A woman’s viral TikTok post that garnered over 17.8 million views on the application is cheekily being decried as “fake news” by some.
Steul (@steul) uploaded a video claiming that for three nights in a row, her cell phone charger cord had been cut. Several viewers stated that she is creating tall tales in order to accrue social media views.
However, there were others who urged the woman to exercise caution. They believed that she could have a stalker gaining access to her home. Or, there was an intruder attacking her cables so that she wouldn’t have any battery life on her phone to call for help.
House Hippo
“Why did my iPhone charger get cut clean in half 3 nights in a row? I live alone,” an on-screen caption reads. Furthermore, she added in a caption for her clip that she is “literally so confused.” That’s because, according to the TikToker, she doesn’t “even have pets.”
The comments section was filled with speculation as to who or what could’ve been the culprit behind such a bizarre turn of events. Several TikTokers believed the charger cord could’ve been cut by a “House Hippo.”
No, this isn’t some mythical inter-dimensional being who engages in shenanigans just to frustrate and annoy human targets. It’s a reference to a Canadian media campaign designed to encourage children and audiences to embrace healthy skepticism, particularly when it comes to media reporting, TV ads, or what they see on the internet.
The blog Commonplace Fun Facts wrote about the “House Hippo,” who was featured in a series of Canadian PSAs. According to the website, the campaign, which features a miniature hippo, dates back to May 1999. The focal point of these advertisements was to encourage children to engage in critical thinking whenever they watched television.
As per the aforementioned website, a big talking point in these commercials was that kids shouldn’t believe everything they see and hear.
Backfired
However, it appears that the ads ended up having the opposite effect. That’s because throngs of kids ended up instead believing that house hippos were real. It’s an outcome the author of the piece called a glaring example of “irony.”
Some of this could be attributed to the fact that the original PSA was produced in the style of a short-form documentary. Throughout the clip, a voice-over actor’s voice can be heard rattling off supposed facts about the “North American House Hippo.” The artist’s tone is akin to what you would hear in a National Geographic wildlife documentary.
A superimposed, translucent map appears on the screen as a small, CGI-created hippopotamus can be seen ambling around a residential home. The creature begins stealing socks, explaining why some get “lost” in the washing machine. Next, the critter uses the clothing to make a nest for itself. According to the minute-long PSA, the hippo fortifies its daily caloric needs by foraging for food crumbs stuck in between couch cushions.
Duped
The point of the commercial is to delineate that even the most preposterous of claims can be produced to appear authentic. Presenting a glaringly absurd and untrue assertion in a manner that seemed genuine was supposed to highlight the PSA’s message, and it’s that tempering doubt with what one sees in the media is a good rule of thumb.
But it seems that the PSA’s producers may have overestimated the critical thinking capabilities of some of its viewers. Indeed, there were throngs of kids who watched the commercial and went on the hunt for these little creatures inside their homes.
Furthermore, the House Hippo became a “cultural icon,” according to Commonplace Fun Facts. Years later, the mascot’s effigy became the subject of numerous memes and social media posts. Additionally, the CGI hippopotamus took to the airwaves to spread his critical thinking messaging to social media posts, particularly ones that dealt with political claims.
The Daily Dot has reached out to Steul via TikTok comment for further information.
Internet culture is chaotic—but we’ll break it down for you in one daily email. Sign up for the Daily Dot’s web_crawlr newsletter here. You’ll get the best (and worst) of the internet straight into your inbox.
