Take This Lollipop

Take This Lollipop is a 2011 interactive horror short film and Facebook app written and directed by Jason Zada. Developer Jason Nickel used Facebook Connect to bring viewers themselves into the film, through use of pictures and messages from their own Facebook profiles. Starring actor Bill Oberst Jr.[1] as 'The Facebook Stalker', the film acts to personalize and underscore the dangers inherent in posting too much personal information about oneself on the internet.[2][3][4] The information gathered from a viewer's Facebook profile by the film's app is used once and then deleted.[3] The title is derived from the 1963 song "Please Little Girl Take This Lollipop", written and performed by singer-songwriter Bobby Jameson, which is used in the film.

Take this Lollipop
Film poster
Directed byJason Zada
Written by
  • Jason Zada
  • Jason Nickel
Produced byJason Zada
Brendan Kling
StarringBill Oberst Jr.
CinematographyMihai Mălaimare Jr.
Edited byJason Zada
Music byBobby Jameson
Production
companies
Little Monster
Tool of North America
Distributed byTool of North America
Release date
  • October 17, 2011 (2011-10-17) (Internet)
Running time
2 minutes, 38 seconds
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

According to Zada, Take This Lollipop was taken offline "a few months" prior to August 2018. The film's website now hosts a new version of Take This Lollipop, now a horror game about a meeting. However, as of 2022, the website now hosts both experiences, albeit for $2.00 to access.

Synopsis

The interactive film first requests that viewers temporarily allow the application access to their Facebook account, and then incorporates information gleaned from the viewer's Facebook page to fill in details of the film itself.

Showing 'The Facebook Stalker' as a thin, creepy fellow, hunched over and typing at a computer keyboard, images provided from the accessed Facebook account begin to appear as the stalker types at his keyboard, and appears to search for the specific Facebook user who had granted access. The Stalker becomes more and more agitated as he scrolls through the discovered information, until he locates the home of the user, pulls up Google Maps, and finds directions to the user's home from geographic data contained in his or her profile. With the user's profile picture taped to its dashboard, the stalker is then seen driving in his car to the user's location, apparently to perform mayhem.

At the end of the film, a screen appears with an image of a red lollipop containing a razor blade. Below the image is the viewer's Facebook screenname and the name of the stalker's next victim as gleaned from the viewer's own profile.

Production

Concept
Bill Oberst Jr. (pictured) portrays the ominous Facebook stalker in Take This Lollipop.

The title comes from a parents' warning to children to avoid taking candy from strangers.[2][5]

The concept developed from director Jason Zada's attraction to horror films from his youth, his wish to do something serious within that genre, his experience as a digital editor, and his understanding that people place their personal information on the internet for anyone to find. He decided to create a project that would "get under people's skin without any gore or anything",[2] and that would underscore its point by making it about the viewer in a quite personal manner.[2] The writer/director came up with the idea in September 2011, after waking up one morning and thinking about how he loved the Halloween season.[6] Zada explained, "I wanted to do something that messed with people and I wrote the script. Instantly, I knew there was something special about the idea."[1] He briefly toyed with the idea of using an "A-list" actor, but instead chose character actor Bill Oberst Jr. for both his look and his skill. He stated, "When I saw Bill's headshot, I knew he was the guy. It was a twist of a role and Bill was the right type and he'd done horror movies. Some actors would overdo it, the audience needed to see what you're doing without thinking. I wanted people to feel his anger and discomfort with minimal movements. Bill went deep. He trusted the process."[1] Oberst himself spoke toward his development of 'The Facebook Stalker' persona, saying "It was easy to get into character. The filming environment was an abandoned and reputedly haunted hospital, that helped and Jason's script and direction did the rest. Stepping onto the dressed and lit set and sitting at that desk, it was very easy to feel the vibe."[1]

An earlier viral video by Zada was the Elf Yourself project for OfficeMax which had been seen by 194 million people in its first six weeks.[7] Being a fan of "exploring human interaction with media", Zada used similar techniques for Take This Lollipop, but tapped into what he sees as the "larger collective fear we have now"[2] toward personal information being on the internet.[2]

Marketing

The project had no real marketing at all, beyond its YouTube trailer and then an initial release on October 17, 2011, to a few personal friends, who then wrote about it on Twitter.[8] Within 24 hours of release, the film had been watched approximately 400,000 times and had over 30,000 "likes" on Facebook.[2] A week later, the film had been viewed 7 million times with 1.1 million "likes".[1] As of March 4, 2012, the film had received nearly 13 million "likes" on Facebook.[9]

Release

The trailer for this film was posted to YouTube on October 14, 2011,[10] and the film and website themselves went live one week later, on October 17, 2011. The site was blocked temporarily by Facebook as a malicious app, but after Zada clarified that no Facebook information was being misused or shared, the site was unblocked.[5]

