The 'Disposable Paper Phone' is a Prank by a Magician, Not a New Technology
This video shows a magician pranking people and does not show a real 'disposable paper phone'.
Fact-check: This video shows a magician pranking people and does not show a real 'disposable paper phone'.
(Photo: Altered by The Quint)
A video showing a salesman selling a 'disposable paper phone' to two customers is going viral on social media with a claim that it's a new innovation in the world of technology.
An archive can be seen here.
How did we find out the truth?: We found the original video from 2016 which specified a magician performing tricks on people.
We noticed a logo that read 'truTV' on the corner of the video.
The logo of 'truTV' on the video.
We conducted a relevant keyword search on Google and came across the original video uploaded by 'truTV' on 17 June 2016 on YouTube.
TruTV is a American based channel owned by Warner Bros.
The channel runs a prank show called The Carbonaro Effect, where magician Michael Carbonaro plays tricks and pranks on people.
The video's description mentions that Carbonaro is a 'magician by trade, but a prankster by heart' who performs tricks on people and catches their reactions on camera for his show.
We also checked Carbonaro's website which read, "Whether posing as a coffee shop barista, museum curator, or seemingly unremarkable store clerk in the REAL world, Carbonaro's illusions – along with his absurd, matter-of-fact explanations – leave REAL people bewildered and families at home laughing out loud."
Carbonaro's bio onhis official website.
Do such paper phones exist?: An American toy developer Randice-Lisa Altschul was issued a patent for the disposable cellphone in 1999 which was made out of recycled paper products. However, it does not match the one shown in the video.
Google had also launched a 'Paper Phone' in 2019 which was foldable paper sheets printed with a limited amount of information.
No other reports about an invention of a 'disposable paper phone' as seen in the viral video was found.
We have also reached out to Carbonaro, the story will be updated once we receive a response.
Conclusion: A video showing a magician tricking people into thinking that the disposable paper phone is real is being passed off as a real invention.
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