Joey Skaggs

Joey Skaggs
Born	1945 (age 78–79) United States
Other names	Kim Yung Soo, Joe Bones, Joseph Bonuso, Giuseppe Scaggoli, Peppe Scaggolini, Dr. Josef Gregor, Joseph Virgil Skaggs, Dr. Richard J. Long, Dr. Joseph Schlafer, Dr. Joseph Chenango, Baba Wa Simba, Joseph Bucks, Jojo the Gypsy, Joseph Howard, Joseph Adore, Joseph Sullivan, and the Rev. Anthony Joseph.
Education	High School of Art and Design School of Visual Arts (BFA)
Occupation(s)	Artist, writer, teacher
Website	https://joeyskaggs.com/

Joey Skaggs (born 1945) is an American multi-media artist, activist, satirist, educator and prankster whose work has been exhibited, disseminated and discussed internationally. Skaggs uses the media as his artistic medium and is one of the originators of the phenomenon known as culture jamming. In a career spanning six decades, he has produced paintings, sculptures, guerrilla theater, performance art, socially revealing hoaxes,media pranks, and films. He is a graduate of New York's High School of Art & Design and received his BFA from the School of Visual Arts where he also taught Media Communications for many years in addition to teaching at Parsons School of Design. He speaks internationally on divergent approaches to address social issues through art.

Artistic career

Joey Skaggs’ art has a history of challenging and disrupting the status quo, examples of his work include the Crucifixion, Cat House for Dogs, Solomon Project, and Metamorphosis. Fostering social change, cultural understanding, and individual empowerment are key elements of his activism through art. His work employs guerrilla theater and public relations strategies for social critique, continuing the legacy of theatrical satire with modern communication tools, while adhering to the law and ethical practices.

Skaggs has stated that his projects are designed to reveal cultural susceptibility to hype, hypocrisy, and disinformation. They highlight the public’s vulnerability to media manipulation by corporate conglomerates that prioritize profits over integrity. His art underscores the dangers of the misuse of power, conflicts of interest, and the blurring of entertainment and news.

In interviews and on his website, Skaggs advocates for media literacy, critical analysis, questioning authority, using multiple information sources, and challenging preconceptions.

Accordingly, for such works, his artistic process frequently unfolds in stages he calls the hook, the line, and the sinker. First he crafts an absurd premise and disseminates it with press releases, brochures and/or by staging an event, a theatrical fabrication, with actors and props, leaving clues. Then he documents the impact, recording media and public reactions, and tracking the narrative’s evolution. Finally, he unveils the truth and begins a discussion about the underlying issues.

Films

In 2012, director Andrea Marini set out to create "Art of the Prank", a documentary exploring Joey Skaggs' career. Skaggs opened his media archive for Marini, who aimed to infuse a contemporary narrative despite Skaggs' warning about the unpredictable nature of hoaxes. Skaggs proposed he would produce a faux documentary called "Pandora’s Hope," tackling real ethical issues of genetic modification, but with a twist—an embedded hoax. Filmed on Kauai, in Hawaii, under Skaggs' alias Joe Howard, the film starred Kit Farrell as a journalist investigating the island’s hidden facets, from high-tech military research to controversial GMO experimentation. Despite its potential exposure, "Pandora’s Hope" was featured at film festivals as a legitimate documentary between 2013 and 2015.

In 2017, "Art of the Prank", Andrea Marini's award-winning feature documentary about artist Joey Skaggs, was released internationally on television and streaming platforms, after having screened at multiple film festivals.

In 2020, production began on a series of short award-winning oral history documentaries featuring Skaggs and materials from his archive titled, “Joey Skaggs Satire and Art Activism, 1960s to the Present and Beyond”. Each film features a different aspect of his work, presented within the context of its time. The films are screening in international film festivals.

