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How you can help VCU grads behind viral water gun challenge break world record

Posted at 12:27 PM, Aug 29, 2019
and last updated 2019-08-29 12:30:25-04

RICHMOND, Va. — The VCU graduates behind the viral water gun fight videos this summer have their sights on a world record, and they need your help to break it.

The videos show a group of young men running up to strangers, tossing them a water gun and then asking the other person to fire first.

Josh Roth, Zane Robinson, and Hallelejuah shot the video near Monroe Park in July.

Now, the three friends behind the water gun challenge are calling on the community to come and break the world record for the largest water gun fight.

The current record for the largest water gun fight is 3,875 people. The VCU grads are aiming for 5,000.

RVA Splashfest is scheduled for Saturday, September 21 in the Diamond parking lot. The event will kick off at noon and will include music, food, vendors and of course water gun fights.

Organizers say all ages are welcome to the splashfest and proceeds will go toward splash.org, a social justice organization and a safe water company focused on children.

“This is an event for the whole family to come out and have some fun to end the summer!” said an organizer on the Eventbrite page.

If you are interested in participating, you can RSVP here. If you have questions for organizers, click here.

The story behind viral water gun fight video’

The VCU grads, who met doing creative projects at the university, have been blown away by the response of the viral videos.

Hallelujah said the trio came up with the idea while the River City was grappling with the extreme heat.

“Hey, guess what. It’s hot outside,” Hallelujah said. “What do people need right now? Hydration. What’s the best way to hydrate people?”

Roth admitted he was initially hesitant about the idea.

“When he presented this idea to me, I was like, ‘Bro, I am not walking around with super soakers and spraying people,'” Roth remembered. “I’m not doing it because people are not going to respond. They’re not going to do that, and I don’t want to make anyone upset.”

Roth said the experiment blew him away when the first person responded by grabbing the super soaker and firing back. Their mission as “joy makers” was a hit.

Hallelujah said the camera helped people relax.

“The perfect thing is to not discriminate, because you don’t know who you can make smile,” Hallelujah said. “So we chose anybody and everybody. We came up to them, tossed them the water gun, and said, Let’s get it!’”

‘You don’t know who you can make smile’

Robinson said when someone sees a water gun, their response is immediate.

“You throw it on the ground they’re like, ‘Oh give it to me!” Robinson said. “Right, we got the bright ones for a reason.”

Hallelujah said the group’s mission was to spread “joy and happiness.”

“We wanted to show people that you don’t have to go into public disrupt and cause chaos,” Hallelujah said. “You don’t have to go and spray bullets. You can go ahead and spray something as harmless as water and change the whole entire culture.”

Roth added that their “joy soakers” could completely totally change somebody’s day.

“Somebody could be going through a horrible day and the next thing you know there’s a water gun in front of them, and they say, ‘You know what… Today, let’s have a water gun fight and let loose for five minutes,'” Roth said.

Robinson said viral success should remind folks to “lighten up and have fun.

“Each day your get 24 hours,” Roth said. “You choose how you make those 24 hours. ”

“You don’t have to sell drugs, sex, money, you can just sell God’s joy.”

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