Pieing

Pieingor apie attackis the act of throwing apieat a person. In pieing, the goal is usually tohumiliatethe victim while avoiding actual injury. For this reason the pie is traditionally of thecreamvariety without a top crust, and is rarely if ever a hot pie. In Britain, a pie in the context of throwing is traditionally referred to as acustard pie. An aluminium pie pan or paper plate filled withwhipped creamor more typically,shaving creamcan substitute for a real pie.
Brought to a widespread audience as the "pie-in-face" gag insilent filmcomedies, pieing may sometimes be intended as a harmlesspractical joke. However, it can also be used as a means of political protest directed against an authority figure, politician, industrialist, or celebrity,and perpetrators may regard the act as a form of ridicule.
Non-consensualpieing can constitute a punishable offence in criminal law (see,battery). Non-consensual pieing may also be actionable as acivil wrong(tort) giving the victim of the pieing the right to recoverdamagesin alawsuit.
Pieing and pie fights are a staple ofslapstick comedy, and consensual pie "tosses" are also common charity fundraising events, especially in schools.
Pieing has its origins in the "pie in the face" gag fromslapstickcomedy. It made its first appearance in amusic hallsketch calledMumming Birds(1904) produced by the English theatre impresarioFred Karnofor theHackney Empirein London.Immensely popular, it became the longest-running sketch the music halls produced.Charlie ChaplinandStan Laurel, both employed by Karno, were among the music hall comedians who partook in the sketch, while Charlie's older brotherSydneywas the first of the brothers to perform it for Karno.
It was first seen in film in the 1909Essanay Studiossilent filmMr. FlipstarringBen Turpin.In the story, Turpin has a pie pushed into his face for taking liberties with the woman behind the pie store counter. Beginning in 1913 withThat Ragtime BandandA Noise from the Deep, filmmakerMack Sennettbecame known for using one or two thrown pies in many of hiscomedy shorts. Sennett had a personal rule about who received the pies: "A mother never gets hit with a custard pie ... Mothers-in-law, yes. But mothers? Never."
In 1915, Chaplin's filmA Night in the Show, which includes the pie in the face gag, brings one of the classic music hall comedy sketches,Mumming Birds, known asA Night in an English Music Hallwhen Chaplin performed it on tour, into his film work.At least a half dozen films have been made incorporating extended pie-throwing battles. The first was Chaplin'sBehind the Screenreleased in 1916. The definitive pie fight in film occurs inThe Battle of the Century(1927) starring Stan Laurel andOliver Hardy, using 3,000 pies.Our Gang'sShivering Shakespeare(1930) winds up with an auditorium full of people throwing pies.  The 1935 short subjectKeystone Hotelfeatured a large pie-fight ending with the camera taking a pie. Another major pie-fight, their first, appeared inThe Three Stooges'In the Sweet Pie and Pie(1941).Pieing had become such an established gag in Hollywood comedy that the song "Make 'Em Laugh" fromSingin' In The Rain(1952) concludes with the line "And then you get a great big custard pie in the face!", the movie itself involves a pieing scene. A film involving pies was the comedyThe Great Race(1965), known for having the largest pie fight in cinematic history.Its $200,000 pie-fight scene used 4,000 pies and one large cake, and took five days to shoot.Pie fights also featured inBeach Party(1963),Smashing Time(1967) andBlazing Saddles(1974). InBugsy Malone(1976), the "splurge guns" resembledspud gunswhich fired custard. Original plans called forDr. Strangelove(1964) to end with a pie fight; the scene, though filmed, was ultimately deemed excessively farcical by directorStanley Kubrickand removed from the final cut. Surviving stills from the excised pie fight have appeared online.
