A pickle beats band Nickelback in Facebook contest

Frontman for Nickelback Chad Kroeger performs during the 2009 MuchMusic Video Awards in Toronto June 21, 2009.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Does a pickle or the Canadian band Nickelback have more fans? It may be a joke, but the answer might not have the band laughing -- a pickle.

A group on Facebook called "Can this pickle get more fans than Nickleback?" hit its goal over the weekend, notching up 1.4 million fans. The post-grunge band Nickelback had 1.38 million on Facebook, but has since topped 1.4 million.

The group was started as a joke earlier this month by a Facebook user called Coral Anne, with the band's name deliberately spelled wrong on the page to get around copyright infringement.

The teenager wrote that the page was inspired by another Facebook page called "Can this onion ring get more fans than Justin Bieber?" which she had found amusing.

Canadian singer Bieber, 15, who was discovered on YouTube, is enjoying enormous success with singles from his debut album "My World."

"This is all strictly intended for humor and nothing more or less," she wrote. "I am not using this page to endorse any hate toward the band Nickelback ... I do not wish Nickelback or any other bands any ill will and hope they would see the same humor in making this page as I have."

Nickelback could not be immediately reached for comment.

(Writing by Belinda Goldsmith)