This week on The Deep Dive: Hasbro’s one and only W in recent history, if the government doesn’t want us to smoke then why do anti-vaping PSAs make it look so cool, 2007 online knitting community drama walked so 2023 DIY TikTok drama could run, Kings Of Leon still has no idea why you liked Sex on Fire so much, and the lies behind the citrus bowls in AD’s Open Door series.

Don't forget to check out all the newsletter-recommended video essays to date in The Deep Dive’s YouTube playlist and keep an eye out for more from The Deep Dive, coming tomorrow! 👀

ENTERTAINMENT

CUPONK: How Hasbro Sold Beer Pong to Kids by slow start (40:49)

When it comes to well-timed product launches, CUPONK is in a league of its own, introduced early enough for kids’ toys to still be relevant and late enough into the digital age for trick-shot content to experience its earliest wave on YouTube. For preteen boys between the ages of 9 and 13 in the late 2000s, the CUPONK phenomenon is a core memory. But for everyone else, there’s a good chance you missed it entirely. In this video, slow start reflects on CUPONK-mania, diving deep into the explosive rise and abrupt fall of the beloved niche game. How did innovative consumer research and a chance encounter with one of the earliest pieces of trick-shot content pave the way for the perfect game for preteen boys? And did Nerf and the color pink’s late-2000s cool factor play a role in CUPONK’s demise?

ADVERTISING

Anti-Vaping Ads want you to Vape by Maggie Mae Fish (33:38)

Everyone’s allowed their one conspiracy theory, and this video may just have me convinced when it comes to this one. These days, anti-vaping ads are taking a slightly different tone compared to trauma-inducing anti-smoking ads featuring aging women with holes in their necks (US readers, remember that one?). Instead, campaigns like Truth Initiative and The Real Cost are making vaping seem kinda cool, ”metal” even. In this video, Maggie Mae Fish talks about the difference between anti-nicotine PSAs that work and ones that just plain don’t. If the government’s real goal is to combat tobacco use, why aren’t their solutions working? And are the trendy visuals in today’s anti-vaping ads making things worse?