

That creepy-as-hell version of the Mister Softee jingle is still blaring through some LinkNYC kiosks, reminding New Yorkers in the most ominous way possible that summer is here, and that the sweet embrace of death soft-serve is coming for us all.

We first noted the haunting ear-worm last week, after pedestrians observed about 10 kiosks on Third Avenue in midtown blasting the inexplicably slowed-down jingle. Since then, others have encountered multiple possessed kiosks, including two near 67th Street and Broadway, which Richard Anderson spotted on his lunch break on Wednesday afternoon.

"It was definitely creepy, even once I realized it was coming from the LinkNYC things again," Anderson told Gothamist. "It makes me wonder how LinkNYC expects people to trust their WiFi when they can't even keep their kiosks secure from pranksters."

There’s a bunch of @LinkNYC kiosks playing that creepy, slowed down Mister Softee jingle again. Around Broadway and W. 68th. Creepy. — Richard J. Anderson (@sanspoint) May 30, 2018

Why Is A Spooky, Slowed-Down Mister Softee Jingle Blasting Through LinkNYC Kiosks? Who knows?? Heard it myself yesterday!!https://t.co/HNontCUcan via @Gothamist — Hady Mendez (@hadym) May 27, 2018

Representatives for LinkNYC are adamant that this is NOT a "hack," and instead qualifies as an "old-fashioned phone prank"—that classic gag: Is your microphone-and-camera-equipped digital tablet running? A spokesperson for the company added, "Sorry if anyone wandered towards the kiosks looking for soft serve."

Despite their claims, critics of LinkNYC have used the opportunity to attack the controversial kiosks, which started popping up in 2014. "This is definitely someone's form of protest," said one member of the anti-surveillance group Rethink Link. "It's highlighting the dangers of the whole march to the Internet of Things."

Whether this is a political protest, harmless prank or sweet-toothed robot takeover is, at this point, unknown. In the meantime, shoot us a line if you come across the out-of-place jingle, or happen to know the phone number we can call to hear the full remix ourselves.