The Invisible Pink Unicorn Movement

The Invisible Pink Unicorn (IPU) is a parody religion created by a group of atheists with the sole purpose of discrediting the beliefs of other organized religions. Its core message is that believing in something you cannot see or prove exists is a form of delusional thinking that besets followers of all religions. The group contends that worshiping an invisible pink unicorn makes as much sense as belief in God. Invisible Pink Unicorn followers satirically suggest that no one can prove their Unicorn God does not exist because she is invisible, and furthermore cannot prove she is not pink because no one can see her.

History of the Invisible Pink Unicorn

An alt.atheism user group discussion gave birth to Invisible Pink Unicorn Movement on July 7, 1990 as a way to point out the absurdity of defending belief in an invisible God, which could neither be proved nor disproved because it exists beyond the realm of science. The use of a deity that is both invisible and pink illustrated the seeming contradictions in many religious beliefs.

Between 1994 and 1995, a group of college students on an ISCA Telnet-based BBS took it a step further and created a manifesto for IPU. This manifesto outlined the outrageous beliefs of this satirical religion. While the beliefs sound ridiculous, they are internally consistent and are used to illustrate that just because man can devise a set of beliefs around any proposed deity – such as the mythical unicorn – does not make the deity real, and does not prove its existence.

The Invisible Pink Unicorn Manifesto

The manifesto for the Invisible Pink Unicorns contains five books.

The Book of the Prophet April speaks to the nature of the great Unicorn’s pinkness and invisibility.

“… the Presence is too great for our small eyes to truly see, and too awesome for our small minds to comprehend. It is by our faith alone that we know her to be Pink, and a Unicorn.”

The Gospel of St. Sascha explains the consequence of gazing upon the Invisible Pink Unicorn.

“If thou were to behold me thou wouldst surely die sayest the invisible Pink Unicorn for thou canst not see both my pinkness for it is invisible.”

The Revelation unto Jerry Phillips exhorts him to witness to others.

“I have selected you for my messenger. Listen closely for it will be your responsibility to deliver my rules to your people in cyber space.”

The Last Prophet of AOL announces signs that the Holy Pink Unicorn has visited you.

… ye have been especially blessed if you find that one of your socks has gone missing

[in the laundry]. Surely a sign from Her Horniness. If anyone questions why ye are missing a sock, simply reply ‘My Mistress had need of it.’ No one is certain what She does with the socks, but rejoice for ye were chosen to make this sacrifice.”

St. Bryce the Longwinded speaks of repentance and salvation.

“… And behold, I did see the chosen people of the Invisible Pink Unicorn, and they did stand in safe places, burning incense and praising Her, saying, “Holy, holy, holy is our IPU, for she is both invisible and pink, and she doth offer her protection unto us her most unworthy worshippers.”

The Invisible Pink Unicorn Logo

The IPU logo has come to symbolize both Invisible Pink Unicorns and atheism. It is a stylized unicorn head placed in the center of the mathematical void symbol. The void symbol represents the belief that there is no God or Higher Power, while the unicorn represents fallacious attribution of random events to an invisible God. The logo was created by Tim Ahrentløv in 2003 and can be found on shirts, caps and other clothing items, as well as painted on vehicles or other belongings as a symbol of the person’s status as an atheist.

Do People Really Believe in Invisible Pink Unicorns?

Although there is no telling what some people in the world believe, supporters of the Invisible Pink Unicorn Movement do not really believe their lives are controlled by unicorns. The followers are all atheists who by definition do not believe in God or a Higher Power – even invisible pink unicorns. The movement is simply a way to illustrate what they see as the contradictory and indefensible nature of religion.