Advertisement

Food

Hurts Donut has made Tide laundry pod doughnuts, capitalizing on a dangerous viral trend

Nobody should be sticking Tide laundry pods in their mouths. Full stop. But since some young people are, Hurts Donut wants to encourage them to eat doughnuts styled after Tide pods instead.

If you haven't heard of the "Tide Pod Challenge," it's a dangerous viral trend in which people -- mostly kids and young adults -- are sticking laundry pods into their mouths and chowing down, typically in a quest for internet fame. Defenders of the viral sensation claim it's just a joke, but calls to poison control centers have gone way up. The American Association of Poison Control Centers says that there have been "well over 50,000 calls relating to liquid laundry packet exposures" over the past five years.

In an attempt at damage control, Tide called in New England Patriots player Rob Gronkowski to film a PSA. YouTube is, thankfully, removing Tide Pod Challenge videos to try to stop the trend spreading further than it already has.

Advertisement
Eat Drink D-FW

The latest food and drink reviews, recipes and info on the D-FW food scene.

Or with:

Hurts Donut's Frisco location has apparently decided that if people are going to be adamant about eating laundry pods, there should at least be an alternative that won't literally poison you. According to their Facebook page, they've made doughnuts filled with frosting and sprinkles that feature the same blue and orange "swish" design on top as Tide pods do. Presumably, they also taste a lot better than detergent does. (Folks at The Daily Nebraskan seem to think they do.)

Advertisement

This is not the only time that somebody has made sweet treats fashioned after Tide pods, because that's the world we live in right now, apparently. Food that looks like poison is fun and trendy. What could go wrong?

The Frisco Hurts Donut location says the doughnuts will be available at 6 p.m. on Friday. An employee says they expect to sell them through midnight on Saturday.

We're not going to suggest that doughnuts are ever good for you, but we assume you're far less likely to throw up after eating one of these than if you ate a real Tide pod.