the last pants ride

[GreenOx73]

He's my hero

[Masterpiece55555]

very very nice to hear u talk about what u and all theese people do.

[ImprovEverywhere]

Thanks for watching my talk. Check out the Improv Everywhere channel here on YouTube to see all of the videos in the talk and over 100 more.

[mirasprofile]

Yes,we don't need a reason,let's play!!!

[drunkenfeces]

you're wonderful!

[Theresa620292]

Well done wish more people would be like this

[mammyoriordan]

Great stuff - Go on, make my day ! - Rene

[keithson4]

these people have too much time on there hands

[MsCanadiancougar]

What about if a bunch of men went into a police station and asked for directions. Here's the catch: all men have the same long haired wig on. Have them go in various times during a 24 hour period. Perhaps some make up would liven things up too.

[vitalizator]

Man, you should make 'people in clown clothes walking near by funeral procession or cemetery area' flashmob

[fbikanda]

Wow we need more of these type of people on our planet than politicians

[whatiwasabout]

Totally respect this guy , HE'S AWESOME!!

[exmo74]

26 people need pants.

[experiment254]

love the message at the end

[0Purp1e]

::eyeroll::

[0Purp1e]

it looks like you're all doing all this to impress someone....

[Arghira]

I would participate myself but that if I have an unwanted erection? What do I do then?

[gwathir]

@Arghira Keep the sports section of a newspaper in handy, or just a large newspaper that you can hold up in front of you while you sit in a seat, OR carry a backpack that you can have in your lap.

[FLAlVlE]

@Arghira Act casual B)

[14kduncan]

It reminds me of a happy Project Mayhem... I want to be a part of it! :)

[bharathsnazzy]

its 25 now....

[junglejimboston]

I think I want to do the Ghostbusters thing. That would be awesome!

[XenintheTerminator]

We found Rob!!

[wizkidme]

These people have to much time on their hands!!!

[youaremyutube]

Belly laughing funny!!! I want to do the same down here in Mexico. The High-Five event was kind of like the "Free Hug" project in Italy. These events COULD change the world from scared and angry to laughing and open. THANKS for giving me the idea!

[fshfacegurl]

lololol. Life is too absurd not to laugh every single day.

[32simas]

love him!

[therealjamesgardner]

How do I join in!!??

[carl4766]

thank you ,I love you're work keep it up.

[leorozas]

This made up my day!

[MrChristianRC]

I get off on 53rd everyday, I wish Todd were there!

[Notonesingleusername]

Charlie Todd, lets do something in South Africa :] FUN TIMES!

[densuria93]

Life is supposed to be fun,that is funny

[Brandonpeterg2Gmail]

So when is the next prank there is a very good chance I will be in new york this year and next! Please respond

[langesdamours]

I love it!!! This is so so so great!!!!

[Thejesusfreek316]

I like the frozen in place one best, I would so do that!!!

[math989]

Show this to everybody and the world will be in peace.

[martynhiemstra]

24 people don't know how to have fun

[justinhammack]

@martynhiemstra and sadly, now 25 =(

[MattChro]

So what if we try to mix such performances with the mechanics of MMORPG and create the WHOLE INDUSTRY of such social games that would be popular as sports or computer games are now. Just imagine, everyday in every big city happens something of this kind. Thousands of people would join just for fun, virtual ingame goods and levels. I think this will be one of the biggest social inventions of 21st century, such as cinema was for 20th.

[LifePurposeCoach]

Yes, we need to play more and have fun! Life is supposed to be fun. Thanks for this laugh!!! I loved it! Keep up finding new ways to play. :)

[dudepal187]

What a great talk :D I'm subscribing to his channel.

[jayboat]

Wonderful stuff. Please don't stop.

[JANXDPDX]

goes to show how fast people will call the cops over nothing.

[Acrimonator]

That should be made public health...

[Pasteldqueijo]

that was an easter egg of real life...

