Burlap

Burlap

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invest in burlap start of fortune

Explanation

This is not a comic, but a webpage on xkcd.com There are many other similar xkcd webpages, some of which are explained here. Explain xkcd is trying to decide how they should be treated. You are welcome to help us decide how we should categorise, call, or present these kinds of explanations. Kindly leave a comment here. This page should not be categorized until we decide how to explain these non-comics (see discussion above).

Burlap is a type of loose-weave fabric which is commonly used in bags and sacks. While the meaning of this page is unclear, this appears to be some sort of note or letter, though the recipient is unknown.

It is always possible that was a setup for an April Fool's joke that didn't get used, but the true reason cannot be known without more information, for example the discovery of anything else Randall wrote that linked to the page.

It appears to be made on very short notice. If it is a letter, there are multiple possible intentions, including:

• It was created for a friend of Randall, who he may be trying to prank, as you cannot directly invest in burlap on the stock market.
• It's a note "left by a time traveler from the future", which is a common trope in sci-fi movies.
• It's a direct parody of something, such as:
  • "Municipal bonds, Ted. I'm talking double-A rating. The best investment in America." - Airplane!
  • "I just want to say one word to you. Plastics!" - The Graduate

Transcript

[There is no image, just text:]

invest in burlap

start of fortune

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Discussion

This is not a comic, but a webpage on xkcd.com There are many other similar xkcd webpages, some of which are explained here. Explain xkcd is trying to decide how they should be treated. You are welcome to help us decide how we should categorise, call, or present these kinds of explanations. Kindly leave a comment here. This page should not be categorized until we decide how to explain these non-comics (see discussion above).

got bored lol Caliban (talk) 08:49, 26 March 2025 (UTC)

Any chance this might be a setup for an april's fools that didn't get used for some reason? 141.101.97.15 08:22, 9 April 2025 (UTC)

It's a possibility. Looking at the other 'forgotten' off-comic pages it seems to be a mix of possible 'events' that went nowhere and perhaps pages made specifically to be referenced from off-site social media (records of which might be lost/inaccessible). Disentangling some of these might be possible, if a referent page/post/email is dug up by those who can still see it (or a copy of it), but anything idly made then just as idly forgotten about (without publicising at all) is going to probably remain inexplicable (unless Word Of God both remembers and cares to tell us, both of these being iffy results). 141.101.99.161 08:33, 9 April 2025 (UTC)

Added to the article! --FaviFake (talk) 16:07, 9 April 2025 (UTC)
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