It’s a Prank: Local Takoyaki Store’s Tattoo Disaster on April Fools’ Day Was Scripted – When In Manila

It’s a prank! Apparently, the local takoyaki store’s April Fools’ Day tattoo disaster was scripted. Takoyaki store Taragis has finally admitted that their April Fools’ Day post that supposedly fooled a netizen to get its logo tattooed on their forehead for 100,000 pesos cash was elaborately planned. The “tattoo disaster” went viral on social media, and we can only conclude that their marketing strategy was a total success. In a recently uploaded video entitled “Taragis The Revelation,” the takoyaki store owner Carl Quion revealed their master plan. Quion said that the whole thing was planned since last year’s April Fools’ Day. “Kailangan ay makabuo ako ng ingay para mag-viral ang Taragis,” he recalled. ( “I need to make some noise to make Taragis go viral.” ) With this mission in mind, he asked a tattoo artist in August 2023 to help him find someone willing to get their forehead inked with his Takoyaki store’s logo. Surprisingly, the search didn’t take long. Later that day, 47-year-old former fishball vendor Ramil Albano took on the challenge. Aside from Albano’s forehead tattoo, the 100,000 pesos cash deal was real. Albano was willing to get his forehead tattooed for this amount of money, all for his son who has Down Syndrome. When Quion confirmed Albano’s decision, fearing he might regret it in the future, Albano said, “Okay lang—para sa anak ko.” Albano got Taragis’ logo tattooed on his forehead in March 2024. According to Quion, he even asked Albano to stay at home to prevent their plan from being spoiled. Watch the full story narrated by Quion on Taragis’ video below: In case you missed it, Taragis posted the “forehead tattoo challenge” on their Facebook page on April 1 as their April Fools’ Day joke. It caused outrage after a man (Albano) seemingly proceeded to fulfill the challenge and left a comment stating that he was awaiting the store’s response to claim the promised reward. The takoyaki store responded, clarifying they were not responsible for the situation. Nevertheless, the post garnered widespread attention, prompting donations for Ramil from various personalities and brands. On April 2, Taragis visited Ramil and presented him with the 100,000-peso reward in cash before their revelation days later that everything was staged. Read: Brands Reward Victim Of April Fools Tattoo Prank With Cash And Gifts What are your thoughts on this? Tell us in the comments.