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On Video: The tale of the red paperclip trade and Kipling, Sask.
Kyle MacDonald holds up his business card Tuesday, June 17, 2008 in Montreal. MacDonald, who two years ago managed to turn a red paperclip into a two-storey home in a rural Saskatchewan town, is now putting the house up for trade. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Paul Chiasson
It's been 20 years since Kyle MacDonald embarked on a year-long trading adventure that eventually landed him a home in Kipling, Sask. The whirlwind quest led to Guinness World Record titles for both MacDonald and the town.
A blog post from MacDonald on July 12, 2005, acted as the spark. In it, he told his readers about his ambitious and quirky plan.
With just a single red paperclip that was sitting on his desk, he was looking to trade it for something bigger – hoping to continue until he got a house, 'or an island, or a house on an island.'
'You get the idea,' he said in the post.
What followed was a most unusual sequence of online trades. The paper clip was swapped for a fish-shaped pen, which in turn was traded for a unique doorknob.
The doorknob was swapped for a camp stove, which led to a generator, then a keg party, a snowmobile, a snowmobiling adventure to Yahk, B.C., a cube van, a recording contract, a year's condo rental in Phoenix, AZ and then for a day with rock star Alice Cooper.
MacDonald then secured a double switch with actor-director Corbin Bernsen, who agreed to accept a 'KISS' snow globe in exchange for a role in one of his upcoming films.
Kipling's town council, at the advice of then economic development officer Bert Roach, negotiated with MacDonald and traded the house at 503 Main Street in exchange for the movie role.
MacDonald travelled to Kipling, in July of 2006 to formally accept the trade. A ceremony was held in the town – officially ending MacDonald's journey.
MacDonald and his partner stayed in the home, albeit briefly. It was later given back to the town and turned into a restaurant.
Bernsen travelled to Kipling following the trade where he held auditions for the promised movie role in his feature 'Donna on Demand' – with Kipling's Nolan Hubbard eventually winning the role.
Bernsen would return to Kipling to shoot his feature 'Rust,' being sure to utilize local actors and extras. As a result, Kipling Film Productions Inc. was formed – with the aim of producing more films in the town and district.
Finally, to commemorate MacDonald's efforts and the story that highlighted Kipling to the world – the town commissioned a statue to be built.
Standing 15 feet two inches tall and weighing 3,043 pounds, the paperclip is the world's largest – and Kipling was featured in the 2007 edition of the Guinness Book of Records.
The town of Kipling will celebrate the 20th anniversary of the red paper clip trade in July of 2026, recognizing when the last of MacDonald's 14 trades was made.
Planning for the event is underway, with the town possibly inviting all 14 of the original traders for a reunion and a thank you for putting Kipling on the map.
-With files from Wayne Mantyka