Select works

Crucifixion (1966–1969)

• To protest the hypocrisy of the Church and man’s inhumanity to man, in 1966, Joey Skaggs carried a life-size sculpture of a decayed Jesus Christ to Tompkins Square Park, where it was attacked by onlookers. He continued to exhibit the piece at protests and events, including a 1967 New York University exhibition and two Central Park Be-ins. In 1969, he brought a duplicate to St. Patrick’s Cathedral, where church officials denied him entry, and he was removed by police.

Hippie Bus Tour to Queens (1968)

• In 1968, Skaggs organized a “cultural exchange tour” where he took 60 East Village “freaks” on a bus tour through suburban Queens. This ironic event mocked the tour buses that came to gawk at the hippies in Greenwich Village. Included on the bus was Paul Krassner, publisher of The Realist and artist Yayoi Kusama, who painted polka dots on naked dancers who gyrated to the music of the Group Image rock and roll band. Skaggs was interviewed for the Today Show and the story made the front page of the Daily News. Articles about the Bus Tour also appeared in the New York Times and in other news publications.

Vietnamese Christmas Nativity Burning (1968)

• In 1968, Joey Skaggs staged a provocative protest against the Vietnam War by creating a life-size Vietnamese Nativity scene, which he planned to burn. On Christmas Day, he and friends dressed as American soldiers attempted to set it up in Central Park. The display included a manger, paper-mâché pigs in police hats, middle-class sheep with briefcases, a camel representing Hubert Humphrey, and three beheaded wise men symbolizing the slain Jack and Bobby Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr., with a Vietnamese baby Jesus surrounded by peasant sculptures of Mary and Joseph. Before they could ignite the scene, police and journalists intervened, leading to multiple arrests. The next day, The New York Times reported, “Yippie ‘Nativity Scene’ Leads to Tickets for Littering,” missing the artwork’s deeper message. This experience prompted Skaggs to articulate a clear statement of purpose for his future works, ensuring his artistic intent would not be lost in media interpretations. .

Fifty Foot Brassiere (1969)

• In response to the large crowds of men leering over Francine Gottfried’s physique whenever she went out to lunch, and the media’s constant coverage, Joey Skaggs attempted to hang a fifty-foot bra on Federal Hall on Wall Street, sparking chaos and outrage. His satirical stunt, dubbed his “Big Bust,” ended with the bra being torn apart by a mob of angry male workers.

Grotesque Statues of Liberty (1969)

• Joey Skaggs vehemently protested the Vietnam War, staging provocative events that angered many, including his family. On July 4, 1969, he displayed grotesque sculptures of the Statue of Liberty cradling dismembered baby bodies at Astor Place in New York City. This provocative act, was featured on the back cover of one of Paul Krassner’s books. As public support for the war shifted, Skaggs emphasized the power of art in advocacy, believing it can effectively raise awareness and drive change.

Hell's Angels Wedding (1969)

• Joey Skaggs’ first “mobile” spectacle satirized the Hell’s Angels and outrageous weddings by leading a mock wedding procession on a decorated tricycle, joined by Lower East Side kids and bikers. The parade, which stopped at Gem Spa, drew in curious onlookers and participants alike.

Coupe de Ville (1970)

• Joey Skaggs envisioned a multi-media musical set inside a 1950s Cadillac Coupe de Ville, with a dashboard stage and live musicians in the radio. Despite having interested his friends Sam Shepard and Tony Barsha to write and direct the play and having it optioned for Broadway by the producer of “Hair,” the ambitious project faced technical and financial challenges and was never produced.

Earlville Opera House (1971)

• In 1971, Joey Skaggs saved the Earlville Opera House from demolition, launching a successful campaign to secure its preservation. Now on the National Register of Historic Places, the opera house thrives as a performance and exhibition center, celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2022.

