Wauconda Craziness Is This?
The citizens of Wauconda, Illinois have decided to have a little fun with their coincidental town name so a few of them have started wearing Black Panther masks. Recently, the town’s government officials had been receiving a lot of prank calls asking about vibranium, a fictional metal used by the fictional nation of Wakanda in the Black Panther movie.
“It’s been so fun,” said Maria Weisbruch, the executive director of Wauconda’s Chamber of Commerce, to the Daily Herald, an Illinois newspaper. “I hope it brings awareness to Wauconda.”
Apparently, the prank calls first started after Black Panther opened last week. Alise Homola, the town’s executive assistant to the village administrator and mayor, told The Hollywood Reporter that, at first, she thought she was receiving calls from confused people.
“Someone called and asked how we pronounced the village name and when I told him, he began yelling, ‘Wakanda forever!’ which I am guessing is from the film,” Homola said to The Hollywood Reporter.
Eventually, she began to understand the references to vibranium and Wakanda and it seems like the rest of the town has gotten into the joke as well.
“Whether they’ve seen the movie or not, they’re happy to get in the spirit of whatever this hysteria is,” Homola said to the Daily Herald. “We’re having a fun time with it.”
Marvel fans, just how hilarious (and kinda weird if we’re being honest) is all this? Are you thinking of maybe visiting this town to see this all for yourself? Have you seen Black Panther already? What did you think of it? Best Marvel movie ever or just really overrated? Let us know your thoughts about the movie, this small Illinois town being overcome with Black Panther fever and the Black Panther in general down in the comments below!