Balloon Boy goes mad -- as in Mad Magazine

Months after the ill-fated flight of Richard Heene's "experimental craft," the Balloon Boy saga remains almost as fresh in the nation's consciousness as the vomit that spewed from young Falcon Heene live on the Today show last November. For proof, look no further than this satirical illustration from the May...

By Michael Roberts

April 12, 2010

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Months after the ill-fated flight of Richard Heene's "experimental craft," the Balloon Boy saga remains almost as fresh in the nation's consciousness as the vomit that spewed from young Falcon Heene live on the Today show last November.

For proof, look no further than this satirical illustration from the May issue of Mad Magazine, in which the DVD edition of the Disney/Pixar flick Up is transformed into the Douchey/Hoaxar release Made Up. Richard, a heaving Falcon and the floating contraption are all featured, along with the promo blurb, "How much trouble can Dad get into when he fakes a story about a runaway balloon and his helpless six-year-old son? The sky's the limit!"

Sounds like fun for the whole family. Well, everyone except Falcon...

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Michael Roberts began his career with Westword in 1990 as music editor. In 1999, he took on a new role, full-time media reporter, as author of a column called The Message. In 2008, he became the lead writer for Westword's news blog, The Latest Word, a position he held until January 2023. Michael continues to freelance for Westword, covering everything from business to sports and the media; he also contributes to Jazziz, a national music magazine. He holds a bachelor's degree from what is now Colorado Mesa University and master's degrees from the University of California, Los Angeles, and Northwestern University.

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