[clanbillr]

Thank you so much , I loved this and I have always loved "Improv" and I'm a huge SNL fan too! Thank you again Ted!! :^) B

[TheEigylyte]

the best idea in the world to make people happy , :)

[LOATODAY]

That looked so FUN :D

[AjsOfficial]

lloooooool gosh that was super funny .. i love it .. i wana join but too bad im SUPER far frm the U,S

[jinsherpa]

I Want to wear a shirt saying I AM 1% LOL AND JUST WALK AROUND WALL STREET Let see HOW THOSE 99% WILL ACT

[sooperfukker]

Who else finds the term "escalator" to be scary somehow -.-

[Imagine369hz]

this is the stupidest waste of time i ever saw

[SuperFantasyMaster]

i want to live in NY now, just to join that ):

[zincopper]

I. WANT. TO. JOIN. IN.

[AnimeOceanFan]

way too funny !!

[MoviesAndBooks1]

That's awesome.

[couch38potato]

This is NOT a waste of time! I think that has to be the coolest idea EVER!!!!! :D Keep making people happy :)



[SearchEngineImprov]

NOT IMPROV! Call it anything else you want... but it is the furthest thing from the heart of what we do as improvisers. Fun, cute, kitschy, even artful at times but NOT IMPROVISED!

[marinaiskra]

Love you ImprovEverywhere!! ;-)

[wcfcarolina13]

I can imagine the lemmings of the nation yelling in terror, "Get a job!"

Keep inspiring! Improv Everywhere!

[MrHBrenden]

going to give high five on the big blue bus of ann arbor.

[KemaTheAtheist]

I need to find a group like that near me.

[MrKohlenstoff]

@KemaTheAtheist just what I thought.

[TheNormanvsNorman]

I'm so glad i'm subscribed to ImprovEverywhere youtube channel! Keep on!

[gdavies12]

fantastic speaker - let us know when you're in london charlie!

[Leviathandk]

Wuuhuu Danish guys :D

[googoo120]

Good one

[leonidasx666]

That Ghostbusters bit must have been a total blast! :D

[bvrcrap56]

occupy wall street could learn some tricks here! the the power of cooperation AND movement. 1,000 people encircling the fat pigs in heavy riot gear would be hilarious as they expired one by one. 

[nerimtas100]

These people have too much time.

[19ACE93]

@nerimtas100

Whoops! Just finished the video. You're comment made me laugh! XD

[TarzanPLiJL]

genialne :D

[ThorFan4Life]

8:03 is that Mike Stoklasa ? The creator of mr plinkett

[ilovedragons]

Are you a Jedi Charlie Todd?

[kris6682]

wal mart would have been better as they dont have logos on there shirts only name tags

[megmegs84]

finally the 2 best channels in youtube meet each other!!!=)

[Kaeralho]

08:13 employee of the month is amused

[DeathnoteBB]

This actually reminds me of my Japanese class now that it has this guy from Drama class in it. He's really entertaining and funny so we're always laughing at least once a day :D It's awesome having him in class

[DeathnoteBB]

XD omg the girl's reactions. When the second dude comes on she looks at him, then looks back at Todd, than is all "wtf??"

[44HBK]

09:37 Evangeline Lilly? xD

[markthe5hark8]

I am really happy that this is about funny stuff and not the philosophical idea of absurdity.

[DeathnoteBB]

@markthe5hark8 yeah, it's a lot more entertaining, too :)

[audiowiz]

the book is about empowering females through the art of jiu jitsu in order to rape men

[audiowiz]

What rock has this crowd been hiding beneath?

[KrizK7]

This was a great talk, enjoy your work!

[bjc2]

The book she's reading is actually 'The Rape Of Nanking.'

[mcwolf]

@bjc2 I'm actually surprised that guy still can't get it after 10 years, and that is a great book.

[mellamosean]

@mcwolf

i'm sure he knows... i would think so anyway...

