For decades, climate scientists, subsistence farmers, and ordinary Americans have been at the meteorological mercy of an unprincipled, untrained, and unscrupulous seer of the seasons–the Groundhog. Don't let this amateur woodchuck of weather tell you which season to celebrate! Groupon lets YOU pick the season by offering wintry indoor activities and spring-ready outdoor fun. Buy both to tell the Groundhog and his Punxsutawney pals that you're tired of his pushy prognostications!
The Groundhog relishes his undue influence over the weather—but YOU have a shadow, too! Let your shadow be heard—submit a photo of your shadow via Twitter to @Groupon_Says with the hashtag #GrouponShadow between now and Feb. 8. The most creative shadow scores 100 Groupon bucks, so don't let your body define what your shadow looks like! Click here for complete contest rules.
The Groundhog hasn't just entertained himself with his season-swaying ability—he's also leveraged it to team up with mega-national conglomerates and turn a quick buck. Here are a few past instances of the Groundhog and his shadow climbing into bed with corporate America:
1926: Reeling from his divorce from silent-film actress Clara Bow, the Groundhog accepts a $12 bribe (worth $40 million today) from [REDACTED], which hopes spring weather will increase sales of its new convertible jalopy.
1947: [REDACTED] doesn't care if the Groundhog sees his shadow or not, as long as he's photographed smoking their cigarettes as he's doing it.
1972: After making "an early spring" a centerpiece of his domestic agenda, President Nixon offers his standard bribe—one free crime pardon and a briefcase full of nuclear secrets—in exchange for the Groundhog to overlook his shadow.
2004: [REDACTED] spearheads a "six more weeks of winter" scheme in conjunction with the rollout of its new menu item, the Brrrrrito. The partnership is a success, and the Groundhog later acts as a spokesanimal for [REDACTED]'s anagrammatic side business running sea prisons, Boat Cell.
2012: You've probably already seen the news, but prompted by [REDACTED], the Groundhog—long thought to be male—just gave birth to a sneaker.
