Devil babies help get us through January

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Have you seen the YouTube video known as the Devil Baby? Don’t miss it, especially if you have a dark sense of humor, and my theory is that everyone has a dark sense of humor in late January. We’re still on the uphill side of winter, with all sorts of arctic vortices ahead, and we need diversion, entertainment and distraction from the cold weather.

Along comes the Devil Baby, a robotic baby in a runaway stroller that rolls through the streets of New York City, scaring the bejesus out of bystanders. The Devil Baby was a publicity stunt launched by the marketing department of “Devil’s Due,” a horror movie that opened last week. The film is about a couple dealing with an unplanned pregnancy and the subsequent product of that pregnancy, which is, let’s say, a cousin to Rosemary’s Baby. You remember Rosemary.

The Devil Baby video is posted on YouTube, and naturally, it has gone wildly viral.

Movie publicists worked with a tech team to create a robotic baby carriage that moved through the streets, seemingly unattended. When pedestrians noticed it, they approached to help, and instantly a horrific, very real-looking baby popped up and started screaming and spewing. We watch as the innocent bystanders shriek with horror and then laugh when they realize they’re victims of a prank. It’s a bit sick, I know, but it’s the funniest thing I’ve seen since the Florida weatherman and the cockroach (I’ll get to that).

The prank plays on everyone’s instinct to protect a baby in danger. You practically jump out of your seat just watching the video. I cannot imagine what it would be like to actually see this wicked-ugly, red-eyed baby creature leap from his carriage.

Watching and reading funny stuff is how we can be good to ourselves when we’re being tested by freezing temperatures and fierce winds. Think of it as therapy. I figure even a quick joke that makes us smile raises the body temperature 1 degree.

Example: A dyslexic man walks into a bra.

Example: Police arrested two kids yesterday. One was drinking battery acid, the other was eating fireworks. They charged one and let the other one off.

Example: A priest, a rabbi and a vicar walk into a bar. The barman says, “Is this some kind of joke?”

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