An Australian man whose «creepy» van became an internet meme speaks to Royce Kurmelovs.
In August 2015, children in a sleepy suburban neighbourhood of the Californian city of Sacramento noticed a white, windowless van parked on their street.
Across the side of the vehicle, someone had painted the words «Free Candy» in a bloody shade of red. A cluster of handprints were smeared nearby, suggesting that some candy-seekers may have come to the wrong kind of sticky ending.
A 12-year-old named Lawrence Bellow uploaded a photo that began to spread around the internet. Soon local news stations were interviewing local parents about the «suspicious van» rolling through town.
«It just felt like they were trying to attract kids, and it just gave me a creepy feeling,» Lawrence’s mum told the local KOVR TV station.
The van’s driver was Australian Ron Jacobs, 28, who had stopped overnight on his way to Burning Man, the month-long music festival in the middle of the Nevada desert.
By the time he arrived his van had already gained internet fame.
«I was just living in the van and I was just hearing it explode all around me,» Jacobs said. «I woke up one morning, some guy just screams out, ‘I saw you on the internet, I love your van!'»
Embracing creepiness
Since then the «Free Candy Van», which does actually give out free candy, hasn’t stopped getting attention.
Jacobs said the idea for the van came after his life in Perth fell apart «in a whole bunch of ways».
Those dreams involved a «big international adventure», so he left to travel the American southwest and camp out while skydiving, windsurfing and attending music festivals.
Rather than live in a tent, Jacobs decided it would be better to buy a second-hand van, but knew he was trading comfort for the stigma associated with being a strange man in a white, windowless van.
Instead of shying away from the image, he decided to play up to it by going over the top.
He said most of his interactions with other people involved a «rollercoaster» of reactions, starting with horror before moving to a sense of relief, and even delight.
Jacobs has been stopped by police eight times while driving the van. A friend from Perth who borrowed the van for three weeks was stopped seven times.
«I consider this van a mirror of American society,» Mr Jacobs said. «The whole experience I’ve had has just been me, a tourist, living American everyday life as their. public enemy number one, and it’s just been such an experience.
You guys, you’re no gang, you’re not even mafia-level stuff. There is something you do have though..It’s like. You guys are actually. A tight-knit family. You may be a wild bunch, but still a family.
”
Free Candy is an alternate universe from their canon counterparts involving the group of friends travelling around together. Initially starting out as a video series, it has since branched off into video games, self-parodies, and general wacky antics. Free Candy’s theme song is «Green and Purple» by Kritikal, which also happens to be the two main colors of the group because of creative differences.
Contents
The Van
The van as seen in Garry’s Mod
The GREEN MACHINE is the primary mode of transportation for the group. It is a green van with purple flames painted towards the front. GREEN MACHINE and FREE CANDY are written on opposite sides of the van. Originally, the concept for the van came from the idea of the group getting together in-person for a road trip at some point as a large enough vehicle to fit everyone. The van is capable of gaming-hopping and subsequently driving through mountains, holding an entire cinema in the back and getting lost in space. It can also gain wings and a jet engine for flight. It’s also been speculated, though never directly observed, that the van is capable of transforming into some kind of giant robot
The Crew
The original group.
The Gr8 Split
The group used to be bigger than what it is now. Until one day (sometime in 2012) some shit went down and half of the group left. The group has also gone back and forth between member counts a bit since then.
Group Projects
Free Candy has been involved with many things including:
You guys, you’re no gang, you’re not even mafia-level stuff. There is something you do have though..It’s like. You guys are actually. A tight-knit family. You may be a wild bunch, but still a family.
”
Free Candy is an alternate universe from their canon counterparts involving the group of friends travelling around together. Initially starting out as a video series, it has since branched off into video games, self-parodies, and general wacky antics. Free Candy’s theme song is «Green and Purple» by Kritikal, which also happens to be the two main colors of the group because of creative differences.
Contents
The Van
The van as seen in Garry’s Mod
The GREEN MACHINE is the primary mode of transportation for the group. It is a green van with purple flames painted towards the front. GREEN MACHINE and FREE CANDY are written on opposite sides of the van. Originally, the concept for the van came from the idea of the group getting together in-person for a road trip at some point as a large enough vehicle to fit everyone. The van is capable of gaming-hopping and subsequently driving through mountains, holding an entire cinema in the back and getting lost in space. It can also gain wings and a jet engine for flight. It’s also been speculated, though never directly observed, that the van is capable of transforming into some kind of giant robot
The Crew
The original group.
The Gr8 Split
The group used to be bigger than what it is now. Until one day (sometime in 2012) some shit went down and half of the group left. The group has also gone back and forth between member counts a bit since then.
Group Projects
Free Candy has been involved with many things including:
