Hogfather

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A US television presenter named Soupy Sales was hosting a children’s TV show in 1965, and in one famous live episode ad-libbed:

“Hey kids, last night was New Year’s Eve, and your mother and dad were out having a great time. They are probably still sleeping and what I want you to do is tiptoe in their bedroom and go in your mom’s pocketbook and your dad’s pants, which are probably on the floor. You’ll see a lot of green pieces of paper with pictures of guys in beards. Put them in an envelope and send them to me at Soupy Sales, Channel 5, New York, New York. And you know what I’m going to send you? A post card from Puerto Rico!”

That the station subsequently got $80,000 in the mail appears to be a bit of an urban legend, but Soupy’s show did get pulled for two weeks before he was allowed back on the air again.