[tiffcurtis69]

I love everything you do !!!!!!!! Everytime I watch something I am smiling and wished I lived in NY to play along wtih you :)

[DanYHKim2]

I love the Best Buy prank. For some reason, when I go to a store I am often asked for directions or help. I do not wear an orange apron in Home Depot or a blue Polo in Best Buy, but I get asked about stuff all the time. It was wonderful to see a whole crowd of people doing this.

[iamavatee]

the book is called cape and its about a super hero

[LickMyLama]

TedDirector would like to congratulate you on your enlightening, inspiring education BY SCARING THE SHIT OUT OF YOU WITH A LOUD OUTRO

[OCUBOX]

0:15 you're welsome :)

[noobwerd]

shes reading a book titled rape?

[Gam3r20]

@noobwerd

Yeah I noticed !!!

[NotYouTeeHee]

@noobwerd She's reading a book called "The Rape of Nanking" and it's about the massacre that happen in 1937 when Japanese soldiers invaded the Chinese city of Nanking. Search it up.

[lolzen2323]

Thumbs up if u thumbs up the video.

[pourboypatrick]

MP3 experiments are my favorite !

[pourboypatrick]

I was feeling that the Best Buy event was only positive for some people. I think it actually caused negative effects on the store. Any thoughts?

Otherwise, I love their stunts.

-Patrick

[DanYHKim2]

@pourboypatrick Later, people would probably visit BestBuy just in case it happens again.

[LVGeneration]

This is awesome! Keep doing what you're doing, it's fun. fresh, innovative and you're bringing a smile to people's faces, breaking up the monotony of the daily routine. We need some play in our lives :)

[coollikeyodais]

Very inspiring, makes me want to run out and do something fun and silly

[RoGeorgeRoGeorge]

Why did he claimed that there is no reason in doing that?

The reason is pretty obvious: GETTING OTHER'S ATTENTION. It's the same reason that lead to nuptial dances for birds or other kind of similar tricks that enhances the probability of successful reproduction.

[KaiTendo174]

So freaking amazing

[PuntedKitten]

The "Rape" book is "The Rape of Nanking" by Iris Chang. I love the how the publisher made the word "rape" stand out so much.

[TheYinful]

I want to be a part of Improv Everywhere too. Is it there in India? This is fun !!!!

[BarbaraGilday]

Loved your analogy to Sat. afternoon football. Keep up the great work. We need more joy in our lives. My favorite so far is Rob wants to give you a high 5.  What fun. I'll bet all of those people were nicer to those they interacted with, that day.

:-)

[Silverstarlightt]

Fantastic! :D This was an awesome talk.

[lgrisotto]

4 videos with incredible ratings, THIS is what TED is about!

[TrendyPencil]

Love this! I've seen a show with UCB theatre and they do an impeccable job. I wish I could have been part of one of these. Excellent work guys and gals!

[TKStoddart]

I like it, and I get it, don't get me wrong. But, I think he's passing up layers of irony here with this stuff he is doing. It could use more layers to the art, IMHO, and it would be better for them if it was handled correctly. It could be deeper, as performance art goes, than it is now.

Right now his art is more like watching a Disney cartoon in those crappy samples they used to play at the start of other movies on those VHS tapes we all have in closets and basements. Fun stuff, unfinished.

[joshs1uk]

come to england and lighten up london. are you on facebook???

[forever21ishy]

great work man, should try and spread this humor around in Ireland, god knows we could do with a good laugh.

Keep up the good work.

[0bring0out0the0gimp0]

um why is the woman reading a book called 'RAPE' D:

[200131240]

@0bring0out0the0gimp0 Its "The Rape of Nanking" by Iris Chang, about WW2 in China.

[0bring0out0the0gimp0]

@200131240 thanks man 

[OpiatedBliss]

lol 'RAPE' book

[twistedbass15]

Sci'omedy

[HRMSequence]

innovations in system.. that's the way to go ahead in civilization. great going.

