Arcadia England

Today is April Fool's Day so we thought it would be fitting to get the background story on a mother who has been doing some pranking of her own!

As you might have seen all over social media this week, Dalton, our University of Westminster Direct Enroll student, has been lovingly replaced by a cardboard cut-out of himself that his family has dubbed "Flat-Dalton" or "Back-up Dalton." He had sent the cut-out to his mom to keep her company along with a note that said "you're welcome." After that fateful delivery, she decided to post hilarious photos of the new Dalton enjoying various adventures, such as a trip to Subway or playing frisbee with the dog!

Dalton has kindly shared his thoughts on what it's like to go viral overnight and the crazy events that have happened since then:

1. When and how did you find out this story had gone viral? Did you expect this sort of reaction?
   So I posted the pictures on Reddit and after it had been on the front page there for a few hours, I started to get contacted by some media companies. But about a day later was when it was clear it had gone viral. Both me and my mom kept getting told by friends that all these different websites were posting the story. It was awesome and has been a little crazy! Still can't wrap my head around it. I had a feeling it would do well on Reddit but the amount of media attention it has received since then I was not expecting at all.
2. What has been the craziest thing that's happened as a result?
   One of the photos was taken at an O' Charley's restaurant and they sent us a $100 gift card to O' Charley's!
3. Your mom sounds hilarious! Has anything like this happened before?
   My mom is very funny but she has never done any thing of this scale before, usually just making jokes around the house and on Facebook.
4. Will you be teaming up with "Flat-Dalton" when you get home?
   Yes, I will make use of Flat-Dalton when I get back, especially for things like attending class for me next semester.
5. Other than this crazy experience, what has been the highlight of your time abroad thus far?Either making great friends at my Television Production class here at University of Westminster or eating the pretzels in Germany.

Thank you, Dalton! We hope you enjoy the rest of your time in the UK!