Although augmented reality (AR) is recognized as a transformative computing technology, its widespread adoption remains limited. Among the obstacles to adoption, psychological accessibility barriers, such as technophobia, discourage potential users from engaging with it in the first place. Technophobia, characterized by anxiety, fear, and resistance rooted in misconceptions, disbeliefs, or negative experiences, remains underexplored in AR research. To address this gap, this study examines WhoopeeAR, a humorous AR gag toy designed to mitigate technophobia by applying emotional and universal design principles. Findings indicate that this approach reduces technophobia and apprehension while increasing engagement and interest in AR. Additionally, results show that AR skills gained through this application transfer effectively to another, demonstrating the generalizability of universally designed AR features and interaction styles. The study emphasizes the importance of recognizing technophobia as an accessibility barrier and presents practical design strategies to mitigate it, fostering broader AR inclusion and adoption.