The Berries And Cream TikTok Meme Explained
The early 2000s was a wellspring for some truly surreal advertising. HeadOn recommended you apply its product directly to your forehead, strange hamster-like creatures sang about their love for Quiznos Subs, and Starburst launched a campaign for its berries and cream candy that has since found its way to TikTok, per BuzzFeed.
According to Delish, TikTokers across the internet have started to notice a sound byte mentioning a "little lad who loves berries and cream." The clip dates back to the 2007 Starburst commercial featuring the little lad who declared his love for berries and cream as part of the candy's promotion. The product, which came in mixed berry, strawberry, blueberry, and raspberry flavors, was never mentioned in the television advertisement. Instead, an actor in period clothing interrupts two friends talking about the candy to announce his love of berries and cream (via YouTube). While memorable, some may wonder how this advertisement traveled years into the future and found relevance again on TikTok.
How the Starburst commercial travelled to TikTok
While you may recall this commercial, trying to figure out how it got popular again would leave anyone scratching their head. Delish reports that podcaster Justin McElroy takes responsibility for revitalizing the audio clip and posted the first video to TikTok using the sound byte. He also encouraged fans to start using it, causing the hashtag #BerriesAndCream to eventually take off, and the tag now claims over a billion hits. Other denizens across social media have taken the clip one step further, creating remixes or finding ways to incorporate the sample into other songs.
If you have a particular commercial you know and love from your past, you might one day find it on TikTok. This social media platform already has the power to bring back the once-forgotten Starburst commercial, and with any luck, you might just hear one of your favorite retro ads again in the form of a remix or mashup.