Music

Director Jason Zada revealed on his Twitter page that the music used in the video was "Please Little Girl Take This Lollipop", a 1963 single by singer-songwriter Bobby Jameson,[11] and according to music production company Little Ears, it was scored by Future Perfect and mistimed for creepy effect.[12] Jameson wrote on his blog: "It took a lot of hard work to get the credit for the use of my song. No money, but at least I am credited for my work."[13]

Reception

The interactive film has received both national and international attention, with coverage on 20minutes,[14] Sky Italia,[15] Les Numeriques,[16] TendanceOuest,[17] Stern Magazine,[18] Site Oueb.[19] and International Business Times,[20] and continued discussions over how to protect children when they are using the internet, with coverage by such as the New Zealand Herald,[21] CNN,[22] and Persoenlich.[23]

Digital Trends admired the film's drawing of attention to the dangers of posting too much personal information online, writing that the film was "a creative way to simultaneously grab your attention and scare you into being a little more careful with your Facebook information."[24] Ad Age praised the film, writing "The piece, which integrates your Facebook photos and location information into an eerie short film, combines great storytelling, high-production values and visual elements that are so realistic you'll think twice about letting your kids on".[1] The New York Times made note of the uniqueness of the film in that it starred the viewer, and that each viewer would see themselves in the film as established through their own Facebook profile.[6] Forbes wrote that the film was "designed to prey on any Facebook privacy fears you may have, especially if you have a dirty, sweaty ex-boyfriend who resembles the guy in the video (Bill Oberst)".[25] The film was called a "scaremongering app"[26] by Adweek, which wrote "Sharing stuff on Facebook is scary. You could be tracked down and hacked to death by a maniac!"[26]

CNN reported that the film took the worst fears about posting personal information on the internet, and turned them into "2 minutes of horror."[5] In noting the film's introductory page, displaying an image of a lollipop with a razor blade in it, the network reminded viewers of the parental advice to children that they should not take candy from strangers. Though explaining that the film's application uses a viewer's Facebook data only once, and then deletes it, CNN offered that "the creepy results just might make you think twice about who else gets access to your online information."[5] Director Jason Zada explained that the clip was intended to spur thought about how much information we share online. He commented, "Our privacy was dead a while back and will never be the same. Life as a whole has changed. If you look at the video, the scariest part is that your information is in the video. The piece is scary because a person is violating your privacy, not because it's bloody or there's anything jumping out."[5] The Star-Ledger reported that the film has growing popularity, due to its being novel, but that such popularity is also found in how the horror short "touches upon our concerns about private information and how it could be misused if it falls into the wrong hands."[27] GlobalPost reported that the film had gone viral as a "customized horror movie that stars you and your friends".[28]

In discussing how parents must educate their children about the dangers inherent in a releasing of personal information about themselves to the internet, CNN wrote "Behind the litany of frightening facts and figures (not to mention fears like those preyed upon in viral-video Take This Lollipop, an interactive horror film that incorporates text and images from your Facebook profile) lurks a disturbing truth."[22]

Recognition

The website 'Co.Create' listed the film as among 'The 5 All-Time Best Facebook Campaigns', calling it "One of the most interesting Facebook campaigns".[29]

Awards and nominations
  • March 2012, Won three awards at SXSW: Overall 'Best in Show', first place in category 'Experimental', and first place in category 'Motion Graphics'.[30]
  • April 2012, Won D&AD Award for 'Digital Advertising/Web Films'.[31]
  • April 2012, nominated for Andy Award for 'Agency Innovation'.[32]
  • April 2012, nominated for two Webby Awards, under categories 'Experimental and Weird', and 'Viral'.[33]
  • May 2012, Won Daytime Emmy Award for 'New Approaches - Daytime Entertainment'.[34][35]

