Scrub daddies have become commonplace in #CleanTok videos, but is the craze going a little bit too far? That was the question on TikTok viewers’ lips as Kay (@kaylee.s13) shared a video of a Scrub Daddy on sale in Home Goods.
So far, not so weird, but there’s some crucial context here: The Scrub Daddy was massive. As it towered over Kay, the song “Stuck In The Middle” by Tai Verdes played. Like fellow TikToker @jewelthegeek, who also came across and filmed the giant Scrub Daddy, Kay was left stunned most of all by the price.
Zooming into the tag, Kay revealed that the Scrub Daddy cost $999.99.
In the comments, a lot of viewers admitted that they were confused by the premium price
“Why is this so expensive?” one pondered, speaking for pretty much everyone.
“So what do you do with it?” another asked. “Like, cut off small pieces to use until you’ve used it all up? Like, […] what’s the equivalent in regular size sponges so I can see if it’s worth it?”
A third joked that it was the “consumerism final boss,” while a fourth opined, “I could see $1,000 if it was like a chair or something, but it’s literally just a giant sponge.”
In the description of the video, Kay revealed that someone had actually bought the Scrub Daddy. The video has amassed 4.1 million views. Home Goods didn’t immediately respond to the Daily Dot’s request for comment via email.
@kaylee.s13 UPDATE: ITS BEEN BOUGHT!! Best thing I’ve ever seen! Explain this 🤣 @Scrub Daddy @HomeGoods #fyp #homegoodsfinds #homegoods #trending ♬ Stuck In The Middle – Tai Verdes
Why are Scrub Daddies so popular?
Since featuring in Shark Tank back in 2012, interest in Scrub Daddies has reached a pinnacle.
As well as having their signature happy face, Scrub Daddies are unique because they’re made from a polymer called FlexTexture. This allows the sponge to change texture depending on the temperature of the water you put it in.
While Scrub Daddies will be softer in warm water, they become more firm in cold water. According to the Scrub Daddy website, the product is also scratch-resistant and dishwasher-safe. Furthermore, the company claims that the sponge lab-tested did not hold any odor for up to eight weeks.
In an article for Slate, Mia Armstrong-Lopez added, “The joy of the Sponge Daddy isn’t that it’s a fundamentally different kind of sponge; it’s just a better version of a regular sponge.”
Update 1:17pm CT, Nov. 12: A spokesperson for Scrub Daddy told the Daily Dot via email: “We’re excited to share that the Giant Scrub Daddy has landed at select HomeGoods stores! Over the years, our fans have spotted the giant Scrub Daddy starring in many of our social media posts and flooded our DMs asking, ‘Where can I buy the big one?’ So, we’re thrilled to offer everyone the chance to bring one home now. We can’t wait to see how our fans use this larger-than-life sponge to tackle their biggest cleaning challenges!”
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