Fame Exchange (1971)

• Charlotte Moorman was a pioneering performance artist celebrated for her topless cello performances and her influential role in the New York art scene. She created the New York Avant Garde Festival, and invited Joey Skaggs to present his satirical piece “Fame Exchange” at the 8th annual event in 1971. As Skaggs arrived in a chauffeur-driven limousine greeted by staged screaming admirers with cameras, the crowd’s attention shifted to him, overshadowing John Lennon and Yoko Ono, prompting the onlookers to question who the unknown celebrity was.

Cathouse for Dogs (1976)

• Joey Skaggs placed an ad in New York’s Village Voice announcing a fictitious "Cathouse for Dogs," where pet owners could pay $50 for their dogs to be sexually gratified. When the media expressed interest, he staged an evening at a doggie bordello with 25 volunteers and 15 dogs, leading to footage that was included in an Emmy-winning documentary on animal cruelty. After being subpoenaed for allegedly running a whorehouse for dogs—despite no such law existing—Skaggs revealed the hoax at a press conference, pointing out that television is not necessarily reality, while WABC TV News never acknowledged they had been duped.

Celebrity Sperm Bank (1976)

• To underscore the growing conflict between technology and morality, in July 1976, Joey Skaggs, using the alias Giuseppe Scaggoli, announced an auction of rock star sperm from celebrities like Mick Jagger, Bob Dylan, John Lennon, and Paul McCartney in New York City. On the day of the event, he staged a scene outside a building on Waverly Place with volunteer actors there to bid on the sperm and others protesting the concept. Skaggs then claimed the sperm had been stolen and read a ransom note supposedly from Abbie Hoffman, leading to disappointment and outrage over the auction's cancellation. News of the event was published in print media and broadcast on television.

Wall Street Shoeshine (1979)

• Skaggs, as "Joseph Bucks", a shoeshine man who had grown rich hearing and acting on investment tips from his Wall Street clients, returned to celebrate his success. He arrived on Wall Street in a limousine and set up a luxurious shoeshine stand where he charged $5.00 per shine, about ten times the going rate. Skaggs recruited friends and students from his School of Visual Arts media classes to form an initial crowd, which prompted passersby to join the line to get their shoes shined.

Metamorphosis, Cockroach Miracle Cure (1981)

• On May 22, 1981, Joey Skaggs, under the alias Dr. Josef Gregor, held a press conference to highlight the media's tendency to promote charlatans. He claimed to have developed a miracle cure using hormones extracted from a strain of super-roaches immune to all toxins. Accompanied by friends and students from the School of Visual Arts, he asserted that his discovery could cure ailments like acne, anemia, and even nuclear radiation exposure, offering it for free to the world. The story gained traction, being reported by UPI and featured on WNBC TV’s Live at Five, while the references to "Metamorphosis" and Dr. Gregor went unnoticed as clues to the hoax.

Thanksgiving Dinner (1981)

• On Thanksgiving Day 1981, Joey Skaggs, along with friends and students from the School of Visual Arts, staged a poignant performance at the United Nations Plaza to raise awareness about global hunger. A lavish banquet table, complete with turkey and trimmings, was surrounded by large photos of starving African children, with a child's articulated skeleton atop a black pine coffin as the centerpiece. The event featured the Harlem Abyssinian Baptist Choir and speakers from world hunger organizations, highlighting the contrast with the festive Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade happening nearby and emphasizing the seriousness of the hunger crisis.

Gypsies Against Stereotypical Propaganda (1982)

• On June 15, 1982, Joey Skaggs, as JoJo, the King of the New York gypsies, initiated a city-wide, week-long work stoppage among gypsy fortune tellers to protest the use of the term "gypsy moth," an insect that was damaging hardwood trees in the Northeast. He founded Gypsies Against Stereotypical Propaganda (G.A.S.P.) and stated in a press release, “Call it the Ayatollah moth, call it the Idi Amin moth, call it the Hitler moth, but never again the Gypsy moth.” The protest in front of Governor Carey's Manhattan office garnered media attention, including coverage by Clyde Haberman in The New York Times. In 2021, decades later, the Entomological Society of America officially changed the names of the gypsy moth due to concerns over its offensiveness to the Romani community.