References
  1. Gale, Porter (October 24, 2011). "How Jason Zada Created Facebook's Scariest Viral Sensation: TakeThisLollipop.com". Ad Age. Retrieved March 3, 2012.
  2. Indiewire staff (October 20, 2011). "Interview: Jason Zada, The Director Behind That Creepy "Take This Lollipop" Website". Indiewire. Retrieved March 4, 2012.
  3. Shayon, Sheila (October 18, 2011). "Take This Lollipop Spooks Facebook Users". Brandchannel. Archived from the original on June 4, 2012. Retrieved March 3, 2012.
  4. staff (October 31, 2011). "Take This Lollipop Facebook App – Creepy Way to Visualize Your Privacy". Social Media Today. Archived from the original on August 9, 2012. Retrieved March 3, 2012.
  5. Gross, Doug (October 28, 2011). "Interactive video turns Facebook fears into 2 minutes of horror". CNN. Retrieved March 3, 2012.
  6. Wortham, Jenna (October 18, 2011). "Mysterious Site Creates a Horror Movie, Starring You". The New York Times. Retrieved March 3, 2012.
  7. Ford, Rob (September 8, 2010). "Jason Zada - Tool". Favorite Website Awards. Retrieved March 4, 2012.
  8. Zada, Jason (October 17, 2011). "Wanna see something scary? My new Facebook Connect Experience". Twitter. Retrieved March 4, 2012.
  9. "Take This Lolipop: I Dare You". Facebook "Like" count at top of page. Retrieved March 4, 2012.
  10. Jason Zada as "shinyrobot". "Take This Lollipop (Official Trailer)" (video). Jason Zada. Retrieved March 3, 2012.
  11. Zada, Jason (October 31, 2011). "@Robbie It's a fantastic track from 1963 by Bobby Jameson". Twitter. Retrieved March 8, 2012.
  12. Little Ears (November 9, 2011). "Little Ears - Take This Lollipop". Google Plus. Retrieved March 8, 2012.
  13. Jameson, Bobby (April 5, 2012). "TAKE THIS LOLLIPOP INTERACTIVE VIDEO". Blogspot. Retrieved August 8, 2017.
  14. P.B. (October 19, 2011). "Take this lollipop: Votre cauchemar Facebook devenu réalité". 20minutes (in French). Archived from the original on October 20, 2011. Retrieved March 3, 2012.
  15. Ferrando, Floriana (October 28, 2011). "Take This Lollipop e Facebook diventa un thriller". Sky Italia (in Italian). Retrieved March 3, 2012.
  16. Thuret, Romain (October 28, 2011). "Take This Lollipop : le serial killer de Facebook est à votre porte". Les Numeriques (in French). Retrieved March 3, 2012.
  17. "Découvrez l'application Facebook qui fait trembler Internet". Tendanceouest (in French). November 30, 2011. Retrieved March 3, 2012.
  18. Fröhlich, Christoph (December 6, 2011). "Lutscher wird zum Facebook-Schocker". Stern (in German). Retrieved March 3, 2012.
  19. staff (December 6, 2011). "Take This Lollipop - le serial killer de Facebook buzz sur Internet". Site Oueb (in French). Retrieved March 3, 2012.
  20. staff (October 18, 2011). "'Take This Lollipop' to Meet your Facebook Stalker 'Take This Lollipop' to Meet your Facebook Stalker". International Business Times. Archived from the original on January 25, 2013. Retrieved March 3, 2012.
  21. Johnson, Chloe (December 4, 2011). "Site gives mum rude awakening". New Zealand Herald. Retrieved March 3, 2012.
  22. Steinberg, Scott (November 10, 2011). "Kids and technology: The new rules of online safety". CNN. Retrieved March 3, 2012.
  23. von Matt, Jung (December 7, 2011). "Austausch mit US-Digital-Cracks: Interview zu Facebook-Round-Table in New York". Persoenlich (in German). Archived from the original on January 8, 2012. Retrieved March 3, 2012.
  24. McHugh, Molly. "Take This Lollipop makes Facebook stalking personal – and horrifying". October 18, 2011. Digital Trends.
  25. Hill, Kashmir (October 18, 2011). "'Take This Lollipop' And Get Your Very Own Creepy Facebook Stalker". Forbes. Retrieved March 3, 2012.
  26. Nudd, Tim (October 18, 2011). "'Take This Lollipop' Gives You a Lovely Facebook Stalker". Adweek. Retrieved March 3, 2012.
  27. Venutolo, Anthony (October 27, 2011). "Get creeped out: 'Take This Lollipop' site going viral". The Star-Ledger. Retrieved March 3, 2012.
  28. Karimjee, Mariya (October 27, 2011). "'Take This Lollipop' to get a personalized Facebook stalker". Global Post. Retrieved March 3, 2012.
  29. Iezzi, Teressa. "The 5 All-Time Best Facebook Campaigns". fastcocreate.com. Retrieved May 28, 2012.
  30. "2012 XSXSWi winners". SXSW. Archived from the original on May 16, 2012. Retrieved May 28, 2012.
  31. "Awards 2012, Winners". D&AD. Retrieved May 28, 2012.
  32. "2012 ANDY Shortlist". Andy Award. Archived from the original on April 29, 2012. Retrieved May 28, 2012.
  33. "16th Annual Webby Awards Nominees & Winners". Webby Awards. Archived from the original on May 29, 2010. Retrieved May 28, 2012.
  34. "2012 Daytime Emmy Awards - 'New Approaches - Daytime Entertainment'". Daytime Emmy Awards. Archived from the original on September 10, 2012. Retrieved May 28, 2012.
  35. Gash, Doctor (June 24, 2012). "Take This Lollipop Takes An Emmy". Dread Central. Retrieved June 30, 2012.
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