Gorgeous 70-inch TV gets perfect Wii-shaped hole

It’s Christmas morning in the Mann household in Wisconsin, USA. Santa has brought the best present of all - a rare-as-hen’s-teeth Nintendo Wii - for the children to share and enjoy. In preparation, the family has bought a whopping 70-inch rear projection TV for their front room. As we predicted, this family didn’t wait for their replacement straps to arrive…

Wanna see that again… in close up? I thought so.

Karlee Mann (14) sat by while her cousin Bryce (also 14) dominated the initial few games of Wii Sports Tennis. When Bryce finally gave in to her protests, the heady mix of frustration, adrenalin, anticipation and family rivalry proved too much. In an instant the remote slipped from her hands, the weak Gen 1 strap failed to catch the escaping projectile, and the Mann’s $4500 TV took a clean bullet to the head. Oops.

If I could have bottled the atmosphere in the front room at that moment and shared it with you, no doubt there would be a sick feeling at the bottom of every readers stomach. You can laugh about a broken bulb, a few grazes, even a dent in the wall, but $1150 damage (as mother Dona has been quoted) is not an easy one to swallow. Credit to the family, who collectively shrugged at their misfortune, got out their old 17″ CRT and got straight back to the tennis!

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