Windsurfing from Hawaii to California (1983)

• On January 15, 1983, a Hawaiian windsurfer named J.J. Skaggs set out to become the first person to cross the Pacific Ocean from Hawaii to California on a sailboard. The windsurfer was actually J.J. Jones, a world-class windsurfer who had altered his appearance to resemble Skaggs. A staged send-off party included a Hawaiian blessing and a rock-and-roll band. The sail bore the slogan “CAL OR BUST.”  Once out of sight, Jones turned back and met Skaggs at a local bar. When rumors of a Coast Guard rescue began to circulate, Skaggs revealed the hoax, but the TV networks that had reported the story never issued a retraction.

Fish Condos (1983)

• Joey Skaggs created “Fish Condos,” elaborate aquariums designed as better homes for fish to satirize gentrification and the degradation of the environment. These aquatic sculptures were featured in New York Magazine and gained such popularity that they were featured on television, appeared in Life Magazine, and became a global sensation exhibited in museums and galleries around the world.

Bad Guys Talent Management Agency (1984)

• To help his friend Verne Williams fulfill his fantasy to become an actor, Skaggs created the fictitious Bad Guys Talent Management Agency featuring bad guys, bad girls, bad kids, and bad dogs. Skaggs designed an FBI wanted poster for Verne and sent it to casting agents. This landed Verne a role in Berry Gordy’s feature film, The Last Dragon. As a result of media coverage from People Magazine and other outlets, the demand was so great that Skaggs held casting calls and signed up more than 300 "bad" actors. Many were cast in commercials, print ads and movies.

WALK RIGHT! (1984)

• To satirize vigilantism and make fun of pedestrian behavior in New York City, in December 1984, Joey Skaggs formed WALK RIGHT!, a group of sidewalk etiquette enforcers. The group’s 66 rules for walking, which included special dog-walking hours, no wearing sun glasses at night, and banning short people with umbrellas, fooled major news stations like CNN and WOR TV Channel 9.

The Fat Squad (1986)

• Joey Skaggs, under the alias Joe Bones, created the Fat Squad as a satirical commentary on America’s obsession with diet fads. This fictional organization offered clients strict enforcement of their diets by "Fat Squad Commandos" for $300 a day. Their motto was, “You can hire us but you cannot fire us. Our commandos take no bribes.” The hoax received widespread media attention, including coverage on ABC's Good Morning America and numerous international outlets.

April Fool’s Day Parade (1986)

• Joey Skaggs' New York City Annual April Fools' Day Parade, marked by a memorable press release each year since 1986, features satirical floats and performers mocking political figures and social issues. The parade starts at 5th Avenue and 59th Street and concludes at Washington Square Park with the crowning of the King of Fools, drawing both spectators and media attention for its commentary on current events and societal norms.

Save the Geoduck (1987)

• Amidst a backdrop of protests against America’s trade imbalance with Asian countries that was causing job losses at home, Joey Skaggs, under the alias Dr. Richard J. Long, posed as a marine biologist and environmental activist who launched a campaign to save the geoduck, a mollusk from Puget Sound. He claimed it was being over-harvested to satisfy the Japanese appetite for aphrodisiacs. Dr. Long organized a protest outside the Japan Society in New York, garnering media coverage from outlets like UPI and Der Spiegel. This satirical campaign critiqued Americans' tendency to blame others for their problems, using the geoduck as a thinly veiled phallic symbol to gain access to the media.

Comacocoon (1990)

• In 1990, Joey Skaggs, posing as Dr. Joseph Schlafer, launched Comacocoon, a fictional service offering dream-state vacations where clients could quit smoking, get elective surgery, learn a foreign language and wake up with a tan—all without leaving home. When a suspicious tabloid reporter tipped off the police, officers arrived expecting to shut down a drug front. Instead, Skaggs revealed it was all an elaborate performance piece poking fun at the booming self-help industry and society’s obsession with quick fixes.

