Ever wanted to try a Tide Pod? Well now you can! Well, not exactly.
The Kingston Candy Bar, located at 319 Wall St. , has decided to take the recent “meme” or trend, and make it into a delicious donut. The shop is owned and operated by the Reeder family, where Diane Reeder makes most of the toppings for the donuts, including the Tide Pod donut.
Reeder explained how she first heard about the Tide Pod joke around a month ago when her 14-year-old daughter andfriend were talking about it. At first, she thought they were kidding, “Nobody is really that stupid to eat soap.”
Unfortunately, she was wrong.
People online have been calling it “The Tide Pod Challenge,” and have been attempting to eat the detergent. This challenge is very similar to what our generation knew as the “cinnamon challenge,” where you would attempt to eat a spoonful of cinnamon in under 60 seconds. Usually, it would result in coughing or choking.
The Tide Pod challenge has resulted in over 12,000 phone calls to poison control for eating laundry pods. Tide has noticed that their product has taken the internet by storm. More recently, they released a short video, featuring Rob Gronkowski, a tight end for the New England Patriots. The title of this video reads, “Gronk knows that Tide Pods are for DOING LAUNDRY. Nothing else.” They have also put more attention into a page on their website that has safety tips in regards to doing laundry, and what to do if an incident occurs.
Shortly after Reeder’s daughter showed her the video, she decided to incorporate it into her donut topping designs. “Something that crazy, and stupid, and dangerous; we decided to make a little fun of them and make a donut,” Reeder said.
The Tide inspired donut has drawn in more customers than one might expect. People who go to The Kingston Candy Bar think it is funny and believe it ties into the joke perfectly. Though, the reactions online are a little more mixed, with some saying that the business is encouraging young people to eat soap.
The Candy Bar alternates between regular and vegan donuts, with the Tide Pod donut being prepared both ways.The frosting is simply vanilla bean. “I wanted to flavor it lavender, but I was afraid someone might think we used soap,” Reeder said.
The Tide Pod meme seems to be ongoing, and there is no clear end in sight quite yet. McGillicuddy’s, a restaurant and tap house, located on Main St. of New Paltz, has also taken to the trend. They recently created a Tide Pod inspired-shot, which includes Blue Curacao, Rumchata, vodka and orange juice mixed together, where each one is perfectly floating above the other. This has been a hit with many as well.
“I think this trend is hysterical and definitely makes me want to try Tide-inspired everything,” said Julianne Merz, second-year student at SUNY New Paltz.
“These businesses are really smart for incorporating it into what they do,” she concluded.
