Originally from Belcarra, British Columbia, Canada, Kyle MacDonald has planted more than one hundred thousand trees, delivered more than one thousand pizzas, but eaten only one scorpion. He has also traded one red paperclip for a house only once.
He coordially invites you to edit his wikipedia bio as creatively as you desire.
When he's not stealing a flag from the Prime Minister's office or promoting Alberta Beef by hitch-hiking in a parade, you might find him leaving his wallet in El Segundo or hanging out in Bangkok modeling Italian Soccer jerseys to fund 4am Red-Bull and Rum-fueled urban hitchhikes. He also enjoys writing his bio in the third person and loves to stand on street corners in Montreal hawking shoddily-bound English literature to Francophones in sub-zero temperatures.
His mom still cuts his hair.
Born: October 3, 1979
73 comments:
I heard about you and this site on NPR. This is a great idea and I wish you the best of luck on getting a house. I hope I can trade you something someday.
I heard about this on a radio station in New Zealand how random ay!! best of luck dude! Your pretty cute in ur pic to hehe
YO, homey.... i just saw ur story on global tonight....interesting idea i must say....yay!!! THUMBS UP!! btw: ur super hot, and i also suck at speaking french too.. hehe
Sami
What the hell were you thinking? trading a paper clip now u have a skidoo??..more power to you buddy. Wish you luck in the future, hope you get the house u want
Good Luck. You are a friggin' genuis!!
how proud your mother must be!!seriously!!! i am mom and I'm proud of you! what a super idea, who woulda thought it would go this far!!! more power to you!! keep it up!!
karen m thunder bay
Heard about your great idea! Awesome story - write a book - the true tales of the "red paper clip" Wish you lots of luck...you'll get your house. What about sharinig a house?
Pina
Ammieson from Florida says--
come on a kiss from a cute blonde hair and blue eyes -- and i will cut off some of my hair for the locks oflove hair people---- it is almost to my azz----
Hi there! i am from Wales in the UK and have just stumbled across your website! I hope you get your house and i will pass on your site address to get you more chances of trade!
Emma
i feel rather inspired by your site.
cant wait to get home from work and read some of your short stories.
watch this space, as I might like to strat my own paperclip trail :)
Thankyou ever so much.
Lawrence Arnold.
Design engineer, and struggling musician.
I read about you in The Guardian newspaper (UK) this idea is crazy but I love it!
I hope you get a nice house out of it!
i'll put your site up on my blog and see if anyone i know is interested in the recording contract...
best of luck from scotland!
Hey! I heard about your site from a radio station in Tennessee. They are also "trading up" on their morning show... http://wivk.com/andy_alison.idc?url=andy_alison.idc
I hope you get your house
Great website, but an even better jacket.
Bloody brilliant idea.....good on you....from a good Kiwi girl
I must live in a cave or something because this is the first I've heard of your quest & website.
What a novel idea. Really. I admire your ingenuity and boldness.
I've already posted on my blog about your goal in hopes of sending some traffic your way (borrowed your pic of the one red paperclip that started all this; hope you don't mind).
Best wishes to you, Kyle!
Mr, Kyle
Found your spot from digg.com and like most of the people here, i've gotta say, you're rockin and wild. Too wild for me!
Hope you actually get a chance to trade for a space station somewhere out in orbit!
Kudos, and goodluck
Migs, from NYC
I LIKE WHAT YOUR DOING I THINK I',M GOING TO TRY MY LUCK @ THIS BARTER DEAL. THANX FOR THE INSIGHT.
Did you ever encounter a griZzly bear during your treeplanting summers? Good luck getting a house--I wish I would have thought of that idea. :^)
T from Cleveland, OH
Hey, I just read your story on cnn.com LOVED IT! Good luck getting your home, hopefully i'll be able to help you out one day.
JC in Seattle, WA
I just read your story on 1010Wins.com. Best of luck getting the house. You are extremely clever!
I love you Kyle
Jen Dallas Texas
Freakin' Genius, man! From one Montrealer to another! You go get your house!
I just seen you on WNT and I'm rooting for a fast and successful trade for your new house. Giver, brother.
Dan,
Ontario, Canada.
BTW...I loved Yahk.
I just read your story on Comcast.net!! You are awesome!! What a way to live your life!! Have fun!! Good luck! I hope you get a HUGE house!
Heather
Dallas Texas
funny, clever and smart people like you deserve all the luck. i hope you can get your house! best wishes from Portugal.
