TMC
01-25-2023, 10:33 PM
https://www.looper.com/1178433/the-offices-garage-sale-episode-was-inspired-by-an-odd-true-story-about-a-paper-clip/
The story of Kyle McDonald and the One Red Paperclip
As discussed on Jenna Fischer's (Pam Beesly) and Angela Kinsey's (Angela Martin) "Office Ladies" podcast, Dwight's mission was inspired by a Canadian blogger named Kyle McDonald, who was able to trade his single red paperclip up to a small house in Saskatchewan. McDonald's journey was far stranger than Dwight's, however, and saw him trading not just household objects, but experiences and jobs.
After a few months, his red paperclip had become an "instant party," which was a neon beer sign, an empty keg, and a written promise to fill said keg with any beer of the recipient's choice. Having made further trades to turn that "instant party" into a box truck, McDonald traded that truck for a recording contract with the studio Metalworks. Further trades included an afternoon with legendary rock star Alice Cooper and a speaking role in a feature film. Nearly a year after the start of his journey, McDonald avoided Dwight's magic bean folly by finally trading his cinematic debut for a house (via the BBC (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/5167388.stm) and CBS News (http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/story/2006/07/07/paperclip-house.html)).
McDonald chronicled his journey on a blog titled "One Red Paperclip (http://oneredpaperclip.blogspot.com/)," which he then adapted into a book. In 2015, he gave a TED Talk on the subject, which can be found on the TEDx YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8s3bdVxuFBs).
The story of Kyle McDonald and the One Red Paperclip
As discussed on Jenna Fischer's (Pam Beesly) and Angela Kinsey's (Angela Martin) "Office Ladies" podcast, Dwight's mission was inspired by a Canadian blogger named Kyle McDonald, who was able to trade his single red paperclip up to a small house in Saskatchewan. McDonald's journey was far stranger than Dwight's, however, and saw him trading not just household objects, but experiences and jobs.
After a few months, his red paperclip had become an "instant party," which was a neon beer sign, an empty keg, and a written promise to fill said keg with any beer of the recipient's choice. Having made further trades to turn that "instant party" into a box truck, McDonald traded that truck for a recording contract with the studio Metalworks. Further trades included an afternoon with legendary rock star Alice Cooper and a speaking role in a feature film. Nearly a year after the start of his journey, McDonald avoided Dwight's magic bean folly by finally trading his cinematic debut for a house (via the BBC (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/5167388.stm) and CBS News (http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/story/2006/07/07/paperclip-house.html)).
McDonald chronicled his journey on a blog titled "One Red Paperclip (http://oneredpaperclip.blogspot.com/)," which he then adapted into a book. In 2015, he gave a TED Talk on the subject, which can be found on the TEDx YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8s3bdVxuFBs).