This week on TikTok: Meet Jake Shane and his historic scenario recreations
In just over two weeks, TikToker Jake Shane has gone from a niche comedian to a red-carpet invitee all thanks to his by-request historic reenactments. Known on the app as @Octopusslover8, Shane mainly used to post videos reviewing octopus dishes at restaurants but his account took off in a major way after he posted a video on February 20 (celebrating 60K followers) asking for requests of lines or situations to act out. He quickly began to post the scenarios that followers asked him to, finding a niche in very specific historical moments. Now, less than one month later, Shane has 1.3M followers watching him act out scenarios like “paying the bill at the last supper” (11.4M views), “Pangea breaking up” (1.2M views), and “the statue of liberty being unveiled” (5.6M views). His approach is not historical accuracy, but giving a one-man-show, modernized, often unexpected take on the momentous moment.
Perhaps equally as funny as Shane’s approach to each scenario is the laughter of the person holding the camera; one comment reads “The laugh and shushing makes the video better tbh,” gathering 10K likes of its own on a video with 337.7K likes overall (an elf who forgot to pack half of Santa’s gifts). On another TikTok “reenacting” the moment that prohibition went into effect, a commentor writes “The laughing in the background is the modern version of live audiences laughing in 90’s sitcoms 😭.”
Since he began acting out these scenes, he has not only gained over 1M followers, but he’s also launched and sold out merch (a crewneck which says “Puss University”—short for octopus, of course) and attended a Vanity Fair event courtesy of TikTok. Oh, and brands are already engaging with his content—we’ve spotted Trojan Condoms, the Aflac Duck, and The History Channel commenting on his posts.
Also on TikTok: A new trend predicts relationship compatibility based on the phases of the moon
Can viral support truly #StopWillow?
Last month, Gen Z climate activist Elise Joshi began posting on TikTok about the Willow Project, a proposed oil drilling project in Alaska, and her videos have ignited strong opposition for it. Joshi called the project a “carbon bomb,” citing that now is a time “where we cannot afford new fossil fuel projects.” The video gained over 300K views, but her hashtag #StopWillow now has 160.9M views, as other young climate activists have latched onto the effort to stop Biden from approving the project. The effort has also spread to other platforms, with influential accounts like impact and Gen-Z for Change spreading the word on Instagram.
Other TikTokers like Alex Haurus have made videos encouraging viewers to write letters to the White House in opposition to the Willow Project and now, a #StopWillow petition has 3.1M signatures. Just a day ago, he posted that their efforts have caused a three-day delay in the decision making, indicating that their social media activism is making a real impact. YPulse data shows Gen Z are no strangers to organizing on social media, and 77% agree it’s up to their generation to stop climate change from getting worse. As always, their numbers and dedication are not to be underestimated—but if #StopWillow will truly stop the project is still to be determined.
A new flavor of Girl Scout cookies is being resold on eBay—and the Scouts are not happy
YPulse told you how brands stay relevant (and young consumers stay loyal) when they’re innovative, and the Girl Scouts have been reworking their marketing as well as adding new flavors within the last several years to keep up. This year, they dropped Raspberry Rally, a new sister flavor to their iconic Thin Mint product but with a raspberry filling. The new cookies are currently sold exclusively online that can only be purchased from the organization’s website and shipped directly to customers.
However, the $6 cookies sold out instantly (less than a day in fact) and now the rare product has made its way over to eBay where it’s as if Raspberry filling is a goldmine for resellers. Third-party vendors are scrambling to get their hands on the cookies and those selling are making profits up to $100 off the Girl Scout name—which the Girl Scouts HQ is not happy about. While Raspberry Rally was designed to be a limited-edition line, they were not meant to be sold by anyone other than the scouts so that the girls learn to grow their business and ecommerce skills directly. A Girl Scout rep told CNN, “When cookies are purchased through a third-party seller, Girl Scout troops are deprived of proceeds that fund critical programming throughout the year.” So while Raspberry Rallys certainly sound amazing, maybe don’t buy them off eBay for a huge mark up.
Links we’re passing:
Clutter: Between fashion and home, messiness is becoming ever more acceptable—even trendy
Influencers: MrBeast is asking fans to clean up store shelves of his products, with a $100K donation as a thank you
Toys: Funko will be tossing $30M of overstock inventory
Ads: Miller Lite is composting old, sexist beer ads into fertilizer for women brewers
