Everyone agrees, there’s nothing better than sharing a few beers with friends at the beach! But depending on the region, that might also mean a sunny day at the river. Soaking up rays, fishing, barbeque — yes, please! Any body of water can be relaxing, really.
One group of buddies tried to enjoy this flow but received the surprise of a lifetime. When a mysterious cooler floated their way, they knew they had to open it up and peek!
Read on to see more about the outrageous secret hidden inside that went viral...
Something Bizarre?
Hanging with friends is supposed to be a break from stress, especially in swimsuits! What could possibly occur, besides unexpectedly having an amazing day?
When a good group of pals spotted a cooler floating downstream in their direction, they probably thought it was a bit of extra beer. But the chilling reality is, they couldn't have been more wrong! This container was pretty big, and no one could have missed its appearance at the shore. What did these swimmers do, initially?
They Spot The Cooler
Once spotted, it was obvious a camera phone was needed. It's a good thing one guy in the group started to film the event: What happened next was truly disturbing to one and all. The lazy day of beer and laughs would not be so for long!
But first, a little detective work was needed. Before anyone began the swim out to the cooler, the cameraman started to ask around to determine ownership. Maybe it belonged to a nearby group, and accidentally slipped away?
Investigating The Area
Physics dictates that a cooler can't just appear out of thin air, right? There is a source for everything, and this group of chillers had no intention of stealing anyone's vacation stash. It had to belong to someone nearby! The cameraman approached close swimmers, inquiring the obvious: “Is that your cooler?”
The good folks across the river replied: “I don’t think it’s going to be moving for a while.” Ominous, but what did that mean? The guys knew they needed to find out a lot more about whatever was lurking inside, and they swam closer.
What Might Be Inside?
The cameraman asked the obvious question: “What if it’s treasure?” The friend in blue shorts made a wish: “I’m hoping it’s cocaine.” Seems there was already a difference in expectations here. Who would be right?
Possibly no one, but they were all about to find out very soon. And who knows? It could be the obvious answer, beer! The cameraman kept filming the cooler but refused to go over because he wasn't dressed for the job. Maybe the guy in blue shorts didn't mind doing the retrieval?
Dude Floats Over
The cameraman motioned towards Mr. blue shorts and announced, “I vote this guy.” No objections, there. This designated swimmer proceeded towards the cooler. He was obviously just as curious to find out more!
Jumping straight into the river, the group's dog followed him in the water. Maybe that canine sixth sense had kicked in! Everyone could feel there was something odd in the container now, animal and human alike. Was there a secret smell wafting through the air, perhaps?
Catching That Cooler
The cameraman was getting excited. He called out a directive to blue trunks: “Float it over!”
An observer on the riverbank commented in the background of the film: “It’s like Christmas.” But was it? Whatever was inside the container was sealed totally shut, and it wasn't very heavy. Ideas about buried treasure were beginning to fade, but people were still plenty curious. Gathering around the cooler, people wondered: Why was this so carefully closed to waterproof the contents, then abandoned?
Feet on Dry Land
Questions swirled regarding the topic of the moment, which was clearly the cooler. Why was it immersed in water? Why was it duct-taped shut? What could possibly be inside that no one wanted anymore? While it may have seemed like fun and games at first, things were becoming increasingly creepy at the river.
In fact, things would soon become sinister for all the onlookers in this tale. It was obvious this sealed item was not placed outside by mistake, and it looked like extra security precautions were taken to preserve the internal contents. What was someone trying to hide in plain sight?
Super Suspicious?
Fishy does describe a lot of things at any waterfront. But this time, there were no fins involved! Just a cooler, and way too many questions piling up. With their hearts beating faster, the friends gathered around for an unsealing.
Was it really something illegal? Anticipation building, they steadied the captured cooler. The stripes of duct tape were peeled back, one by one. And now, it was time to open sesame. What would be unearthed, right before their very eyes?
The Big Open
It turned out that this cooler had a tricky construction. Mr. Camera tried to help: “Has it got one of those hatches? Open the hatch!” Was his suggestion worth a try?
Why, yes! A top section of the cooler popped open with just a bit of pressure, and they were in. These curious dudes were about to have a lot more than a sunny afternoon. Some things in life are so memorable, they are just impossible to shake! What was inside of this cooler, and would it haunt their dreams forever?
He Shrinks Back
After removing enough duct tape to open the hatch, blue shorts guy caught a glimpse of the contents inside. And as everyone could see, he jumped back immediately!
What was so horrifying? The look of fright on his face was unmistakable and blurted out curse words to take away any doubt. Screaming and shouting, bystanders started to realize something abnormal was going on. What had disturbed him, unseen by others?
What in the World?
Buddy Blue was clearly experiencing an intense moment at the big reveal. His reaction said it all! Jumping back in terror, there was a real look of shock on that face as he asked an important question: “What the f***?”
What had he seen in the cooler? It must have really been something unusual. No one acts like this when they find chocolate! Peeling back the lid, what did everyone start to see peeking through?
Baby Body?
What in the world could this be? It looked like a baby! But no way, right?
