Amazon's Hamburger Earmuffs Mix-Up Delivers a 'Christmas Miracle'

By Lauren Sher December 19, 2013

Call it a shipping snafu or a "Christmas miracle," but one Amazon delivery mix-up has led to a hilarious Twitter rant that's gone viral.

Reality-TV host Josh Gates ordered a $9.99 T-shirt from the online retailer Dec. 6, but received a pair of hamburger earmuffs last week instead.

After that initial pang of confusion and hint of retail rage, the hamburger earmuffs turned out to be exactly what Gates didn't know he needed.

"I was immediately confused because there were hamburger earmuffs looking back at me," Gates told GoodMorningAmerica.com. "I was then immediately amazed and overjoyed by it. They are just so hilarious. Of all the things that could accidentally have been shipped to you, hamburger earmuffs are probably the best thing."

The host of the SyFy reality show " Destination Truth" took to Twitter, documenting his surprise and delight with his hamburger earmuffs, with the hashtag, #HamburgerEarmuffs, and chronicling their journey with him around Los Angeles.

"When life hands you hamburger earmuffs, you make lemonade," Gates said.

Here are some of our favorite tweets:

Gates even coerced his fiancée to rock the fashion trend.

"I am basically now forcing her to model the hamburger earmuffs for my amusement," he joked.

While Amazon offered to re-send his initial order, a "Destination Truth," T-shirt, Gates (politely?) passed.

Indeed, he was so taken with them that he even wrote his first-ever comment on the retailer's site and gave them a glowing (and poetic) 5-star review.

Credit: Amazon.com

"This is my first ever customer review of a product from Amazon. On December 6th, I ordered an XL Destination Truth t-shirt. Today, a box arrived with a set of these Hamburger Earmuffs, or as they're officially called, "Adult Cheeseburger Hamburger Earmuffs Ear Muffs." When I opened the box, I was confused. My first thought was, "this does not look like an XL Destination Truth t-shirt." I'm pretty astute after all. My second thought was, "did someone just ship me two delicious cheeseburgers?" But I quickly realized that these were no ordinary burgers. Trembling, I lifted the twin sirloins to my head. The soft fur of the faux-brioche bun gently cradled my ears, and the layers of genuine felt cheese and lettuce all but muted the sounds of the office copying machine. Proprietary Hamburger Earmuff technology blocked out a wide range of frequencies, and I was immediately transported into a quiescent world of zen-like contemplation. Closing my eyes, I feel deep into thought, deconstructing some of the universe's most mind-bending mysteries such as…ketchup. When I opened my eyes, nearly 9 hours had passed. It was night, and I was alone in the otherwise empty office. But more importantly, I was WARM. The heat from the Hamburger Earmuffs radiated through me like warm, mustard-flavored sunshine. Thanks, Amazon. You may not have shipped me my t-shirt, but you did deliver a holiday miracle."

The shipping mistake was seemingly a win for Amazon, too. The hamburger earmuffs, made by vendor ThatsRad, are now sold out. (Good news, ThatsRad said it is working to restock). The only loser might be the real person who didn't get the earmuffs, making Gates an "earmuff hamburglar."

"Is there somebody somewhere who is holding a 'Destination Truth' T-Shirt right now who is having the exact opposite reaction?" said Gates, who initially ordered his show's T-shirt for a Twitter giveaway.

Gates's Twitter escapades were first spotted by Buzzfeed.com and his #HamburgerEarmuffs hashtag has gone viral since Dec. 12. From gaining a few thousand Twitter followers to the earmuffs, Gates said he really feels like he has come out on top.

"I feel like I won here. Dollars and cents wise, I'm ahead. I just feel like it's a gift. I don't want to return them," Gates said. "[Amazon] would be happy to fulfill my original order. … They have not asked me to return them. They'll have to pry them out of my cold dead hands at this point.

"They are weirdly kind of great. They are warm and fuzzy and kind of amazing. It's a Christmas miracle," said Gates, who even brought the earmuffs with him to on a trip to the East Coast today. "Now, I am going to get to see what they can really do."