Fence plowing, also known as fence popping, is an internet trend and viral prank whereby people, typically teenagers, will run full-speed into a wood or vinyl fence with the goal of busting through the slats.[1] It was later rebranded as the Kool-Aid Man Challenge following a resurgence on TikTok.
The internet trend first began in 2006 when Adam Schleichkorn posted a video to YouTube of his friend and his cousin running through intact wooden fence panels. Schleichkorn explained that the fence featured in the video was damaged after a hurricane, and was slated to be torn down anyway. He did not intend to endorse vandalism. Originally titled "Guy Runs Through a Fence", it was changed to simply "Fence Plowing".[2]
By January of 2007, people had begun copying the video, which eventually led to the arrest of five children in Deer Park, New York for vandalism.[2] Ten additional instances were investigated by Deer Park police around the same time,[3] and it became a growing concern for home-owners on Long Island.[4]
The video had garnered over 70,000 views by February, and Schleichkorn was invited to talk about the fad on Fox News and with Maury Povich.[5] The video sparked a larger conversation on teen debauchery, especially in the context of posting videos of otherwise extreme acts to gain popularity and attention.[6] Schleichkorn himself was a critic of the vandalism, and was outspoken on several more news outlets and talk shows. He later wrote about his experiences for a term paper in graduate school.[7]
Fence plowing continued in New City, New York as late as 2009.[8] The trend saw middling usage into the mid-2010s, as reported in areas such as Salt Lake City.[9]
Resurgence
Fence plowing was repopularized on TikTok in 2021, where it became known as the Kool-Aid Man Challenge.[10] It was so named after the modus operandi of the Kool-Aid Man, a mascot known for smashing through walls and fences to deliver beverages to children.[11]
The trend saw a resurgence nationwide in the United States, and cities such as Caldwell, Idaho and Omaha, Nebraska reported up to 15 instances each by November. Each case cost homeowners up to a couple thousand dollars in repairs.[10] In 2023, further damages and arrests were made in Long Island,[12]St. John, Indiana,[13] and Raynham, Massachusetts.[14]
