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By Eleanor Lees
Lifestyle Reporter
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If your TikTok For You page has been flooded with bizarre song remixes thanks to the "berries and cream" trend, you are not alone.
While the songs themselves may be strange, the meme's origin is even weirder.
This is everything we know so far about the trend.
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What Is the "Berries and Cream" TikTok Trend?
For the most part, the trend just involves remixing popular songs and sounds on the app to include the words "berries" and "cream."
The hashtag #berriesandcreamremix currently has over 30 million views and has remixed hits like Dolly Parton's "Jolene", Cardi B's "WAP" and Elton John's "Benny And The Jets".
Meanwhile the hashtag #berriesandcream has over 690 million views.
The videos using the latter hashtag also includes remixes, while other users have posted videos to the hashtag as they react to how deep into so-called "Berries and Cream TikTok" they have gone, with the videos flooding their For You page.
Some have even dressed up in outfits inspired by the character who originally sang the jingle.
Where Did the "Berries and Cream" Trend Come From?
Believe it or not, the history of this TikTok trend starts with a Starburst commercial in 2007.
In an advert for a since-discontinued Berries and Creme flavor of the candy, they introduced the Little Lad character to the world.
One actor says to another, "Have you tried this new Berries and Creme Starburst?"
Before the second man can answer, the camera widens and a man resembling Shrek villain Lord Farquaad appears and interrupts asking: "Pardon me, what kind of Starburst did you just say?"
The first man begins to answer and says "Berries and..." before he's cut off by Little Lad who asks "berries and what else?"
"And creme," the first man finishes, as Little Lad drops his briefcase in excitement.
Little Lad then begins to dance and clap his hands singing: "Berries and creme, berries and creme, I'm a little lad who loves berries and creme."
Cut to 2021 and in January a clip of Little Lad dancing and singing his song was first shared to TikTok by podcaster Justin McElroy, with the caption: "Please make great art with this sound, its what we all need [sic]."
Two months later, the trend had yet to catch on, with McElroy tweeting: "I put the berries and cream guy on TikTok as an original sound, just as an act of real altruism, and it ... didn't catch fire in the way I thought."
Just a few months later, in August, it began to gain traction and now the app is flooded with berries and cream videos.
In September, one user even found his March post and replied: "Update: it caught fire."
Last week, McElroy wrote on Twitter: "If I delete the sound would we all be free?"
He clarified in a subsequent tweet: "I would never do this, but I would have enjoyed the sense of power."
Even the actor who originally played Little Lad in the commercial, Jack Ferver, has jumped on the trend, opening the TikTok account @thereallittlelad.
The account posted its first video at the beginning of this month and has already racked up 1.2 million followers. Ferver has even done the Starburst dance with Catfish host, Nev Schulman.
Ferver wrote of the fascination with Little Lad on Instagram: "It's strange. After all these years. To see a character I created a hundred years ago... return..... of its own free will...[sic]."
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