So, I’m checking my email this morning and I come across this…

I recently signed up for Groupon Deals for the Los Angeles area and there was one deal in today’s “hot deals” email that really grabbed my attention: “Custom Message Delivered on a Potato from Anonymous Potato” and the deal was advertised at 50% off! What the what? Did they say pay to send a potato to somebody? Like a baked potato? Or what the what?

I had to read through the deal and be sure this wasn’t an early April Fool’s joke sent from Groupon. But, after clicking through and seeing the deal it looks legit.

“Delight and prank your friends and family with an anonymous delivery

of a potato that displays a personal message, such as ‘here’s a potato.'”

You can actually contact this company to purchase a raw potato, have them write a personalized message on said potato with a black Sharpie marker, and then they will mail that potato to a person or company of your choosing – anonymously (’cause I think we can all agree that the last thing you’d want anybody to know is that you paid to have a raw potato sent to them?!).

Only in L.A., right? That’s what I thought until I researched the company doing this and apparently sending prank potatoes to people anonymously is a thing. Like, a real thing. “Anonymous Potato is the Hottest Gag Gift on the Market!”  I’m totally doing that crazy cartoon head shake thing over here.

You can choose from a ‘regular’ or a ‘large’ sized potato (you can fit a longer message on the larger spud) and you can even add in ‘gift wrapping’ and have the potato placed in a tiny little burlap sack (for an extra $4.99), you know, to heighten the surprise of receiving a potato in the mail and all. There is a character limit of 140 and the message must meet approval from the company before being shipped – which will cost you an extra $4.38 within the continental United States.

So, you got one potato in your cart (that’s $13 – for the potato alone! Better grab this 50% OFF deal first!), you add the gift wrapping (that’s $4.99), and then you want it mailed (that’s another $4.38). Out the door you’re looking at $22.37 to send that tater telegram. Anonymously. I changed my mind. If I’m dropping 22 bucks on sending you a potato, I want you to know I went all out and I’m gonna sign my name right there on the back of the spud.

Side note: Winco sells a 10 lb. bag of taters for like $3. And you don’t need a return address to mail something at the USPS. I’m having a really hard time in seeing the novelty in this business of ‘gag’ potatoes. Or maybe I am just sitting here trying to come up with a business name for my ‘gag’ zucchini business. Oooh, maybe radishes for Valentine’s Day! Green Bell peppers for St. Patty’s Day?