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Sales for GoodPop are surging after husband's obsession over watermelon flavor goes viral

The story of this full blown love affair over a simple popsicle is a must-watch.

Sometimes when the taste hits, it really hits.

A big part of marriage—or simply living with another person—means learning to love the little quirks of the person we're coexisting with. Be it their routines, hygienic habits (or lack thereof) or strange obsessions.

For Eli McMann, that meant embracing his husband’s years-long, uncontrollable compulsion for GoodPop watermelon-flavored popsicles.

“He tried them, and was like, ‘this is the best thing I’ve ever had in my entire life,’” McMann recalls in a now-viral TikTok.

 


After that fateful moment, McMann noticed his husband eating “ridiculous” amounts of these watermelon popsicles (the GoodPop brand, specifically). Their freezer was filled “to the brink,” the house would be riddled with used popsicle sticks… McMann's husband even commandeered the freezers of all of their friends as well, just in case they happened to be there and a craving struck.

 

Eventually McMann thought to himself “is there a problem? Am I supposed to have an intervention?” He went to X trying to get answers as to how these frozen treats could have taken over their lives, which unfortunately only inspired curiosity in other folks who decided they too must try this tantalizing watermelon popsicle.

Lo and behold, the trend took off so much that GoodPop reached out to McCann, specifically thanking him (well, his husband, rather) for causing their sales to skyrocket across the country, and even offered to send them some free merch.

“It’s been amazing to see so many new people discover GoodPop in such a real, unscripted and joyful way," GoodPop's Founder/CEO Daniel Goetz tells Upworthy. "We’ve been doing this for 15 years - crafting feel-good frozen treats with integrity - and to see all this love come to life has been so incredibly humbling and exciting."

And that just makes this hilarious story even sweeter when you learn more about the fact that GoodPop is a pretty cool company with real people behind it trying to make a positive impact in the world.

"I’m so happy for everyone this impacts - from to our Texas watermelon farmers, to our team that cuts the melons, to our nonprofit partners across the country - we we are all able to share in this viral moment," Goetz added.

And now, McCann’s husband is practically their new brand ambassador, wearing all the branded hats, shirts, gloves, etc, everywhere he goes. They of course also send boxes upon boxes of popsicles for them to sample. If McCann thought GoodPop was taking over his life before…

 


 

Little did they know that soon, their popsicle luck would run out. About three minutes into the video, McMann shares that a few days prior, his husband let out a blood curdling scream from the other room. Worried something had happened with their baby, he rushed into the other room only to find the real reason behind the scream: their grocery store would no longer carry his husband’s drug of choice. In fact, no surrounding stores would carry them either. Naturally, this sent McMann’s husband into a “full blown spiral.”

“This man spent the better part of two hours calling grocery stores within a fifty mile radius," McMann said. Eventually he found one a mere twenty miles away, and began planning how he could make regular excursions out to buy the popsicles in bulk.

“I am not a religious man, but I am begging you people to pray for us,” McCann concludes.

 


GoodPop, of course, seized the opportunity to deepen its bond with its number one fan. In a subsequent series of videos, we see a GoodPop delivery driver supposedly pedaling some boxes all the way from GoodPop headquarters in Austin,TX to Salt Lake City, where McMann and his husband live. The company even changed their TikTok bio to read “Eli’s husband’s favorite pop.” In an exceedingly ironic twist of fate, a photo of McMann begrudgingly holding a watermelon popsicle is now GoodPop’s profile pic, making him more of a mascot for the brand than his husband.

 
 @goodpop We’re on our way! Stay tuned and follow our journey to get pops to Eli’s husband! 🍉💨 . #popsicleemergency #goodpop #watermelonpopsicle #goodpoppopsicle #goodpopwatermelon #watermelonpop ♬ original sound - GoodPop 
 
 

In a time when companies seem more and more out of touch with the people they supposedly serve, and when the internet seems to continuously disconnect us, moments like this feel all the more special. McCann certainly didn’t share this little story about his husband’s popsicle obsession in order to go viral, but viral went nonetheless, making so many emotionally invested in a product they might have otherwise never known of. In turn, GoodPop could have simply used the viral video to promote their products, but instead established an actual human relationship. Just a little dose of TikTok using its powers for good.

By the way, even if watermelon flavor isn’t your thing, GoodPop has other delicious flavors, along with a ton of other tasty, good-for-you treats, like ice cream sandwiches, orange creamsicles, Mickey Mouse pops, and more. Check out their website here.

Permission to use.

Nikki Glaser in a photoshoot.

Comedian, actress, and podcaster Nikki Glaser is a force to be reckoned with. Though she was named in Time Magazine as one of 2025's Most Influential People, her humility never lets it go to her head. She's obviously hilarious, but in a way that pushes boundaries most didn’t even know existed. As a savage roast-master, she somehow simultaneously puts people at ease while she (sweetly) says the dark things we're all thinking.