Hair Today, Ltd. (1990)

• In 1990, Joey Skaggs, under the alias Dr. Joseph Chenango, a Native American surgeon, introduced scalp transplants from cadavers as a cure for baldness. Claiming the procedure was safe and FDA-approved, he sought scalp donors with no male pattern baldness in high-risk jobs like electric linesmen and deep-sea divers. He targeted potential recipients with a brochure featuring “before” and “after” photos, mimicking typical hair growth advertisements. He sent the brochure to 1,500 journalists as if they were the general public.

Geraldo Hoax (1991)

• Producers of Geraldo’s television show invited Joey Skaggs to appear on an episode about liars and scam artists, but he declined because the topic was antithetical to his work. Despite this, they aired some news coverage of him without him. They later asked to follow him staging a media prank, which he also declined, reminded of Geraldo’s infamous empty Al Capone vault reveal. After their third request, promising they understood his work, Skaggs agreed—only to hoax them. He created a fake story about artists living in water towers, with an actress posing as an AP journalist. Geraldo fell for the hoax, and a follow-up story by Channel 5 News found him unavailable for comment.

To Tell the Truth Hoax (1991)

• When Joey Skaggs was invited to appear on the TV game show “To Tell The Truth,” he sent his friend Norman Savage to impersonate him. The show, where celebrities try to guess the real person from three contestants, featured three people saying they were Joey Skaggs—none of whom were actually him. After the episode aired, Skaggs revealed the deception to the producers and media, exposing the show’s failure to live up to its name. They never revealed they’d been hoaxed.

Brooklyn Bridge Lottery (1992)

• On March 24, 1992, someone named “J” (Joey Skaggs) leaked a fake memo on New York Mayor David Dinkins’ letterhead, announcing his intent to hold a lottery to raise funds to repair the Brooklyn Bridge. The winner, as reported in print and TV news, would receive a million dollars and have the bridge named after them for five years. Ironically, five years later, Mayor Rudy Giuliani proposed the same idea for real.

Portofess (1992)

• In July 1992, Joey Skaggs, posing as Father Anthony Joseph, a Dominican priest, pedaled a confessional booth mounted on a tricycle to the Democratic National Convention in New York City. Dubbed “Portofess,” the portable confessional offered “religion on the move for people on the go.” Skaggs claimed the church should meet sinners where they are. While Skaggs had friends line up for confessions, real people joined in as well. The hoax gained widespread media coverage, appearing on CNN, Fox, CBS, and in numerous newspapers globally, including reports from Reuters and the Associated Press.

SEXONIX (1993)

• In the fall of 1993, Joey Skaggs, under the alias Dr. Joseph Skaggs, launched SEXONIX, a fictional sexual virtual reality company planning to be debut at the Metro Toronto Christmas Gift and Invention Show. Before it could be launched, Skaggs claimed Canadian customs had seized the equipment after declaring it morally offensive. He posted pleas on several electronic bulletin boards like FidoNet and The WELL (forerunners to social media chat groups), asking for help getting his equipment returned. Journalist Brock Meeks investigated but found no evidence of the confiscation due to the complexity of the Canadian bureaucracy. When the hoax was revealed, many online users were upset because they naively thought the internet was a safe and trustworthy space. This performance is the first documented internet hoax.

Maqdananda Psychic Attorney (1994)

• In 1994, Joey Skaggs created a parody commercial featuring Maqdananda, a new-age psychic attorney who claimed he could predict whether clients should sue or settle, and if they would win or lose. Offering services like psychic surgery malpractice and renegotiating past-life contracts, the ad aired on CNN Headline News across the Hawaiian Islands. Callers to 1-808-UCA-DADA were met with the message, “I knew you’d call.”

