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Will Anderson Cooper accept the crown of King Dyngus?

The CNN anchor mocked a Polish tradition called "Dyngus Day," and now the organizers are campaigning for him to make amends by appearing at the event.

 

Jordan Valinsky

Internet Culture

Posted on Feb 14, 2013   Updated on Jun 2, 2021, 12:51 am CDT

Anderson Cooper: CNN anchor, silver fox, and soon-to-be “Pussy Willow Prince.”

That’s if Eddy Dobosiewicz, the co-founder of Dyngus Day Buffalo, gets his way. For the past few years, he’s tried to convince Cooper to serve as grand marshall for the Polish-American tradition that’s part polka festival, part parade—but Cooper keeps rebuffing his requests.

“Anderson Cooper made fun of Dyngus Day in Buffalo and some people took it really personally,” Dobosiewicz said to a Buffalo Business First, referencing a 2012 segment in which the CNN host mocked the event, and subsequently lost it in a now-infamous laughing fit.

“It’s really so stupid,” mused Cooper. The Dyngus Day tradition of boys sprinkling girls with water and tapping them with pussy willows in the post-Lenten celebration was too much for him.

But Dobosiewicz doesn’t find it stupid and is offended that “Mr. 360 has done a 180.” He started a website, aptly titled Party Pooper Cooper, lambasting him for refusing to attend. It’s garnered more than 30,000 visits, and he hopes the online effort will change Cooper’s mind. (They even made the cutest clip art imagining what Cooper will look like as King Dyngus!)

“We tried taking the high road but we cannot let insult be added to the injury,” wrote Dobosiewicz, sounding threatening. “We are mad as hell and we ain’t gonna take it no more!”

Cooper has a few months to respond, since Dyngus Day falls on April 1, but we think he shouldn’t avoid the Dyngus because of a few pussy willows.

Photo via PartyPooperCooper

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*First Published: Feb 14, 2013, 3:25 pm CST