There are many instances in theLooney Tunesseries of cartoons where characters pie each other in the face.Bugs Bunnyrepeatedly hitsElmer Fuddwith cream pies during a scene inSlick Hare(1947), and also shoves one in Elmer's face inHare Do. InShishkabugs(1962), Bugs Bunny releases a spring-loaded pie into the face of the king, causing the royal cookYosemite Samto be led away to a dungeon.Daffy Dilly(1948) hasDaffy Ducktrying to cure a dying millionaire by getting him to laugh. After he achieves this inadvertently, by landing in a cake, Daffy is hired as a sort of household jester and ends the cartoon by getting repeatedly pelted with cakes and pies. Bugs himself gets pied inCase of the Missing Hare, provoking him to spend the rest of the short wreaking revenge.
Many comedy routines have used a pie as a gag, including ones performed bySoupy SalesandMonty Python, and those ofclownsin manycircusperformances.
A popularNickelodeonreality show calledWhat Would You Do?also features contraptions designed to hit participants in the face with multiple cream pies, often as punishment for losing, or sometimes as a reward for winning, a game performed on the show. The UK Saturday morning programmeTiswashad custard pies as a regular feature and even had a character called The Phantom Flan Flinger, a masked man who pied people.
The World Custard Pie Throwing Championships take place annually in the village ofCoxheathinKent, England.
The probable originator of pieing as a political act in the United States was Jim Retherford, former underground newspaper editor and ghost writer ofJerry Rubin's Do It!, who landed a cream pie in the face of former UC Berkeley presidentClark Kerrin Bloomington, Indiana, October 14, 1969. Retherford's theatrics were widely reported in the U.S. and European press. The next pie was thrown byTom Forcade, the founder ofHigh Timesmagazine. In 1970, Forcade piedOtto N. Larsen, the Chairman of thePresident's Commission on Obscenity and Pornography.Aron Kay, also aYippie, went on to take up Forcade's pieing tactics. Kay pied, among many others,William F. Buckley Jr.,Phyllis Schlafly,G. Gordon Liddy,E. Howard Hunt, andAndy Warhol.A disciple of Aron Kay,Thom Higginspied singer andanti gay-rightsactivistAnita BryantinDes Moines, Iowa, in 1977 (audio footage of the incident is included in theChumbawambasong "Just Desserts", an homage to the concept of pieing).Kay retired in 1992 after pieingright-wingactivistRandall Terry. Kay appears in cartoon form in a 2003 animated music video, "Death penalty for pot" by Benedict Arnold and The Traitors, where he andDana BealpiedGeorge W. Bushand former U.S. Attorney GeneralJohn Ashcroft(at 2 minutes and 33 seconds into the video).
Concerning Kay, an article in theSan Francisco Examinersays: "He considers the Three Stooges, whom he began watching on TV as a kid, as the true fathers of pie-throwing."
Inspired by Kay, pro-choice activists pied British far-right Christian activist Mary Whitehouse in Brisbane during a 1978 speaking tour of Australia.
A noted victim of pieing wasMicrosoftfounderBill Gateswho was pied in Belgium in 1998.A computer game was later released in which Gates' head pops up around the screen and the object is to "pie" as many of his heads as possible in the allocated time. Other victims include designerKarl Lagerfeld, American singerKenny Rogers, former Dutch finance ministerGerrit Zalmand media tycoonRupert Murdoch.
The anonymousBiotic Baking Brigadehas pied or attempted to pie, among others, conservative punditsAnn CoulterandDavid Horowitz; andFred Phelps, the controversial leader of theWestboro Baptist Church. Coulter has also been attacked by the "terrorist" group Al Pieda.The Canadian group theEntartistes, founded byRhinoceros Party of CanadafounderFrançois Gourd, has also pied many, including then-Prime Minister of CanadaJean Chrétien. In 2003, in the city ofCalgary, they piedRalph Klein, the premier of the Canadian province ofAlberta; they stated in their press release: "Is it surprising to see Ralph Klein opposing theKyoto Accordfor the right of big corporations to pollute, the same corporations that finance his campaigns?"
In 2001, environmentalistMark LynaspiedBjørn Lomborgat a book event due to his disagreement with the arguments he put forward inThe Skeptical Environmentalist.
