Hypnotoad From ‘Futurama’ Has Officially Overtaken the National Park Service

As Futurama fans are well aware, one of the biggest celebrities of the 31st century is Hypnotoad, winner of sheep-herding competitions and star of Everybody Loves Hypnotoad, which, upon closer inspection, is probably less mind-numbing and repetitive than most network sitcoms today. No word, though, on when exactly we should be expecting Young Hypnotoad. 

Hypnotoad’s powers aren’t too clearly defined on the show, but for some reason, he has the unique ability to brainwash the masses, and can even force his show’s crew members to take their own lives.

So perhaps it’s no surprise that Hypnotoad has now infiltrated the U.S. government. Okay, before you go barricading your doors and loading your shotguns, we’re just talking about the National Park Service. Also, it’s a joke.

The federal agency’s official account tweeted out a picture of a real toad, along with the message “All glory to Hypnotoad!” It’s hard to look at this photo and not hear that intense electronic buzzing that sounds like a dentist drill constructed by Daft Punk. 

It’s because this week is Amphibian Week (don’t tell us you forgot about Amphibian Week) and clearly the National Park Service is using our love for TV as a Trojan horse to teach us some valuable information about the importance of our ecosystem. As the NPS notes on their website, right now “about one-third of all amphibian species are in danger of extinction,” which is a big problem because “many animals rely on amphibians for food, so when they die off, it affects the entire natural area.” 

While it remains to be seen whether or not referencing the creepiest, most murderous amphibian in pop-culture history will do anything to aid amphibian conservation efforts, this is far from the only time that the National Park Service has shown off its sense of humor. They routinely post funny, sometimes very bizarre memes, many of which are pun-based.

Others feature non-toad fictional characters, such as April Ludgate from Parks and Recreation. Which seems appropriate.

Apparently, this is all due to the work of one guy named Matt Turner, the National Park Service’s “lone social media driver” who has been running their various online accounts — including Instagam, YouTube and Flickr — “all by himself.” As the former park ranger once told SFGATE, humor has “been a great tool for us to grab attention.” So much so that Turner’s approach inspired other agencies such as the Washington State Department of Natural Resources and the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation to ape his joke-based social media strategy, with occasionally baffling results.

But if the National Park Service starts only posting messages in which they pledge their undying allegiance to Hypnotoad, maybe we should start to worry. 

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