Kool-Aid Man Challenge

Submission 1,983

Part of a series on Internet Challenges. [View Related Entries]

About

The Kool-Aid Man Challenge is a reported internet challenge on TikTok in which participants forcefully kick open a door or run into a wall with the intention of breaking through it and then yelling, "Oh yeah," like the Kool-Aid Man does in commercials for the beverage. The trend first garnered controversy in July 2021 as reports of kids breaking down neighborhood fences for the challenge were shared by police in Massillon, Ohio. In February 2023, six kids were then reportedly arrested for attempting to do the challenge on neighborhood fences. Despite reports of the trend, some have claimed that it does not actually exist and is a hoax similar to the supposed Slap a Teacher Challenge, including a TikTok spokesman who spoke to Insider in December 2021.

Origin

Numerous videos of people breaking through walls or doors like the Kool-Aid Man have been posted to TikTok throughout the 2020s, although the trend is not significantly prevalent and seemingly no public videos on the platform show it being done as an act of vandalism. For example, on October 23rd, 2020, TikToker^[1] @wadewilkinson1 posted a video jumping through a wall during what appears to be a home renovation, garnering over 2,700 views in three years (shown below, left). On February 12th, 2021, TikToker^[2] @alexpresley_ posted a similar video of someone busting through a sheet of drywall covering a doorway, garnering over 900,000 views in two years (shown below, right).

On July 7th, 2021, the KMTV 3 News Now YouTube^[12] channel uploaded a video titled, "OPD seeking 'Kool-Aid Man' stunt suspects for destroying fences," showing Ring doorbell camera footage of kids breaking through a fence and running, garnering over 6,400 views in three years (shown below).

Spread

On November 11th, 2021, KTVB posted a report to YouTube^[3] about a man's vinyl fence being damaged due to the "Kool-Aid Man challenge." Video of the incident shows kids kicking down the fence and then running.

On November 23rd, the Massillon Police Department Facebook^[4] page shared two images of broken fences, writing that teenagers have been participating in a trend that they first call "fencing" but correct as the "Kool-Aid Man Challenge," garnering over 600 shares and reactions in two years (shown below). That day, the New York Post^[8] reported on it. On November 29th, PIX11^[5] reported on the story. That day, YouTuber^[6] Fruit Basket posted a video reacting to reports of the trend, garnering over 5,000 views in two years.

On December 1st, Insider^[7] published an article claiming that the Kool-Aid Man challenge does not exist. In the piece, they speak with a TikTok spokesperson who claims there is no evidence of the trend on the app. The article also mentions TikTok's purported Slap a Teacher Challenge, which was revealed to be a hoax.

2023 New York Fence-Breaking Incident

On February 22nd, 2023, Twitter^[9] user @PeiSzeCheng4NY posted video footage of six kids breaking a fence by kicking it and then running. The tweet claims that the kids were arrested for attempting the Kool-Aid Man Challenge, intending to post it on TikTok. NBC^[10] reported on the video that day and uploaded a segment to YouTube,^[11] garnering over 31,000 views in a day (shown below).