There's a lot going on in this police department's attempt at a viral video. Most notable, perhaps, is the heightened level of corniness displayed throughout the Mashable-spotted clip. Northern Territory Police in Australia told local outlets that any perceived corniness was indeed intentional, a claim that's evident within the clip's first few seconds. The intentional corniness itself, however, is also corny, thus wrapping this safety PSA up in a cocoon of corny corniness.
"I suppose everyone thinks the police are all serious but we're there to make sure everyone has a good time, not to be the fun police," Senior Constable Dean Elliot told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation Wednesday. Despite Elliot's claims of not being the fun police, virtually every aspect of this clip practically SCREAMS "fun police."
Elliot, referencing the clip's inclusion of a person in a chicken suit who's referred to only as "Richard," said the unidentified actor inside the suit was "pretty rapt" in her role. The video also the phrase "fully lit," loads of vintage VHS filters, and a bummer of a sequence in which Richard the chicken is prevented from enjoying some simple mind expansion.
Northern Territory Police created the video ahead of this weekend's 2017 Bass in the Grass festival. The fest is set to feature performances from the Veronicas, Amy Shark, Boo Seeka, John Butler Trio, Thundamentals, and more:
