Savetoby.com: The Original Kickstarter (10 year aniversary)

before facebook and before the internet becoming very popular, there were real trolls that people really fell for all the time

NBC News Link (w Video)

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Because bunnies are such adorable little critters, people are hopping mad about a Web site called savetoby.com, filled with photos and even a video of a cute rabbit named Toby, accompanied by a threat on his life.

"On June 30, 2005, Toby will die," proclaims an anonymous author on the site. "I am going to eat him. God as my witness, I will devour this little guy unless I receive $50,000 into my account."

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GoDaddy with the expert analysis:

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"There's nothing illegal about the Web site. It's perfectly legal to eat a rabbit."

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"To be honest," he notes, "we don't know if he's actually going to eat the rabbit. We don't even know if there is a rabbit."

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and the trollers respond:

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"We've been getting tremendously varied responses," says one of the partners. "Many of which include death threats almost on a daily basis."

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Asked whether the Web site was a joke, he responded, "No, not at all. As a matter of fact, it's very serious. If we don't get $50,000, we are going to eat the rabbit."

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Apparently they did sell the site to some infosite

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News Flash - In an unexpected twist with the story of Toby, the rabbit that was going to be cooked and eaten if the owners did not get enough donations to stop it from happening, Bored.com has taken over the SaveToby.com website and saved Toby from certain death.

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luckily it still has the hate mail link as well as recipes

Toby Stew

1 three pound Toby
6 small onions, chopped
1 bay leaf
½ cup chopped celery
2 tsp. salt
2 cups diced carrots
3 raw potatoes, cut up
3 tbs. flour
1 tbs. chopped parsley

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Clean Toby and soak in salted water. This is called brining and it makes Toby nice and tender. Drain, disjoint it in pieces for serving and place in a large kettle with onions, bay leaf, celery and salt.Cover with cold water and cook slowly until tender, about two hours. Add chopped carrots and potatoes and continue cooking until these vegetables are done. Smooth flour with a little cold water and add slowly. When thickened, add chopped parsley and serve.

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