If that was really the case, it was time to stop filming and call the police! And they would need to do so immediately, obviously. Some might think it was all a twisted joke, especially in this wholesome area. There was no way a monster mom was really living in their area! Upon closer inspection, what did they come to understand about the body?
Hello Dolly
Had someone really killed a child and hidden it in a cooler? A sigh of relief was in order when the friends really looked at the situation calmly. This was no baby, at all!
No need to contact 911: It was a doll! In fact, it was a common Hasbro style baby doll found at nearly every toy store. Nothing worrisome in this cooler! Their hearts beating rapidly, it almost seemed okay to breathe a sigh of relief. Or was it?
They Prefer Cocaine
Still, there was intrigue. Maybe there would be something a little bit more exciting in this afternoon find! The friend in the red shorts held out hope: “Maybe there’s cocaine in the bottom. Should I open up the doll?” The cameraman was not interested in getting more involved at this point, though. He responded, drawing a line: “You gotta open it up yourself."
And so Mr. red did, finding absolutely nothing else in the container. How did bystanders react to this big finale?
Cameraman Chuckles
The filming friend laughed, asking: “Did you actually think it was a dead kid?” Clearly, yes. At least for a moment!
Dolls have been associated with horror movies for so long, that it's not hard to understand a freaky reaction. Why would anyone seal one in a cooler, anyway? There was no reasonable explanation! Totally chilling, and others noticed the chaos on the riverbank. Obviously, a sunny day meant plenty of youngsters wanted to spend time at the best spot in town. A girl in yellow shorts started to walk over, but why?
Confusion Grows
Clearly, her curiosity was peaked after hearing all the shouting nearby. And who could blame her?
It was time to see what all the fuss was all about. Maybe there was really something interesting to view in that cooler! The secondary sleuth bent over to take a peek. One of the guys warned her, though. “It’s so weird,” Mr. blue shorts explained. Would she agree with this assessment when she understood what was sealed inside?
Creepy Cooler Doll Redux
Some things in life are easy to anticipate. Predictably, Miss yellow bottoms had the same reaction as Mr. blue trunks. She jumped, of course! And this attracted the immediate attention of her own friends across the bank. Obviously creeped out, the new girl needed answers. She cursed, and shouted: “Who does that?”
A grey shorted girlfriend wandered over to learn more, an iPhone in hand. Time for some horror movie selfies, perhaps?
Another Friend Pops Over
Gal number two already knew there was something a bit weird in the cooler. She could see a pretty consistent reaction, frankly. For this reason, she was prepared to examine its contents rationally!
Friend two just wanted to take a picture to show people on the other side of the river. It was just a toy, by all accounts so far! Why not share this cursed doll with everyone, for a laugh?
Cameraman Demands It All
But wait, now there was a competition! The cameraman felt this was his discovery, not hers! “Dibs on the doll,” he stated.
He couldn't possibly have known this original footage would become a viral clip. Could he? Some people just have a good sense for these things, and maybe he felt it back then. As it turns out, it did get passed around often online when he posted it, to the tune of 10 million views! Was this seriously the most interesting thing on YouTube in August 2017?
Could it be a Joke?
Evidently so. But users started to wonder if it was all staged. For example, why would anyone film this event without advanced knowledge of the cooler's contents? Odds are, this was going to be super boring, people!
That cooler could have been filled with socks! Or beer, as they had initially hoped. And who would really care? It seems the cameraman knew there was something interesting about the cooler form the very beginning, but did his friends?
Duct Tape Details
The YouTube community began to pick the video apart immediately. One user noted: “The duct tape was still sticky...If that had been in the water for more than 10 minutes, the tape would have stopped sticking, so this is probably fake.”
An interesting observation, to be sure. Was that really scientifically correct? Arguments collected at the bottom of the video, and some also noticed the name of the channel. The mysterious cooler clip was uploaded by a user named MrTechnicalDifficult. Who was he, exactly?
YouTuber Revealed
A quick peek into the account would reveal a lot about the question at hand. The page seemed to be absolutely filled with prank videos!
And his own description admitted this, no less. Mr. TD seemed to have a whole range of prank calls and jokes on Xbox Live, pretending to be a child. He also claimed to be in the process of working on new, nondescript tricks for the future. Wasn't this baby in a box likely to be part of his plan?
Prank Possibilities
Some viewers developed alternative theories about the doll, and a few choice comments stood out. “Why would you open that? Now Chucky is gonna murder everyone [because] he’s free,” one person commented. “The doll was most likely haunted, [and someone] put it in the crate down the river. That might be why it was all taped up" another wrote. But were they right? There was something outrageously creepy about this doll, and the whole scene in general!
Other comments focused on a different element of the video. What did they see in the footage, more than anything?
The Internet Strikes Back
Yes, it was the cocaine theory! Viewers found it funny that this was anyone's first instinct seeing a cooler floating in a river. Frankly, a dead baby is a lot more likely. Sad, but true!
Illegal, expensive drugs are not usually something carelessly tossed away in large amounts. But for whatever reason, Snapchat had been sending millions of people over to watch this crazy prank. A complete waste of time, silly app! No bodies, no drugs, nothing. Just a doll, today. Ho hum!