There’s a lot to say about this story, but I’ll try to sum up as best I can – it’s hilarious.

A guy calling himself Kenny Strasser has been posing as an award-winning yo-yo master with Wisconsin ties – the spokesperson for “ZimZam Yo-Yo, the world's first 'green' nonprofit toymaker” – who’s on a cross-country tour "equipped with a roster of amazing yo-yo tricks, juggling and fun tips about how kids and adults alike can take small steps to make the world a greener place."

Using fake press release materials emailed out to television news stations, he’s been able to get onto four Wisconsin news broadcasts and one in Missouri. Once he gets on air, the guy is pure Andy Kaufmann, giving the most bizarre live interviews most of these TV reporters will ever encounter. They guy drops hints about family and alcohol problems, he takes cell phone calls on air, and pulls out some of the most awkwardly hilarious one-liners I’ve ever heard. (When asked by a reporter in Wausau what it takes to become a yo-yo master, he replies, "I don't have a girlfriend, don't want one. My parents, they live in Denver, they just got divorced. My dad is now in Oshkosh ... I have a brother in Portland who I don't get along with very well because of his wife.")

Oh, and he can’t actually do any yo-yo tricks. For one live interview, he forgot to bring his yo-yo string.

The trickster is accomplishing two things, here. First, his appearances make for some damn funny television and/or YouTube clips. Secondly, in an embarrassingly obvious way,  he’s exposing just how easy it can be to get on a live news program as reporters rush to fill air time (especially on morning TV shows) and don’t (or can’t) do thorough background checks.

WEAU 13 News news director John LaPorte told me “Strasser” had contacted Meghan Kulig at the station, but they passed on the story because they don’t usually give interviews to people or acts who are just passing through town. He says they’ve got more than enough local stories to fill their air time. Plus, the original email just seemed “sketchy.” Later on, LaPorte heard about the pranks from Wausau and Madison news outlets. And we hear from WQOW that they had also gotten an email and had attempted to contact Strasser for more info at about the time news was spreading about his true nature.

Watch the video of Stasser’s WSAW TV (Wausau) appearance linked to from a huge article in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. And here’s a story WSAW TV ran after the fact. And here are some MetaFilter comments.

On a side note, the Journal Sentinel Sentinel story links Strasser back to the Found Footage Festival, but FFF organizers say they don’t know the yo-yo man. On another side note, that Strasser sure looks kind of familiar.

Thanks to Ben White for the original email on this.