Dog Meat Soup (1994)

• In 1994, Joey Skaggs sparked outrage by posing as Kim Yung Soo, head of a fictitious company offering to buy unwanted dogs for $.10 a pound for human consumption. His hoax triggered a frenzy of media reports, false accusations, rumors spread about disappearing dogs and legal actions, all documented in a revealing exposé by journalist John Tierney in The New York Times Magazine.

Baba Wa Simba (1995)

• In 1995, Joey Skaggs, posing as "Baba Wa Simba," a New Age therapist who claimed to heal inner pain with lion-like "roarings," fooled the British media—including ITV and BBC—into covering his absurd therapy sessions. Even after the hoax was revealed on Channel 4's The Word, none of the outlets admitted to being duped, and Skaggs would later use the incident to challenge Brazil’s TV Globo after they denied being fooled as well.

The Solomon Project (1995)

• In 1995, Joey Skaggs, posing as Dr. Joseph Bonuso, Ph.D., fooled the media and legal world with the "Solomon Project," an AI program claimed to eliminate bias in the U.S. judicial system. After duping outlets like CNN with the announcement that Solomon had found O.J. Simpson guilty, Skaggs revealed the hoax, critiquing how justice had become more spectacle than truth—a prescient commentary on the future role of AI in the legal system.

STOP BioPEEP (1996–1998)

• In 1998, Dr. Joseph Howard (a.k.a. Joey Skaggs) blew the whistle on BioPEEP, a covert research initiative designed to genetically modify humans into “consumer junkies” and weaponize their addiction for targeted “gene-ocide,” implying that entire genetic groups could be eliminated before they could retaliate. Skaggs’ shocking but fake revelations of secret experiments on chickens to isolate genes of addiction hinted at a chilling future—one that decades later seems disturbingly plausible.

Doody Rudy (1999)

• On December 4, 1999, Joey Skaggs led a protest in Washington Square Park against Mayor Rudy Giuliani’s efforts to limit creative expression and his “quality of life” campaign targeting the homeless. Skaggs and his team of co-conspirators erected a 10’ x 14’ painting of Giuliani as the Madonna, painted by artist Steve Powers (ESPO). Participants wore “Doody Rudy” hats and wheeled a trashcan filled with fake elephant dung, holding signs that read, “Doody Rudy with Dumbo’s Dung” and “Help Support the Homeless — $1.00 Contribution Per Throw Will be Donated to Housing Works, Inc.”. Hundreds threw dung at the portrait, mocking Giuliani’s outrage over Chris Ofili’s “Holy Virgin Mary” painting that utilized elephant dung (a Nigerian cultural practice) and was on display at the Brooklyn Museum. Skaggs donated the raised funds to Housing Works, a non-profit assisting homeless individuals with AIDS.

The Final Curtain (2000)

• In 2000, Joey Skaggs launched "Investors Real Estate Development," a fake company promoting theme-park cemeteries with ads teasing, “Death got you down? At last, an alternative.” The elaborate hoax, featuring a Disney-like memorial park and mall, was a satirical jab at how we view life, death, and burial. Years later, after Michael Jackson's death, conspiracy theorists believed Skaggs and Jackson had collaborated to fake the pop star’s death, prompting fans to beg Skaggs to reveal Jackson’s secret whereabouts.

Scandal in Slovenia (2001)

• On February 22, 2001, Joey Skaggs was tipped off about a Slovenian news story involving a law student who falsely claimed victory in a global programming competition. As the media struggled to verify the story, suspicions grew that it might be a Joey Skaggs hoax. Amused, Skaggs played along, fueling speculation by confirming his involvement despite having no prior knowledge. After a week of media frenzy, Skaggs revealed the truth: the real hoax was the media’s eagerness to implicate him, proving they had effectively hoaxed themselves.

