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Oatmeal artist's Nest cam reveals squirrelly attempt at theft

One cocky little squirrel was convinced his shot at a free lunch was in the bag, until it took him for a ride.

Gael Cooper
CNET editor Gael Fashingbauer Cooper, a journalist and pop-culture junkie, is co-author of "Whatever Happened to Pudding Pops? The Lost Toys, Tastes and Trends of the '70s and '80s," as well as "The Totally Sweet '90s." She's been a journalist since 1989, working at Mpls.St.Paul Magazine, Twin Cities Sidewalk, the Minneapolis Star Tribune, and NBC News Digital. She's Gen X in birthdate, word and deed. If Marathon candy bars ever come back, she'll be first in line.
Expertise Breaking news, entertainment, lifestyle, travel, food, shopping and deals, product reviews, money and finance, video games, pets, history, books, technology history, generational studies. Credentials
  • Co-author of two Gen X pop-culture encyclopedia for Penguin Books. Won "Headline Writer of the Year"​ award for 2017, 2014 and 2013 from the American Copy Editors Society. Won first place in headline writing from the 2013 Society for Features Journalism.
Gael Cooper
2 min read

A Nest security cam can come in handy to show you which neighbor backed into your garbage cans, keyed your new car, or clipped your parked bike. (Whoa, where do you live that all this bad stuff happens? You really should move!)

But Matthew Inman, who draws the acclaimed web comic The Oatmeal and helped create such games as Exploding Kittens, found a different kind of crime captured on Nest .

In the video, which he shared on Twitter Thursday and dubbed "the heist of the century," a nosy squirrel crawls into an empty crinkly bag of bird seed, perhaps in search of a snack.

But suddenly, thanks to the squirrel's rapid movement inside the bag, it suddenly started rolling over and over like a hamster ball.

Inman said his girlfriend noticed that a bag of bird seed was missing from its usual spot. She saw it just as the squirrel escaped safely from the bag and ran into the bushes.

"I was cry-laughing when I saw the video," Inman said. "Best part was: When we looked in the bag later, most of the bird seed was gone. It was just crumbs and shells left. We're guessing that after panicking, he calmed down and a had a little comfort snack before exiting the bag and fleeing into the wood."

But we can all learn a lesson from the little furry dude.

"It affirmed a core belief of mine -- when in a moment of crisis, don't panic. Just keep eating," Inman said.

Inman's Twitter followers loved the video and the artist's response.

Inman quickly drew a comic depicting the squirrel's theft, complete with some serious David Caruso sunglasses action. WON'T GET FOOLED AGAI--AUUUUUGH!

The theft was appreciated by Inman's followers, who had questions.

And jokes.

First published, May 3, 1:51 p.m. PT. 
Update, 3 p.m.: Adds comment from Inman. 
Update: 5:15 p.m.: Adds it wasn't the wind that tossed the bag, but the squirrel's own frantic movement. Which makes this even funnier.