Children of the 80's know that the Hoff is hot, but they might not know that thieves are also hot for him.
As part of their ad campaign for iced coffee, Cumberland Farms created a life-sized cutout sign featuring Baywatch star David Hasselhoff in a tank top holding a cup of iced coffee (dubbed "Iced Hoffee"). According to NBC Bay Area, the company installed the signs in about 570 of their convenience stores in New England and Florida. But in recent weeks, about 550 of the cutouts have been stolen.
Cumberland Farm's brand strategist Kate Ngo said, "We want everyone to enjoy the Hoff. We're flattered by the attention." But she added, "We certainly don't encourage theft at our stores." Theft is common at retail stores, but Ngo acknowledged that the rate of theft of the Hoff campaign is higher than anything they've seen.
Hasselhoff himself was amused by the theft, "The first thing I thought of was that I was in trouble and then I thought, 'Oh good they’re not accusing me of stealing, they’re accusing people of stealing me,'" he said to WHDH-TV in Boston.
Fun and games, however, turned serious when a 36-year-old store clerk in Shelton, Connecticut, was critically injured when he struck by an SUV while trying to prevent theft of the signs. That, we're sure the Hoff would say, is not cool.