"The pie gives power back to the people because so many feel powerless in the face of big politicians and industrialists", explained Pope-Tart (a pseudonym), a member of the Entartistes.NewsweekcolumnistGersh Kuntzmanwrote that pieing "deserves to be one of the most celebrated traditions in our so-called culture."
Sometimes pieing targets suffer the prank with good humor.Jean-Luc Godardwas very pleased at being pied and said "this is what happens when silent movies meet talking pictures"; he intervened with the Cannes authorities on behalf ofNoël Godinto prevent him from being arrested. Anti-gay campaigner Anita Bryant, upon being pied by a gay activist on television, joked that "at least it's afruitpie", apparently making a pun on the derogatory term for a gay man ("fruit"). However, moments later she was in tears. By contrast, Bernard-Henri Lévy has on multiple occasions attacked Godin and his followers, and Ann Coulter pressed charges in 2005 when she narrowly evaded a pie at theUniversity of Arizona.Activist David Horowitz said of his pieing, "These attacks are sinister. The person who throws a pie is saying, ‘I hate you. I don't want you to speak.' I never saw it coming. And it took away my dignity. When you're lecturing, you're supposed to have an authority. But a pie turns it into a food fight."
On January 25, 2010, Canada'sFisheries and Oceans MinisterGail Sheawas hit with a pie in her face while touring theCanada Centre for Inland WatersinBurlington, Ontario, in an act of protest against theseal hunt in Canadaby animal rights groupPETA.PETA said in a release that it was part of its campaign "to stop the government's ill-advised sanction of the slaughter of seals."
On 19 July 2011,Rupert Murdochwas pied in London during aParliamentaryhearing on theNews International phone hacking scandal.
On 9 May 2017,Alan Joyce, the chief executive of Australian airline Qantas, had a speech interrupted by a man who shoved a pie in his face.
According to former US presidentDonald Trump's former fixerMichael Cohen, his boss often referred to the Bill Gates incident and instructed his security detail to look out for flying pies. Trump has also expressed a disdain for fruit-based projectiles, stating under oath that "you can be killed if that happens.”
Canadianprime ministerJean Chrétienwas hit in the face with a pie by a protester inPrince Edward Islandin 2000. His attacker initially was given a prison sentence, but subsequently received a conditional sentence.
A woman who missed Alberta PremierEd Stelmachwith a pie at the annual Calgary Stampede breakfast in 2007, and hit a security official instead, was sentenced to 30 days in prison. So was a woman who threw a pie atCalgaryMayorDave Bronconnierin the summer of 2007.
In 2003, a protester who hit then-Alberta premierRalph Kleinin the face with a pie at theStampede breakfastwas convicted of assault and ordered to serve a 30-day intermittent prison sentence.
In 2010, aPETAsupporter threw a tofu cream pie at Canadian fisheries ministerGail Sheato protest the Canadian Government's support of seal hunting. The act was later condemned by Liberal MPGerry Byrneas an act of terrorism.
In September 2016,Sacramento, California, mayorKevin Johnsonwas attending a charity event atSacramento Charter High Schoolwhen a man approached him and hit him in the face with a cream pie. Johnson then punched his assailant. The perpetrator, Sean Thompson, was arrested on a felony charge of assaulting a public official and misdemeanor charge of battery on school.
On 27 October 2011, the Spanish politicianYolanda Barcinawas hit by three pies during a meeting in Toulouse, France.The pies were thrown by Gorka Ovejero Bengoa, Deputy Mayor ofArruazuat the time, Julio Martín Villanueva and Ibon García Garrido, protesting against a high-speed rail line. On 27 November 2013, a Spanish court condemned all three to a fine of €900 (equivalent to €1,115 in 2023)and two years in prison each. An accomplice who did not throw a pie was condemned to one year in prison.Yolanda Barcina claimed bodily harm, suffered because of "the hardness of Frenchmeringuepie".
