Cruel Food Brands Mangle Books For Meme Challenge. Readers Aren't Having It.
Various food brands thought they’d get cute by brutalizing books in a “don’t have a bookmark” challenge involving crushing Chex Mix and chicken wings inside of them and dousing them with milk. Haha, said book lovers, publishing houses, bookstores and libraries. Not funny.
The war was apparently started Monday by Chex Mix with a tweet showing its food bits scattered over the pages of a book, which was then snapped shut with its Chex Mix “bookmark” inside.
Stunned critics responded with “unfollow” — and worse.
Don't have a bookmark? Try using Chex Mix instead pic.twitter.com/MqcNedloE1
— Chex Mix (@ChexMix) September 9, 2019
We're calling the cops
— SparkNotes (@SparkNotes) September 13, 2019
— Shannon DeSantis Gile Should Be Reading (@gileslibrarian) September 12, 2019
... or you could not do that, ever, and stop by your local bookstore instead. We offer free bookmarks! https://t.co/nhNVsEWJlK pic.twitter.com/ExsYsOPyPT
— Second Story Books Rockville (@SSBrockville) September 11, 2019
Then it was Oreo Cookie’s turn. “Don’t have a bookmark? Try using Oreo cookies and milk instead,” quipped an Oreo tweet. “No books were harmed in this dunking,” Oreo chortled in a subsequent message.
Don't have a bookmark? Try using OREO cookies and milk instead: pic.twitter.com/vE71b3sK0W
— OREO Cookie (@Oreo) September 13, 2019
No books were harmed during this dunking.
— OREO Cookie (@Oreo) September 13, 2019
— Penguin Books (@PenguinBooks) September 13, 2019
— Strand Book Store (@strandbookstore) September 13, 2019
This is the worst social media challenge in history and we demand that all of you stop it AT ONCE. Books are precious objects that deserve our respect.
Now go sit in the corner and think about what you've done in the name of "content." https://t.co/rexTG3pBwh— Random House (@randomhouse) September 13, 2019
Then others joined in on the brutal action:
don't have a bookmark? try using vitaminwater instead. pic.twitter.com/ZqJnU8SJSY
— vitaminwater® (@vitaminwater) September 10, 2019
Wtf Vitaminwater. That’s just wasting vitamin water and a book
— JOVAN HAS RISEN (@ethermac) September 10, 2019
don’t worry it wasn’t our book
— vitaminwater® (@vitaminwater) September 10, 2019
Don't have a bookmark? Try using an ancient demonic curse to bind your book and haunt your enemies instead.
Are we doing it right, @ChexMix @vitaminwater pic.twitter.com/uUjNxSfq7Z— The Parliament House (@parliamentbooks) September 12, 2019
— Akron-Summit County Public Library (@akronlibrary) September 11, 2019
Hey, hey company trying to be cool... Do you hear that sound?
Press your ear to the floor, I hear that helps. Try, and you can feel it coming...
The encroaching sound of thundering beneath us... It's the sound of a thousand librarians and bibliophiles.
They are coming for you.— Scarab, Beetlest of Beetles (@SignBeetle) September 11, 2019
Don’t have a bookmark? Try using Gushers instead pic.twitter.com/mZoyO6wRR4
— Gushers (@gushers) September 12, 2019
Sorry mom pic.twitter.com/fFEUdpRVBo
— Gushers (@gushers) September 12, 2019
What did those books ever do to you? We have bookmarks. Let us help. pic.twitter.com/QfI9OZTSTA
— Kensington Books (@KensingtonBooks) September 12, 2019
lost your bookmark? use a chicken wing instead pic.twitter.com/GE0yo4A2fl
— Pluckers Wing Bar (@Pluckers) September 9, 2019
— Pikes Peak Library District (@ppld) September 11, 2019
don’t have a bookmark? try using a frozen beef sheet instead pic.twitter.com/OmAJ6Mtp5T
— Steak-umm (@steak_umm) September 12, 2019
thought we asked you not to do this
— America’s Librarian (@HalpernAlex) September 12, 2019
To be fair, I've seen a bacon bookmark in a library book. Same thing really.
— UrbanLibrariansUnite (@ULUNYC) September 12, 2019
Suggestions for kinder treatment were also available:
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Don’t have a bookmark? Try using your library card instead.
Don’t use @ChexMix.
Don’t use @vitaminwater.
Don’t be ridiculous.#LibraryCardSignUpMonth pic.twitter.com/C1JSRjOqcz— Jefferson County Public Library (@cojeffcolibrary) September 11, 2019
Don't have a bookmark? Try using Fred instead!!!! pic.twitter.com/zVpvYQlryN
— Laura E. Weymouth (@lauraeweymouth) September 11, 2019
don't have a bookmark? use a receipt like a every other book nerd pic.twitter.com/DTNNg0i5Fl
— Tor Teen (@torteen) September 12, 2019
Don't have a bookmark? Use literally ANYTHING BUT FOOD OR DRINK, YOU MONSTERS @ChexMix @vitaminwater pic.twitter.com/8I2bO8rL8P
— Strand Book Store (@strandbookstore) September 12, 2019
Also on HuffPost
This article originally appeared on HuffPost.