But it's herself who she roasts the hardest. She's unique and thoughtful with her approach to joke-writing, but is also not afraid to dig deep with the constant effort to better her life. She never shies away from getting truly vulnerable, making most people in the room feel like they're her best friend. Luckily, I actually can call Nikki a friend and can wholeheartedly relay that she's the kind of person who walks into a room and electrifies it. She's not only wicked-smart, but she's the kind of girl's girl who shows up, no matter how busy she is. (I recall once complaining about the Los Angeles dating pool and within five minutes, she had set me up on a blind date.) She's as solid as they come and I was thrilled to chat with her for Upworthy about some things I always wanted to know.

Upworthy: If you remember the movie Sliding Doors—if one thing had gone differently for you—what do you think you’d be doing?

Glaser: "I like to think that if my voice teacher in high school hadn’t taken my mom aside after one of our lessons and told her I had a bad voice and would never make it in musical theater, that I would have kept singing. And maybe would have been able to pursue a career in music, (not musical theater, she was probably right about that one). But I think that I just assumed she meant all singing. Now, I’m way too many years into singing improperly. I take voice lessons now, but it’s so hard to undo years of poor singing that I could have avoided if I had never given up."

  - Gwyneth Paltrow, Nikki Glaser, Sliding Doors, podcats  www.youtube.com  

Glaser continues with the message she wishes she had received earlier, and wishes to impart on younger generations:

"In general, I think that if I had just gotten the message at a young age that talent isn’t born, it’s developed, I would have pursued more things that I thought I just didn’t 'have.' I was never someone who was naturally talented. Stand-up was literally the first thing in my entire life that I seemed to have a knack for, so I just kept doing it. I’m glad I did, but after I read the book The Talent Code in my 30s, I really understood that all I really needed to do to be talented at anything I wanted to be was put in the work.

That’s why I always try to tell kids that they can’t give up if they aren’t good at something. You can literally be better than someone who is naturally talented if you just put more hours in than they do, even if they have a huge head start. I never thought of hard work as the best talent of all. I wish that message had been instilled in me more as a kid."

Upworthy: To that point, if you had a "second dream"—anything you wanted to be at all—what would it be?

Glaser: "Besides a singer/songwriter, my true passion would have been to develop a CBD lip gloss line with H&M. JK. I mean, I’m open to it, but in general, I just wish my life’s work involved more animals. Animals are my passion, and traveling as much as I do, I don’t get to bring my dog as much as I’d like. I also would love to get a bird, but I’m never home and you can’t bring them on planes (I haven’t looked into it). That’s the only part of aging and inevitably getting edged out of show business that I’m looking forward to: I’M GONNA GO FULL BIRD LADY."

Upworthy: Is there a joke you've written that you just can't seem to make work?

Glaser: "I have a joke about how fat people are discriminated against, which is a little tricky because I am not fat. And no one wants to hear a skinny person talk about how hard it is to be fat, but at the same time, I notice it and I want fat people to understand that it’s bullshit and I see them. I’m not trying to be a hero or anything. I just know that my body and food issues stem from the way our society treats fat people and I just feel like not enough is being said about it."

  - Nikki Glaser, comedian, Golden Globes, monologue, stand up comedy  www.youtube.com, CBS 

 

Upworthy: Who or what makes you consistently laugh?

Glaser: "As of late… Rachel Feinstein, David Spade, Martin Short as Jiminy Glick, Tim Robinson, and Chris Fleming. I also LOVED Jim Norton’s latest special on YouTube, UNCONCEIVABLE. And I was just texting earlier today with one of my funniest friends, comedian/writer Sean O’Connor, and we both declared that one of the funniest jokes we’ve ever heard was Nick Swardson’s joke: “I took my cat to the veterinarian today because my cat had diarrhea. And the vet was like, ‘What have you been feeding him?’ and I’m like, 'diarrhea.’"

Upworthy: Why is Cecily so amazing? (JK, JK. I mean, unless you really WANT to answer.)

Glaser: You are kind, non-judgmental, hilarious, effervescent, and just one of the best all-time hangs. Not to mention, sexy and cool!

Upworthy: You have been very open about (and I hate the word journey) your "journey" with mental health. Any tips for people struggling with depression? Like if someone could do "one or two things" to help their mental health, what would you advise?

Glaser: "I would first try a free meditation app. That’s what I did when I was broke and was in desperation for any kind of relief from my negative thoughts. It really helped. I would also recommend 12-step programs. There’s one for just about everything (if you don’t have an addiction, look into the requirements to qualify for Al-Anon because that's really a catch-all). The meetings and fellowship are free and you can go on Zoom and just listen if you are scared to share. And no, you don’t have to believe in God to go."

Upworthy: Have you ever met someone else who's famous and completely freaked out?

