BOSTON -- Two men charged in connection with a marketing stunt that sent bomb squads to inspect hoax devices found in several Boston-area locations appeared in court Thursday.

Peter Berdovsky, 27, of Arlington, and Sean Stevens, 28, of Charlestown, were arraigned Thursday in Charlestown District Court.

Outside, they met reporters and television cameras and launched into a nonsensical discussion of hair styles of the 1970s. "What we really want to talk about today -- it's kind of important to some people -- it's haircuts of the 1970s," Berdovsky said.

Some believe that the hair references were a plug to another cartoon, "Perfect Hair Forever."

Berdovsky and Stevens were charged under a new statute that makes it a crime to place, transfer or possess a hoax device that results in panic. They were also charged with one count of disorderly conduct. The men pleaded not guilty, and bail was set at $2,500.

"It's clear the intent was to get attention by causing fear and unrest that there was a bomb in that location," Assistant Attorney General John Grossman said at their arraignment.

The devices were eventually determined to be part of a marketing campaign that involved a character from the cartoon show "Aqua Teen Hunger Force."

If convicted, Berdovsky faces up to five years in prison. He said he was hired by Interference Inc., a New York City marketing company. Interference Inc. had no immediate comment.

"The assistant attorney's general description of this as a bomb-like device is totally incomprehensible. I saw the devices before they were put up. It never occurred to me that there was anything that anybody would be worried about in these devices," defense attorney Michael Rich said.

Before the arraignment, supporters gathered outside the courthouse, wearing shirts that pictured the cartoon character at the center of the scare.

"It is very clearly a joke to anybody that got the pop culture reference, and it shows how much of a disparity there is among the ages and what we understand," supporter Jennifer Mason said.

Turner Broadcasting said it would take responsibility for the devices that were found at 38 locations that forced police bomb units to scramble throughout the area.

"The 'packages' in question are magnetic lights that pose no danger. They are part of an outdoor marketing campaign in 10 cities in support of Adult Swim's animated television show 'Aqua Teen Hunger Force,'" Turner Broadcasting, the parent company of Cartoon Network, said in a statement.

The company said that they have been in place for two to three weeks in Boston, New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Atlanta, Seattle, Portland, Austin, San Francisco and Philadelphia.

Turner Broadcasting is in contact with local and federal law enforcement on the exact location of the billboards, according to the statement, and regrets that they were mistakenly thought to pose any danger.

Boston Mayor Tom Menino, who expressed outrage over the incident, received praise from Homeland Security Chief Michael Chertoff on Thursday about the city's response to the situation. The chairman of Turner Broadcasting also called the mayor.

"They apologized and they said they'd like to work with (us) on this issue as we move forward," Menino said. "Later this morning, I will talk to the CEO and work on some kind of public apology or agreement with them."

Menino said that there was no discussion about monetary issues, but he hinted that conversation would take place later Thursday. He also made it clear that the arraignment of the two men charged won't be enough.

"You have these two (men) who were arrested last night. The people who should pay for it are the people in the boardrooms. They are the ones who should pay for it. They are the ones who made the decision. They are the ones, not these two young men, who are trying to make some extra money," Menino said. "The real culprits in this deal are the folks in the boardroom."

The cartoon airs as part of the Adult Swim late-night block of programs on the Cartoon Network. It features characters called "mooninites," who were pictured on the found devices. A feature-length film based on the cartoon is scheduled to be released late next month.

The first device was found under Interstate 93, and the state police bomb squad was called and detonated the package in Sullivan Square just before 10 a.m. on Wednesday.

Several hours later, Boston police said the department received four calls, all at about 1 p.m., reporting the devices. Officials responded to at least nine locations, including the Boston University Bridge, the Longfellow Bridge, the McGrath O'Brien Highway in Somerville, a comic store on Harvard Avenue in Brighton, a location near the intersection of Stuart and Columbus streets, a location near Washington and Water streets and under the McCarthy Overpass in Somerville, according to Davis.