The errant anti-marijuana campaign Stoner Sloth has gone viral, albeit perhaps not in the fashion that Australian government authorities wanted it to; after being relentlessly mocked online.
The campaign, which shows a sloth being stoned in a variety of social situations, has its own Tumblr page and Facebook account. Its purpose was to encourage kids to stop getting high, instead stoners everywhere have been laughing uncontrollably.
So far, the compilation video on YouTube has amassed more than 1.6 million views, with the hashtag #stonersloth trending on Twitter on the weekend, where the campaign's notoriety exploded -- despite being around since November.
New South Wales Premier Mike Baird was seemingly unaware of the campaign created by his own team, the New South Wales Department of Premier and Cabinet (DPC), expressing his surprise on Saturday.
Just saw the #StonerSloth ads. Not sure where NSW Gov's ad guys found Chewbaccas siblings, but those videos are... Quite something.— Mike Baird (@mikebairdMP) December 19, 2015
Whoever created the ad is not admitting it publicly, just yet. Best Ads On TV has a full list of credits affiliated with the Stoner Sloth campaign, and it is believed the ad agency behind it is Saatchi & Saatchi Australia, according to AdNews. Mashable Australia has contacted the agency for comment.
If the creator had performed a quick online search, it would have revealed Stoner Sloth is the name of a marijuana store in the U.S. state of Colorado. Oops.
The National Cannabis Prevention and Information Centre (NCPIC) has distanced itself from Stoner Sloth, calling for the New South Wales Department of Premier of Cabinet to retract claims its research formed the basis of the campaign, according to Fairfax Media.
A classic reaction
A collection of unofficial merchandise has made its way on to the market, including t-shirts, wall art and bags, featuring the new catchphrase of the stoner sloth generation: "Pass the salt." We'd be keen for a plush toy.
Meanwhile, Stoner Sloth has inspired a raft of parody videos, some as hilarious as the original campaign itself. Here are our favourites.