The Origin Story of the Little Lad Who Loves Berries and Cream

How a 2007 Starburst ad's strategic embrace of creator culture made it a 2021 TikTok viral sensation

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If you’ve opened TikTok in the past few weeks, there’s a high probability that you’ve heard—and perhaps even seen—a little lad who loves berries and cream.

The character’s repetitive song and marionette-like dance have fueled an incalculable number of video clips, viewed more than 350 million times on the app. It’s been remixed with Abba, haunted dreams, inspired fiction and flooded the inbox of anyone with a shoulder-length pageboy haircut.

Such a feat of cultural supersaturation would be a coup for any piece of content, especially an ad.

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