MrBeast Burger has sold a million burgers, Popeye’s is clapping back at Taco Bell over their new crispy chicken taco, Hasbro is removing the “Mr.” from “Potato Head,” and a Black ballerina on TikTok got a million views after a brand sent her pointe shoes that match her skin tone—plus more youth news taking over social media!
MrBeast Burger Has Sold Over 1 Million Sandwiches In 2 Months
In late January, told you about YouTuber Jimmy Donaldson’s (a.k.a MrBeast) virtual burger venture MrBeast Burger, which he launched in partnership with ghost kitchen startup Virtual Dining Concepts, and how it initially sold “thousands of dollars worth of food.” While it was first launched in the Dallas area out of Italian-American food chains Brio Italian Grille and a Buca di Beppo’s kitchens, it has since expanded nationwide, serving out of more than 300 established restaurants across the U.S. and Canada. Earlier this week, the YouTuber announced (in a tweet that received 201.6K likes and 3,931 retweets) that the brand has sold over one million sandwiches since its launch just two months ago. MrBeast isn’t the only YouTuber in the digital restaurant game: Elijah Daniel created a Gay Burger brand this month, with proceeds on sales going toward LA’s LGBT Center. Ghost kitchens have been a popular concept during the pandemic, and the success of MrBeast’s brand just proves they’re likely to continue to take off even post-lockdowns—and will be a marketing opportunity for brands in the food industry and beyond.
Popeye’s Trolled Taco Bell on TikTok
Earlier this week, Taco Bell joined the heated chicken sandwich wars with the announcement of their new menu addition: the Crispy Chicken Sandwich Taco. The food item consists of all-white chicken marinated in jalapeño buttermilk and fried with a crunchy tortilla chip coating and served in “a puffy bread that’s shaped as a taco” topped with creamy chipotle sauce, and is set to rollout nationally later this year. However, Popeye’s quickly clapped back with a “menu hack” video on TikTok—a “TikTurial”—that shows one of their workers sharing how customers can make two tacos out of their Popeye’s sandwiches. In the step-by-step breakdown on their @popeyeschicken channel, the employee removes the chicken fillet from the bun, rubs the top and bottom buns together to spread the sauce, tears the chicken fillet in half, and finally, folds and shapes the buns into tacos. The video has been racking up thousands of views across their social media, but it’s getting even more attention in the press from publications like Adweek, Delish, and Thrillist. This isn’t the first time Popeye’s has trolled a fellow competitor on social: Just last week, they trolled McDonald’s (who did a limited edition chicken sandwich drop for their new food item on a special launch site) by buying up 50 URL domains that were spelled closely to McDonald’s—and giving out free chicken sandwiches to those who came across theirs.
Mr. Potato Head Is Going Gender-Neutral & Dropping the “Mr.”—Kind Of
On Thursday, Hasbro Inc announced that it is rebranding its popular Mr. Potato Head brand to drop the “Mr.,” as a way to give “Potato Head” brand a “less gender-focused identity.” Of course, Twitter users had a lot of thoughts—from users praising their decision to others poking fun at it, and messages by “conservatives blasting the progressive ‘woke’ culture.” Hasbro later clarified ( in a tweet that received 14.1K likes and 3,251 retweets) that they will still be selling their Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head toys, but that starting in the fall new products will be gender-neutral giving kids the option to have a “blank slate to creative same-sex families or single-parent families.” One analyst said of Hasbro’s rebranding: “They are looking to broaden the franchise. You take the focus of what is essentially one character and now allow it to be a platform for many characters.” Gen Z and Millennials have told us how important it is for them to see diversity in their advertising, so making toys more inclusive is a smart move. YPulse’s Playtime report found that the toy industry is evolving to meet the demands of Millennial parents and their value-based standards for their children’s playtime.
A Black Ballerina’s Reaction to Inclusive Pointe Shoes Is Racking Up Views
Recently, ballerina Kira Robinson shared an unboxing video on TikTok showing her “beaming with delight” after opening a package from Suffolk Pointe Shoe Co. that contained brown ballet shoes matching her skin tone. Her post received 1.4 million views and “thousands of comments” from followers who shared their excitement with her. “I received a lot of comments on my TikTok about how representation is super necessary in the dance world and how a lot of people don’t have that or see that often,” she said during an interview with Good Morning America. In another video, Robinson showed how previously, she had to “pancake” her shoes in the past—meaning she would use makeup foundation to make them match her skin—and would oftentimes be pricey in the long run. Keri Suffolk, director of the pointe shoe company who created the inclusive slippers, said: “Professional dancers have been able to pancake their shoes for quite a while, but for a performance, even professionals must wear what the artistic director or choreographer has determined to be the look they want for the piece. Social change in several forms has challenged many to ask why dress codes and costuming choices are limited to pink shoes only.” YPulse has talked about the ways brands have been stepping up when it comes to their diversity and inclusivity commitments, and attempting to stick to those promises, but it’s clear that there are many industries that need to consider how to make their products more inclusive.
Links We’re Passing:
Homebound young consumers are showing off their best #HomeProject on TikTok—and the hashtag has a whopping 4.3 billion views.
Musicians online are remixing the Wii Mii channel’s theme song.
The internet has a lot of thoughts about the new USPS truck design.
Twitter users are creating memes out of photographer Juergen Teller’s recent stripped down celebrity-filled W Magazine photoshoot.
After initially teasing fans with fake names, the cast of Spider-Man finally revealed the title of the latest installment.
#RIPTwitter is trending after the platform announced a new feature that lets users charge for their tweets.