I wish i could trade something with you sooner ;)
Hey Kyle,
genius idea. its like the old days with the barter system. Anyway ur the man
We just ran our interview with you. The Bob and Mark Show listeners are TOTALLY into your quest. Great job, good luck and check us out at www.bobandmark.com
does the color of the paper clip
affect the end trade?
color of the house?
Heard you this morning on ABC radio in Melbourne – how many times have I looked at my coloured paper clips and put them back in the drawer? [no-one's allowed to use them!] Am amazed not only at your incredible 'front' and vision, but also at the fact that you know 'The Castle' [classic Aussie fare].
I don't just hope you'll get the house, I know you will!
Cheers, Karen [Australia]
Kyle, You gotta add Depeche Mode to your bio. Depeche Mode and Beasties rule. DM's new playing the Angel is a must have! Cool site.
Brilliant. Saw you on CTV this saturday morning. Not only are you a genious, but also Canadian, and I couldnt be more proud. Way to go!
Mark J
Mississauga, ON
This is awesome!!! I am sure you will get the house you want! All the best! Miranda ( Rotterdam)
A E I O U and sometimes Y.
I love tribe, too. Let me know if your travels ever bring you to Florida. I'd love to buy you a pint or three. ;]
Wow how crazy! I heard about your story on the radio in Australia. Hopefully one day ill get to trade something with you, hey. GOOD LUCK!
I give you a year before you get your house. The only thing that would have made this idea better is if I would have thought of it.
Good luck!
Hey !!
I've read about your idea in a magazine a couple of days ago. That's really impressive, I wish you good luck from France !!!
I WAS ON THE KILSYTH COMMUNITY FORUM(SCOTLAND) WHEN I STUMBLED UPON THIS SITE.PRETTY NEAT AND AMAZING HOW MANY PEOPLE HAVE DISCOVERED IT, AND FROM SO MANY DIFFERENT AVENUES ...I LIVE REALLLLY CLOSE TO THE BEACH, BUT DON'T THINK I'LL TRADE YOU FOR MY HOUSE!!! HA HA HA...SAILBOAT MAYBE!!ALTHOUGH BE WARNED ITS A MONEY PIT!!HOPE TO CATCH YOU IN AND AROUND REDONDO BEACH CALIFORNIA WHERE I HAIL FROM...AND BEST OF LUCK REALLY....JAN.
I was watching videos of Japanese television here in the San Francisco Bay area. What a great idea!!! The fact that you actually go and record all of the events as you make the trade is genius. Your journey restores my faith in the human spirit and is a wonderful way to make people think "out of the box" again...something we seem to be losing these days with all of this technology around us. You've got us all hooked and I wish you the best of luck. You'll get that house soon...
Kyle...
Well, it seems that a huge congrats is in order. When I first heard of your idea, almost exactly a year ago, I wasn't sure if it would actually work. But, you have proven my doubt wrong! I'm glad to see a fellow BC'er acheive this! WAY TO GO BUD!
Don't stop there keep trading. Or start over with a box of paper clips.
Aloha from Hawaii!
Bien papa, proximamente te podes comprar un torino y tomarte un feca conmigo.
Saludos del mono tremendo.
Congratulations on your final trade! I have been living under a rock for the past 8 years, but read about your trade in the Globe and Mail today. Your story definitely beats the traditional method of beating down banks and brokers doors to get your own peice of the pie. Have a great housewarming party and hope to hear more about you in the future!
Kathleen
Kyle,
you are my hero. Anyone want to trade for a graduate degree?
Alex.
Hello there--I am a fellow "Kiplinger" and I am amazed at your achievement. More so, I am looking forward to meeting you and Alice Cooper---as a matter of a fact, I even partied in your house once or twice in my day and can hardly wait for the big Labor Day weekend---maybe you should go for a block party seeing that you are right on main street---a beer gardens would even be the icing on the cake!! Take care see you soon---I wish that I had a key to my own home town:)
Congrats! I just saw your story on the news last night... In Melbourne, Australia!!!
You're a legend!!!!
:)
Congrations. You have won the admiration and hearts of many.
Best of luck!
I'm one of Danny Wallace's Joinees in the UK.
Nice one fella, but don't stop there! Its just a house in the same country you started.
With your exponential trading it wont be long before you can trade for a trip to the International Space Station. Crack on!
You're my new hero. Brilliant, imaginative, and a writer to boot. You're awesome.
Saw your story online today...how awesome! Would you mind telling me where I can get a giant red paperclip of my own? Where did you get yours? Have fun in your new place.
