{{Short description|Website tracking a series of trades}} {{Use mdy dates|date=April 2013}} {{Use Canadian English|date=July 2013}} {{about|the website|the restaurant|Red Paper Clip}} thumb|right|The paperclip that Kyle MacDonald used to start the series of trades by which eventually he traded for a house. '''One red paperclip''' is a website created by Canadian blogger Kyle MacDonald, who traded his way from a single red paperclip to a house in a series of fourteen online trades over the course of a year.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/from-paper-clip-to-house-in-14-trades-1.573973 |title=From paper-clip to house, in 14 trades – Canada – CBC News |publisher=Cbc.ca |date=July 7, 2006 |access-date=April 20, 2013}}</ref> MacDonald was inspired by the children's game ''Bigger, Better''. His site received a considerable amount of notice for tracking the transactions. "A lot of people have been asking how I've stirred up so much publicity around the project, and my simple answer is: 'I have no idea{{'"}}, he told the BBC.<ref name="bbc" /> The story has inspired countless copycats, who have attempted to trade their way up from a paperclip or other small items to something expensive, with varying degrees of success.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/2020/08/20/guy-once-swapped-paperclip-house-this-woman-is-trying-do-same//|title=A guy once swapped a paper clip to get a house. This woman is trying to do the same.|first=Cathy|last=Free|date=August 20, 2020|newspaper=The Washington Post}}</ref>
== History == thumb|right| Kyle MacDonald's house [[File:Bell Park paperclip IMG 5203 (14616044776).jpg|thumb|right|This red paper clip sculpture was installed in 2007 at Bell Park in Kipling as a monument to the series of trades made by MacDonald. At the time, it was the world's largest paper clip.]] MacDonald made his first trade, a red paper clip for a fish-shaped pen, on July 14, 2005. He reached his goal of trading up to a house with the fourteenth transaction, trading a movie role for a house. This is the list of all transactions MacDonald made:<ref name="bbc">{{cite news|url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/5167388.stm|title=Man turns paper clip into house|publisher=BBC News|date=July 11, 2006}}</ref><ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8s3bdVxuFBs What if you could trade a paperclip for a house? | Kyle MacDonald | TEDxVienna. Youtube. Accessed September 22, 2025]</ref> # On July 14, 2005, he went to Vancouver and traded the paperclip for a fish-shaped pen.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Bamhour |first=Jacob |title=Twenty years after paperclip trade for Sask. house, Kipling’s still getting visitors |url=https://www.ckom.com/2025/07/19/twenty-years-after-paperclip-trade-for-sask-house-kiplings-still-getting-visitors/ |access-date=2026-04-05 |website=650 CKOM |language=en}}</ref> # He then traded the pen the same day for a hand-sculpted doorknob from Seattle, Washington. # On July 25, 2005, he travelled to Amherst, Massachusetts, with a friend to trade the doorknob for a Coleman camp stove with fuel. # On September 24, 2005, he went to California, and traded the camp stove for a Honda generator. # On November 16, 2005, he travelled to Maspeth, Queens, and traded the generator for an "instant party": an empty keg, an IOU for filling the keg with the beer of the bearer's choice, and a neon Budweiser sign. This was his second attempt to make the trade: his first had resulted in the generator being temporarily confiscated by the New York City Fire Department.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Macdonald |first=Kyle |title=one red paperclip - Kyle MacDonald: one instant party |url=https://oneredpaperclip.blogspot.com/2005/11/one-instant-party.html |access-date=2026-04-05 |website=one red paperclip - Kyle MacDonald}}</ref> # On December 8, 2005, he traded the "instant party" to Quebec comedian and radio personality Michel Barrette for a Ski-Doo snowmobile. # Within a week of that, he traded the snowmobile for a two-person trip to Yahk, British Columbia, scheduled for February 2006. # On or about January 7, 2006, he traded the second spot on the Yahk trip for a box truck. # On or about February 22, 2006, he traded the box truck for a recording contract with Metalworks in Mississauga, Ontario. # On or about April 11, 2006, he traded the contract to Jody Gnant for a year's rent in Phoenix, Arizona. # On or about April 26, 2006, he traded the year's rent in Phoenix for one afternoon with Alice Cooper. # On or about May 26, 2006, he traded the afternoon with Cooper for a Kiss motorized snow globe. # On or about June 2, 2006, he traded the snow globe to Corbin Bernsen for a role in the film ''Donna on Demand''.<ref>{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20060716203507/http://www.acrossthesound.net/2006/07/ats_41_the_new_.html ATS #41{{spaced ndash}}The New Marketing Podcast with guest Corbin Bernsen]}} Across the Sound (July 1, 2006)</ref> # On July 12, 2006, he traded the movie role for a two-story house located at 503 Main Street in Kipling, Saskatchewan.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Cweeding |title=Red Paperclip Story |url=https://www.townofkipling.ca/p/red-paperclip-story |access-date=2026-04-05 |website=www.townofkipling.ca |language=en}}</ref> After remaining vacant for a few years, the house was sold to Billie and Ellen Johnson in 2010, who turned the house into a café known as the Red Paperclip Cottage which is still operating as of 2025.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Bamhour |first=Jacob |title=Twenty years after paperclip trade for Sask. house, Kipling’s still getting visitors |url=https://www.ckom.com/2025/07/19/twenty-years-after-paperclip-trade-for-sask-house-kiplings-still-getting-visitors/ |access-date=2026-04-05 |website=650 CKOM |language=en}}</ref>
In 2015, MacDonald spoke about his experience in a TED talk in Vienna, Austria.<ref>{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8s3bdVxuFBs |title=What if you could trade a paperclip for a house? {{!}} Kyle MacDonald {{!}} TEDxVienna |date=2015-11-20 |last=TEDx Talks |access-date=2026-04-05 |via=YouTube}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=S |first=Pangambam |date=2017-02-20 |title=Kyle MacDonald: What If You Could Trade a Paperclip For a House? at TEDxVienna (Transcript) |url=https://singjupost.com/kyle-macdonald-what-if-you-could-trade-a-paperclip-for-a-house-at-tedxvienna-transcript/ |access-date=2026-04-05 |website=The Singju Post |language=en-US}}</ref>
== See also == * Gudbrand on the Hill-side * Hans in Luck * Straw Millionaire * Trade Me Project * Wheat and chessboard problem
== References == {{Reflist}}
== Further reading == {{refbegin}} * {{cite book |date=June 28, 2007 |title=One Red Paperclip: How a Small Piece of Stationery Turned into a Great Big Adventure |last=Macdonald |first=Kyle |publisher=Ebury Press |isbn=978-0-09-191452-3}} * {{refend}}
== External links == * [http://oneredpaperclip.blogspot.com/ ''"One Red Paperclip Website"''] Red Paperclip Official site.
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{{DEFAULTSORT:One Red Paperclip}} Category:Canadian websites