WICHITA, Kansas (KSNW) – A Kansas doughnut chain is using the latest social media stunt, the “Tide Pod challenge,” to promote a new kind of doughnut.
The challenge involves people, mostly teenagers, eating the laundry capsules on video for others to see on social media.
Hurts Donut joined in on the craze by selling the doughnut version of the laundry capsule.
“We just kind of put out the post as just a funny alternative to a more serious topic,” said Trista Patterson, owner of Hurts Donut. “We see so much heavy stuff every day that we’re just putting a little lighter approach on a serious subject.”
But not all were amused by the imitation capsules.
On a Facebook post by the doughnut shop announcing the Tide Pod doughnut, one person commented “I’m sad people think this is so funny. So what if there is a size difference. This is bad. Children are going to see these and associate them with Tide Pods.”
Another said, “This is uncalled for.”
Patterson assures people she is not encouraging people to eat the actual capsules.
“Hurts Donut company, in general, has never really claimed to be a serious business anyway so we’re just kind of poking fun at it and saying, you know, putting out our own PSA saying eat this, not that,” she said.
Patterson said they sold more than 50 of the Tide Pod donuts Wednesday, the only day they were selling them.
KSNW reached out to Tide. They did not address the donuts but did say, in part, “Laundry pacs are made to clean clothes. They should not be played with, whatever the circumstance, even if meant as a joke.”
