Astonishing Antipodean Antics

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Gucci Kangaroos

Debunked: Kangaroos are running a scam to steal tourists' designer clothes.

Summary:

Tourist(s) go into bush to get photos of kangaroos. A roo jumps in front of the car and is knocked down. Initial shock gives way to a plan to take a posed photo of the roo wearing one guy's Gucci leather jacket. Just as they snap the photo, the roo revives and hops away, still wearing the jacket. Even worse, the car keys *and* passport are still in the pocket. Recently this story in its entirety was enacted in a Swedish commercial for a product I can't remember.

Analysis:

Basically a variant of the tales told worldwide with relish by country folk showing that 'them city slickers ain't that smart'. (see North American variants about deer at )

This particular story is nearly always told of American tourists, and is told by city Australians as well as rural populations, possibly revealing a hangover of the Aussie 'cultural cringe' phenomenon.

Interestingly, there was an Oz fashion house in the 80s/90s named 'Kangarucci'. They don't seem to be around anymore, so I don't know whether this tale inspired their name.

References:

• Jan Brunvand "Too Good To Be True"
• Cultural cringe