International Talk Like a Pirate Day: A Viral Sensation

Posted by maureen on September 19, 2008 at 08:22 AM

Avast me hearties! Today be International Talk Like a Pirate Day. As crazy as it sounds, this holiday is truly a viral sensation.

I'm sure you're wondering: who ever came up with an international day where we all run around talking like pirates, saying things like "shiver me timbers" and "ya' scurvy dog"? Apparently that honor goes to John Baur and Mark Summers. But the holiday didn't really take off until a certain Pulitzer Prize winning author decided to write a column encouraging everyone to use pirate lingo on September 19: Dave Barry.

The result was a viral sensation. And the internet community has picked it up and run with it. This year, besides the official Talk Like a Pirate website, devoted landlubbers will post and share pictures on Flickr, buy official books on Amazon, purchase t-shirts from Café Press and blog in pirate lingo all day long.

And that's not all! Pirate-themed web tv shows will recognize this important holiday, online communities will challenge memberships to spend the day talking like a pirate and HowToDoThings will even have information on how to teach your parrot to talk. Even Apple has gotten in on the fun with Pirate themed iPhone apps, including a pirate name generator.

To help spread the pirate cheer, every employee at Oneupweb has donned a Oneupweb-designed Talk Like a Pirate t-shirt (those who didn't were forced to walk the plank and visit Davey Jones' locker).

It's fifteen men on a deadman's chest, yo ho ho and a picture of Gates!