In September 2001, the Swedish kingCarl XVI Gustafwas visitingVarbergwhen a 16-year-old boy threw a strawberry tart at him.Such an attack could possibly have counted ashigh treasonunder Swedish law, which would have warranted a long prison sentence. However, the perpetrator was only convicted ofassault, as it could not be proven that his action was politically motivated. He was later ordered to payday-fines. Two other boys, who had helped to prepare the attack by making the tart, were also fined.
On November 5, 2013, theSweden DemocratsleaderJimmie Åkessonhad a cake thrown at him.The perpetrator was sentenced to 2 months in jail and fined 5,000 kr (equivalent to SEK 6,428 in 2023) for the crime ofharassment.
Comedian Jonathan May-Bowles (also known as Jonny Marbles) piedRupert Murdochin July 2011 during a highly publicized testimony before aBritish parliamentarycommittee in connection with theNews International phone hacking scandal. May-Bowles was sentenced to serve a six-week prison sentence atWandsworth Prisonin London; this sentence was later reduced to four weeks.
Thomas Lawrence Higgins, an American writer andgay rightsactivist credited with coining the termgay pride,is best known for pushing a pie into the face of anti-gay activistAnita Bryanton live television in 1977.
In August 2010, aMichigan State Universitystudent named Ahlam Mohsem, 23, threw aDutch apple pieintoMichiganSenatorCarl Levin's face and was arrested on assault and battery charges. The police also charged a man who allegedly distracted the senator before the pie was thrown. Mohsem said she threw the pie with the aim of "bringing to light Sen. Levin's war crimes" as a "Zionist".
Pie-in-the-face variants on theIce Bucket Challengealso emerged in 2014, most commonly under the name "Pie In The Eye Challenge", in which the nominated person must receive a pie in the face instead of the bucket of iced water poured over the head.
In some cases, individuals underwent both challenges in the same video. One particular occurrence of this, the late 2016 Waitress Pie Challenge, was initiated by the cast of the musicalWaitressto raise awareness of breast cancer.
InMajor League Baseball, pitcherA. J. Burnetthad a reputation for pieing teammates who drove in or scored the winning run in awalk-offwin (a game won on a hit by the last batter).
Burnett's "pies" were filled with either shaving cream or whipped cream. Burnett piedAlex Rodriguez,Johnny Damon,Melky Cabrera,Jorge Posada,Hideki Matsui,Nick Swisher(twice),Robinson Canó(twice),Francisco Cervelli,Juan Miranda,Mark Teixeira,Jerry Hairston Jr.,Marcus Thames,Brett Gardner,Alex Presley,Josh HarrisonandRussell Martin. Burnett usually pied the player while he was being interviewed on the field by a TV reporter.
Other players have become well-known and celebrated for their pieing. During his tenure as a member of thePhiladelphia Phillies, utility infielderTomás Pérezwould commonly pie teammates during post-game interviews.
The pieing tradition in baseball has extended beyond game-winning hits to any outstanding performance. RookieStephen Strasburgwas pied by teammateJohn Lannanafter his historic debut when he struck out 14Pittsburghbatters.Matt Garzaof theTampa Bay Rayswas pied byEvan Longoriaafter Garza pitched the firstno-hitterin Rays history July 26, 2010.Most recently,Baltimore OriolesrookieManny Machadowas pied by teammatesRobert AndinoandAdam Jonesafter hitting two home runs (the youngest Oriole ever to do so) in only his second major league game.
On July 26, 2010, theFlorida Marlinsleft fielderChris Coghlaninjured himself while pieing teammateWes Helmsafter Helms's single won the game in the bottom of the 11th inning. In response, managerEdwin Rodríguezsaid that there will be no more such celebratory antics.
In theNational Football League, theIndianapolis Colts' mascotBlueis known for pranking opposing fans,mascots,and unsuspecting peoplewith pies to the face. Blue has also pied theColts' cheerleadersnumerous times.When the Colts revealed their schedule for the2022 NFL seasonon Instagram, Blue pied team employees wearing t-shirts of the opposing teams that the Colts were set to face.