JB- Cincinnati, OH
is this for real...unbelievable story i have ever known all my life..anyone would give away a house for a paperclip? fuh...i would love to do one..lol
crazy idea but has u got it yet? should u have, what such a fantastic story to share..perhaps i can do the same too..lol
Congratulations! Not only on getting the house, but your news has also reached Wales - the country right next door to England!! Or as we say in Welsh - LLONGYFARCHIADAU!!
congratulations on the trade. i saw a little bit of your story on the news a few nights ago then i saw the full story on an australian program called beyond tomorrow. the messed up the location of the house i think.
Wow, I'm so inspired by your story I've decided to start my own quest, but not to fame, but to money...unless you want to trade for my restaurant on the Water at Manly, Qld Australia
The world needs more people like you - too random for classification and further out than James T Kirk - Wild idea fantastic ending and something I will be telling my child as a bed time story.
Having said that I defy you you to top this. !
Coming from Luxemburg and read this in an german paper just say hello and great idea absolutely freaky
Fabienne
What you've done is so amazing and pure genius! Heard your story from a friend,
Liverpool, UK
Hey! We have the same birthday! Congrats on the house!
Kyle is you only knew what parties have been had in that house LOL
I'm a Canadian living in Dunedin, New Zealand, and I just read about you and your paperclip and your house in my local paper. I'm so proud of you!! I've spent a bit of time in small-town Saskatchewan, and I know you'll make some great friends... but how will you survive without your Rue St. Urbain bagels?
well done!
What an investment that one red paperclip turned out to be. just goes to show what a man can achieve if he has a dream, a paperclip, the internet and a great mind for advertising.
BTW did you use a potterpookie for tree planting or was it spadework. I've done quite a bit of tree planting here in Australia, and am not too fond of the pookies. Canadian tree-planting spades are the tool of choice.
Also how many trees per day could you plant?
We averaged between 2800 trees(slower guys including me) - 4000(faster huys) trees per day.
We mainly worked with eucalypt (gum-trees) I believe it is mostly pine in Canada?
There was an old woman, Who lived in a shoe; She had so many children, She didn't know what to do
..if only she had a red paper clip
Congratulations. I've been following this for some time now. I almost fell of my perch yesterday when I heard that my local radio station, Radio Newcastle in the UK, had picked up on the story and announced your success. If you have a really bright idea going spare....
all the best
- Rob
well, now we know there are still some 'original' ways to make it into the history books. I would nto be surprised if that paperclip is worth a bit more now than before.I know I am looking at the bin of paperclips on my desk with new appreciation. Just a note; Kipling is a wonderful place, with wonderful people. I hope you can live there for a while before thinking of 'trading up'. Some things increase in value just through getting to know them better. All the best,
Hey! You were born 2 days before me, but those 2 days seem to have made you a whole lot smarter. GAR! I shake my fist at your creativity and paperclip swapping ability!!!
I applaud you, though, for attaining your goals and for thinking outside the box. You've achieved a great deal. :)
What say you to renting out a room in your new house? It's time to start a community of swappers.
Elizabeth
Hey,
I just saw the 20/20 episode like 2 seconds ago. Its really amazing with what you have done. Hopefully you will keep this going, you can make so many dreams come true like the girl who needed a recording contract.
I have to say: You are very attractive. and quick thinking. but,
what would you have done if this trading idea didnt work¿?
To bad i dont live in Canada. I would audition for the role. heh*
If you get any Modeling contracts ::lol:: please let me know!.
www.myspace.com/narcoticmoshpit
thanks.
keep sexy,
*~Candy~*
I just read about this red paper clip deal from IWON.COM and Im so impressed and jealous.
I have a kewl big golden jack
(like playing jacks) and I would like to trade it for a car that runs and has AC since I live in Texas, home of the Spurs baby!
Tamra
You were on VH1's Best Week Ever... you were this week's winner!!!
That's how I heard of you!
Hello! Our English as a Second Language class from McCook, NE read about you in the newspaper at class tonight. We had a good laugh reading the article. Keep up the good work! We have a silver paperclip to trade....you choose if you want small or large.
Since it is now July 25 you must own the house by now....is it true you want the house from the Australian movie "The Castle"?
Go for it!
Heard about you late last year here in Oz...and then again about 2 weeks ago...then you were on 60 Minutes here.
Good luck.
Move to Australia.
What a crazy story, I just got wind of your story today when a friend asked if I had wanted to attend your housewarming and I must say you are a genious and I will for sure be at your party, good luck to you and be ready to party hard!! Ang.
When I heard this I could not quite believe it and then I thought...but what does it look like inside and is it warm.
Beautiful country anyway. Happy living.
your story is used for english lessons in holland..
my class thought it was quite funny whatr you did..
you're a genius
Xkell
Congratulations! I read about you in the news.
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