Pranksters created a time loop in a Starbucks

III. The aftermath
“We have all some experience of a feeling, that comes over us occasionally, of what we are saying and doing having been said and done before, in a remote time — of our having been surrounded, dim ages ago, by the same faces, objects, and circumstances — of our knowing perfectly what will be said next, as if we suddenly remember it!” — Charles Dickens, David Copperfield

After the mission, all of the agents met up at a Starbucks across the street from the one where we had just pulled off our hour-long time loop. It was exciting to hear how well the mission had gone. I really had no idea whether our living möbius was working or not because I spent about 75 percent of the mission running around the block chasing after Agent Dippold. “When I stormed out each time, I’d walk around the corner and fix my hair in the window of the Gap,” Agent Dippold said. “I wonder if the Gap employees had their own déjà vu thing going with this girl who kept appearing in the window every five minutes to fix her hair.”

While time was looping over and over again in the Starbucks, Agent Dan Winckler filmed the entire stunt with a camera hidden in his duffel bag. Even though the quality of the video is pretty terrible, this mission went on to become one of the most popular pranks on Improv Everywhere’s Web site.

“The Möbius” resonated with a lot of people because it’s a simple, victimless prank that gives innocent bystanders a great story to tell. Other prank collectives in Newberg, Ore., Clemson, S.C., and Ann Arbor, Mich., have performed their own versions of this prank in public places. Thanks to these spin-off missions, “The Möbius” is a loop that will never end.

Mission: Accomplished

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