[jigsaw99]

The girl's book on the train is called RAPE. LOL

[akazombie]

OMFG TED AND IMPROVEVERYWHERE!? TWO OF MY FAVORITE THINGS IN ONE SUBSCRIPTION UPDATE! <3

[funkfanzzify]

fun to break dull days in the city

[acx7893]

Rob must have a bunch of diseases and STDs now lol

[neil73]

Is the lady in the first video aware of her popularity now, I wonder?

[tenesseebell]

would like to know if u guys do anything in la area.........

[liquidpaper128]

That book is Rape of Nanking. I'm surprised a TED speaker wouldn't know that.

[NobodysOffTheHook]

LOVED THIS.

[JLJorgenson18]

My friends and I got kicked out of a wal mart because we went in there with a gorilla suit to buy bananas, I wish people had more of a sense of humor

[mattmoore111]

Football causes obesity.

[mattmoore111]

Hes right but for one thing, football is bad for you, thats science!

[TimB991]

Goodness me.. Those audiencemembers were having a good time there.. almost sounds like it was being recorded in a zoo near the monkey parks XD 

[ImprovEverywhere]

Thanks for watching my talk. You can see all of the videos from the presentation on my channel, as well as 100 different projects!

[Trengo34]

@ImprovEverywhere you are a great, inspiring man. Keep doing what you're doing.

[ornitorrinco01]

@ImprovEverywhere I don't have too much time on my hands, but if I can use what time I do have to put a smile on someone's face like you do, then it is time well spent. Thanks for the laughs.

[lgrisotto]

@ImprovEverywhere you should have ended it with a improv musical! haha

[DeathnoteBB]

@ImprovEverywhere I've seen your guys' youtube channel, it's cool you did a TED talk :D

[Storhonta]

Loving this<3

[michiem00]

at 1:13 the lady's reading a book called RAPE um.....

[MisterCovek]

Wow, ImprovEverywhere guys are just great! They show people that our 'standard' way of having 'fun' is pretty boring.

They show people how creativity can be used just about EVERYWHERE.

It's like when we were kids, and the teacher told us to color inside the lines.. That's the wrong way to stimulate creativity. Creativity is freedom, and these guys just showed us that.

[Kalon123]

very inspiring, i love the idea ;) good work to bring laughter to the people :)

[PuppetXeno]

love it, love it :) this brings a smile to peoples faces, as evident with the high five thing. The world could do with more weird actions like this!

[TheGuims07]

best youtube channel with vsauce

[Soldierlozer]

ImprovEverywhere is the most awesome project ever!

[zoddodd]

Right!

8^D..

[Mrmoc7]

As a frequent youtube troll, please, by all means, disregard what we say. We are the ones with too much time on our hands! Great talk!

[HeyYeahCheckThisOut]

@Mrmoc7 hehe~ yeah agree :D

[Br0adHead]

@Mrmoc7 if you says your are a troll you are most likely not a troll. Part of being a troll is never admitting it,

[Mrmoc7]

@Br0adHead

Moment of weakness...

[Br0adHead]

@Mrmoc7 Trolls are known to be vunerable to fire. I thought that was your weakness? Unless somone set you on fire....ok i got it. I guess the fire departments not doing their job.

[Mrmoc7]

@Br0adHead

Trolls cannot be vulnerable to fire. Otherwise we wouldn't be able to start flame wars all the time.

[Br0adHead]

@Mrmoc7 So if fire is now the ally of myself, then where does water come from?

[angelwhite]

Love @ImprovEverywhere! My favourites are the musicals!

[Jesusislord4ever100]

dope

[melnya89]

i love ImprovEverywhere! such a fan

[ciucinciu]

This video cured my cancer

[xapemanx]

lol rape book

[ch0c0p1nk]

I really love their say something nice video :)

[spatiality]

I got SUPER confused. I was like "wait...is this a glitch. Why is improv everywhere showing up on my TED subscribe." Then it clicked and I have to say I couldn't be HAPPIER!!

[YHWWH]

Illusion one and ImprovEverywhere ones are the best presentation from TED from my opinion

the book that the girl was reading was The Rape of Nanking (Nanjing)