The Conversation (0)
Sinead Butler
Oct 03, 2021
It’s taken over everyone’s TikTok “For You” page and it’s the earworm that nobody can get rid of.
People can never look at collared tops, and short hairstyles with a fringe, the same way again – all thanks to a certain “Little Lad” who has had a major comeback.
If you haven’t heard the Berries and Cream song, let us introduce you to the trending sound.
Where does the sound originate?
The song and dance actually originated back further than you may think. Cast your minds back 14 years ago to 2007, when sweet brand Starburst brought out its berries and cream version of their taffy treat.
Enter Jack Ferver, who starred in their commercial for the new flavour as the Little Lad.
During the advert, Ferver, who has a high-pitched British accent, begins by saying: “When I was a little lad, if I wanted berries and cream, Mummy made me do the little lad dance. Now Mummy’s gone. But I still like to do the little lad dance.”
He then proceeds to sing the now famous song: “Berries and cream, berries and cream, I’m a little lad who loves berries and cream!”
The Little Lad has bob-haircut with a full fringe and sports a black long sleeve top and trousers with with a big white collar, which some have compared to the look of a Victorian schoolboy or Lord Farquaad from Shrek.
The song was widely popular and racked up millions of views online – and so the Little Lad decided to give the people what they wanted... more berries and cream content. A video was released by Starburst, which featured the Little Lad teaching viewers do the Berries and Cream song and dance moves themselves.
“This one doesn’t surprise me,” said Gerry Graf, who was executive creative director on the spot. He told Adweek: “Most of the time when some of these come back, I’m kinda surprised. But knowing the talent and effort that created it, I can see it.”
“It’s made for TikTok. It’s the first TikTok dance—that we just happened to create for YouTube.”
As with any popular song that has ever existed, people of course made remixed versions of Berries and Cream which also went viral on YouTube.
How did the song become so popular on TikTok?
It all started when Justin McElroy, the oldest of the McElroy Brothers, uploaded a clip of Little Lad’s instructional video to TikTok on January 12th 2021 and captioned it: “Please make great art with this sound, its what we all need.”
@hoopsmcelroy Berries and cream
And the rest is history – there have now been more than 200,000 TikTok made using the sound.
Here are some of the most hilarious video using the now-famous jingle.
TikToker @yeetboishmoney shared a throwback to when her mother tried to “hype” her up to eat cottage cheese with berries when they didn’t have any other food.
Meanwhile, TikToker Benjy and his mates went viral for copying the Little Lad’s dance routine.
Katheryn’s uniform looks awfully familiar...
@katherynelissa catch ya girl in fantasyland :,))))
And so does Aynsley’s outfit as a matter of fact.
@aynsleypower I didn’t think about the haircut when I made this purchase
The Little Lad is really setting fashion trends as Fiona also seems to be sporting similar threads.
@howe_about_no Having this hair cut but not styling it... #berriesandcream #foryoupage #ginger
Nev from the MTV show Catfish even got involved with the trend and featured a very special guest.
@nevschulman Made a new friend @thereallittlelad 🍓🫐🥛 #berriesandcream #littlelad
The song has become so popular that’s its even inspired “Little Lad” merch.
@shopmaicase who wants this released tonight?😅#foryoupage #asmr #viral #shopsmall #ipadcases #berriesandcream #littlelad #berriesandcreamremix #copylink
TikTok has made the song more popular than ever, as Google Trends show that the words berries and cream has been hugely searched for over recent months.
The Little Lad must be delighted.
For an entire generation, “berries and cream” is no longer just a dessert but a viral phenomenon.