LONDON -- On Wednesday morning, a small marketing agency in Newcastle had the random -- but brilliant -- idea to set up a livestream of a medium-sized puddle outside their office.
The puddle covered the width of the pavement, and it was just the right size to cause passers by some hesitation as they approached it.
This sort of thing is exactly why I love England #DrummondPuddleWatch pic.twitter.com/TcqyIPQLe8— Natalie (@natalietyler) January 6, 2016
Because the Internet is a strange, strange place, the whole thing snowballed. #Drummondpuddlewatch was soon trending on Twitter and the livestream went from a few hundred to over 20,000 viewers in a matter of hours.
People began commenting on everyone who approached the puddle, trying to guess whether they'd skirt round it, walk through it or -- in the case of a few heroic individuals -- leap straight across it. One man commented to say he'd been watching the stream for 35 minutes while sat in the toilet at work.
This guy just did the most amazing jump during the #DrummondPuddleWatch pic.twitter.com/GjmeEWFNyx— Elliot Wagland (@elliotwagland) January 6, 2016
It wasn't long before major brands were using the puddle to promote themselves on social media.
Here are just some of the impressively random companies who got in on the action.
Domino's - delivering to puddles near you. #DrummondPuddleWatch https://t.co/WDVJQbqbpy— Domino's Pizza UK (@Dominos_UK) January 6, 2016
Be careful out there, puddles everywhere... #DrummondPuddleWatch pic.twitter.com/TC67EXlC3V— Cats Protection (@CatsProtection) January 6, 2016
Watching #DrummondPuddleWatch and desperately hoping for this: pic.twitter.com/Y02LEwyU3B— ASOS (@ASOS) January 6, 2016
Crossing the Drummond puddle like... #DrummondPuddleWatch pic.twitter.com/XOI7VuCuLM— Star Wars UK (@StarWarsUK) January 6, 2016
Locked in #DrummondPuddleWatch— MTV UK (@MTVUK) January 6, 2016
Yarny knows how to cross a puddle #DrummondPuddleWatch pic.twitter.com/Q4ZKCbCPHm— EA UK (@electronicarts) January 6, 2016
#DrummondPuddleWatch trending on Twitter. First person to get yourself down there in a pair of Paddy Power pants gets a 100 quid free bet!— Paddy Power (@paddypower) January 6, 2016
Now THIS is how you cross a puddle. #DrummondPuddleWatch pic.twitter.com/rHRivt0cCP— DiRT (@dirtgame) January 6, 2016
Seems like an appropriate read about now… https://t.co/rIHGnnIa2u #DrummondPuddleWatch pic.twitter.com/2TFcMyRJor— Waterstones (@Waterstones) January 6, 2016
You've got to give some of them points for their creativity, to be fair.
British politicians even got in on the action.
Joining #DrummondPuddleWatch? Might like to think about need to maintain existing roads rather than build new ones. https://t.co/Ag4mhj3dc4— Natalie Bennett (@natalieben) January 6, 2016
Finally, the whole thing got so big that people starting rebelling against it.
I prefered #DrummondPuddleWatch's old stuff before it got too mainstream...— Andrew Isidoro (@Andrew_Isidoro) January 6, 2016
#DrummondPuddleWatch is on BBC News. A bloke with a lilo turned up. Paddy Power have latched on. pic.twitter.com/rrjXO2yvMF— Alex Myrrhllane (@Mullane45) January 6, 2016
Got to say, I was into the puddle before it hit the mainstream #DrummondPuddleWatch— Matt Fincham (@mattfincham) January 6, 2016
remember when we were the only ones who liked the puddle? it's gone so mainstream #DrummondPuddleWatch— Chris Bennion (@PigLimbedViking) January 6, 2016
Now the puddle is just another chapter in Internet's bizarre history. Still, it was fun while it lasted.
#DrummondPuddleWatch is the most British thing to have ever happened on the internet.— Dean Burnett (@garwboy) January 6, 2016