Bush! (2004)

• On July 4, 2004, Joey Skaggs staged a faux pro-Bush parade in New York City's Washington Square Park to mock President George W. Bush’s leadership. The parade, with over 75 participants, included singers, cheerleaders, and actors portraying government officials. Uncle Sam (Skaggs) pedaled a replica White House on a tricycle, while "Bush," surrounded by his war toys and a pen to rewrite the Constitution, sat inside on a bucket labeled "Presidential Fertilizer." Bush's Cabinet members and Saudi royals handed out fake $20 bills to the crowd to "buy" votes. Critiquing American politics, Uncle Sam urged the crowd to exercise their rights before they vanished. .

Mobile Homeless Homes (2012)

• In 2012, Joey Skaggs, also known as Recycle Man, unveiled Mobile Homeless Homes, a sculpture designed as a “Trojan house” consisting of live-in garbage cans connected on a trailer pulled by a tricycle. This mobile home aimed to blend into urban environments and evade detection by authorities, highlighting the plight of millions of Americans who lost their homes due to the on-going banking crisis. Skaggs organized a parade to Goldman Sachs, a key player in the housing scandal, featuring costumed “homeless Muppets” and a band performing “Mobile Homeless Blues,” referencing Goldman Sachs employees’ derogatory term for clients who lost their homes.

Santa's Missile Tow (2012)

• Dressed as Santa Claus, Joey Skaggs pedaled a tricycle equipped with a nuclear missile on a slingshot launcher to the United Nations in New York City. Accompanied by six performance artists dressed as elves, he delivered a message to world leaders: “Peace on Earth – Or Else.” Skaggs and his “elves” sang a parody of “Jingle Bells” with lyrics highlighting the absurdity of the threat of nuclear war. .

Bigfoot and The Tiny Top Circus (2014)

• On June 14, 2014, Joey Skaggs, as Peppe Scaggolini, introduced Bigfoot to the public at Washington Square Park, showcasing the legendary creature in a custom cage towed by a tricycle pedaled by the world's strongest man. The event, part of the Tiny Top Circus—a whimsical pataphysical circus—featured a ringmaster, armed guards, jugglers, and the Coney Island Sideshow Band, drawing a large crowd eager to catch a glimpse of Bigfoot. However, the creature (Skaggs in a literal big foot costume) made a spectacular escape into the West Fourth Street subway station, prompting the circus to offer a $10 million reward for its safe return. Thus far, it has alluded capture.

Political protests (2017–present)

• Continuing his history of political activism, Joey Skaggs staged a series of theatrical protests against President Donald Trump as part of his Annual New York City April Fools’ Day Parade. In 2017, the 32nd Annual Parade featured “Trump’s Golden Throne,” a sculpture with a life-sized effigy of Trump tweeting while seated on a golden throne mounted on a dolly. The following year, for the 33rd Annual Parade, Skaggs created the “Trump Military Parade,” depicting Trump on a tricycle-mounted sling-shot launcher with a 10-foot-tall nuclear missile, accompanied by look-alikes of world leaders including Kim Jong Un and Vladimir Putin. Skaggs also exhibited an effigy of Trump in a witch’s hat with flaming pants in 2018, and took this “Trump’s Kool-Aid Stand” to Trump Tower in 2019. In 2021, he produced a customizable “Trump Presidential Pardon,” followed by a downloadable “Top Secret Cover Sheet for Classified Information” in 2022. That year, he distributed “Putin Protest Masks” during the 37th Annual Parade to protest the war in Ukraine. In 2024, during the 39th Annual Parade, giant images of Skaggs as the Grim Reaper with his “Democracy at the Guillotine” sculpture were displayed on a billboard truck that traversed New York City.  
• Reflecting on the power of activism and the imperative to resist propaganda, Skaggs emphasizes the urgency of using one’s voice and vote to effect positive change.

See also

• Alfred Jarry
• Jonathan Swift, or A Modest Proposal
• Mark Twain
• H. L. Mencken
• P. T. Barnum
• Poor Richard's Almanack
• Marcel Duchamp
• Improvisation
• Pataphysics

External links

• Official website
• RE/Search Interview with Joey Skaggs
• Joey Skaggs at IMDb