Teens are attempting to eat laundry pods in a new dangerous online challenge, Black Panther is breaking presale records, Ikea asks pregnant women to pee on a magazine ad to get a discount, and more trending stories you can’t miss…
Teens Try The Tide Pod Challenge
A 2015 meme has morphed into a new dangerous online challenge where teens are attempting/pretending to eat laundry pods. Reportedly inspired by a 2015 column from The Onion about a “child who wanted to eat a blue and red detergent pod,” the meme started out as a showcase of jokes on how the pods resembled candy. In March 2017, CollegeHumor took the trend one step further with a parody video showing a college student eating Tide Pods even after researching its poisonous effects—and now teens are reportedly following suit, posting videos of themselves chewing on the colorful pods (before spitting them out) or sautéing them on the stove. The challenge has gone so viral that doctors are sending out warnings, and even Tide has had to respond stating: “Our laundry pacs are a highly concentrated detergent meant to clean clothes…They should not be played with, whatever the circumstance is, even if meant as a joke.” If the warnings aren’t enough, never fear, actual Tide pod-inspired sushi is also here.
Black Panther Is Already Breaking Records
Upcoming superhero film Black Panther won’t be out for another month and it’s already breaking records. The Marvel film, set in the fictional African nation of Wakanda with black superheroes and strong female narratives, sold more pre-sale tickets in its first 24 hours on Fandango than any other movie in the comic book franchise. It was also the top ticket-seller of the day, surpassing Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle and Star Wars: The Last Jedi. Even one of the film’s stars, Lupita Nyong’o, failed to score tickets when she attempted to purchase them 15 minutes after they went on sale. The film’s already positive launch, along with Wonder Woman’s success, highlights young consumers’ desire for diversity in entertainment, marketing, and more.
The Ikea Ad You Have to Pee On
Ikea is making headlines with a magazine ad that gives pregnant women a discount on cribs—they just have to pee on it first. The ad, which is running in a Swedish magazine, uses at-home pregnancy test technology to reveal the masked deal as part of their ‘where life happens’ campaign, centered around the idea that “life contains those magical, life-changing moments, and IKEA wants to be right there when they happen.” People are weirded out by the idea of peeing on a magazine, but according to the ad’s creative chief Magnus Jakobsson, “you don’t have to bring an ad soaked in urine to Ikea to get the discount.” Instead the ad is meant to encourage pregnant woman to join the Ikea Family program to take advantage of the deal.
H&M’s Tone-Deaf Start to 2018
H&M’s 2018 is off to a rough start, after an image on their U.K. site of a black child modeling a sweatshirt with the phrase “Coolest Monkey in the Jungle” went viral. Called out as “casual racism” and “negligent,” the image has since been taken down by the brand, and an apology was issued “to anyone this may have offended.” But the damage was done: artists The Weeknd and G-Eazy have ended their collaborations with the brand, and Diddy has spoken out, along with celebrities Questlove and LeBron James, posting an illustration of the boy with a sweatshirt reading “coolest king in the world” and reportedly offering him a $1 million modeling contract. The boy’s mother, however, recently stated it is an “unnecessary issue.”
Links We’re Passing
Sarah Silverman found a new way to respond to internet trolls, Pizza Hut has teamed up with Toyota to work on self-driving delivery cars, a figure skater changes the game with his song choice, Kendall Jenner’s acne has started an internet conversation, a man’s realistic wigs are going viral, and a Brita-sponsored YouTube video starring Steph Curry is trending.
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