Glaser: "Yes, I’m quite an obsessive fan of celebrities who I love, and I can never seem to keep my cool when I meet them. I was a Dave Matthews stan in high school and I met him in 2018 and I humiliated myself by saying the word “sphere” a lot. I don’t even know why. It had nothing to do with the Las Vegas Sphere. It was well before that even existed. Thank God I got to meet him a few years later and act relatively normal.

 dave matthews, celebrities, celebrity crush, jam band Dave Matthews sings in his band.   Giphy  

My policy now with these kinds of icons is that I don’t really want to meet them. I just feel like a huge bother when I share how much they mean to me. Unless of course they are new to fame or have faded from the spotlight; then I’m happy to tell them. Like someone like Patrick Schwarzenegger. I ran into him at a party and it was right after the second episode of White Lotus season three, so I knew he wasn’t being hounded yet. I was happy to bother him and gush over how much of an incredible talent he is. As someone who’s not a huge A-lister, I get how much it means when someone tells you they like your work. But someone who is a global pop star doesn’t need me shaking and crying and telling her she saved my life. I don’t want to bother her with my anxiety. She needs to save her energy to write songs, not hug me so I stop convulsing."

Upworthy: No matter how popular you get, is there one thing about you that will never change?

Glaser: "I don’t think people really ever change. I try! I am always holding out hope that I’ll somehow conquer my imposter syndrome and overall low self-esteem. I’m about to start EMDR therapy. We’ll see how that goes! I know that some artists and comedians argue that it serves their work to be depressed or anxious, but I feel like I've already mined all of my insecurities for material in the first two decades of my career. I’d like to change into someone who’s more confident, but don’t we all? I don’t want to ever think that I’m better than anyone else, but I’d like to lose the core belief that I’m worse than others."

A little girl peaking through stage curtains.

One little girl is somersaulting her way into people’s hearts, and reminding us all of how important it is to put yourself out there every once in a while.

In a now-viral TikTok clip posted by @ashleydkennedy14, we learn that her kindergarten-aged niece had apparently entered herself into a talent show without telling her mom—a feat that involved forging mom’s signature onto a permission slip, no less.

And just what did this “act” consist of? Somersaults. Lots of ‘em. Six, to be exact. Also one cartwheel, for good measure. She’d basically deliver one roll, wait for uproarious applause, then do another one. Solid routine, if you ask us.

Honestly, it’s hard to tell which aspect of this moment is more endearing: watching this little girl valiantly overcome a wee bit of shyness—and in the process tapping into some pretty captivating stage presence—or seeing how enthusiastic the audience was to support her. Just good, wholesome stuff all around.

Watch:

 
 @ashleydkennedy14 lol. I’m ☠️☠️. She signed the form herself. #fyp #lol #funny #talentotiktok ♬ Get Ready - Steve Aoki Vocal Radio Edit - 2 Unlimited 
 
 

Even online viewers were taken aback by this girl’s fearlessness. Or rather, her determination to keep going, in spite of her fear.

“I need to know what her parents did because this is CEO level confidence and I am here for it.”

“She was like oh 🤸 u like that 🤸”

 talent show, funny kids, funny kids videos, wholesome, kids, kids dance, kids gymnastics, family, endearing Nailed it. media4.giphy.com

“Im honestly impressed by her independence. She signed herself up and was confident that she had it. Good job mama.”

“She will go far in life. Courage is everything.”

Others noted how kind the crowd was to cheer her on.

“For the people who clapped, as a mother: THANK YOU. it means a lottt.”

“The cheers from the crowd are the best.”

“Ok. because the crowd passed the vibe check. We cheer over here, be brave!”

Funnily enough, plenty of other folks chimed in with similar stories of kiddos sneaking into talent shows…with talents they may or may not have actually possessed.

“My son tried to sign himself up to do karate at his school talent show…he’s never been to a karate class in his life…”

 talent show, funny kids, funny kids videos, wholesome, kids, kids dance, kids gymnastics, family, endearing Watch out, she knows karate!media1.giphy.com

“My daughter entered herself into the talent show in 1st grade and didn’t say anything. She played the piano… she had never played piano in her life til that day lol I need that confidence.”

“My brother did this! He played harmonica for the whole school. He doesn’t know how to play the harmonica.”

While this girl might receive a stern talking to about the importance of not forging signatures, her story is nonetheless a prime example of how kids can really shine when left on their own to take risks, try new things, and opt for exploration over perfection. It can be hard for parents to not want to protect their little ones from failure (whatever that means), but life often provides moments just like this to remind them that taking a step back is a precious opportunity to help instill some self advocacy.

It’s just like the old saying goes, “Leap, and the net will appear.” Or in this case…somersault, and the cheers will follow.

This article originally appeared in May.

A French woman, a cheerleader, and a garbage disposal.

As the leader of the free world, many people outside of the U.S. have strong opinions about America and its residents. Not all of them are accurate, of course, which can lead to some misunderstandings with non-Americans. However, it also opens the door for plenty of humor.

Americans are admired by many across the world for our creativity, entrepreneurial spirit, and can-do attitude. But they also draw some side-eye for their love of huge portions, guns, and patriotism. Non-Americans are also skeptical about why they have garbage disposals and love putting ranch dressing on just about everything.

A Reddit user asked Americans for “the funniest thing a foreigner has said to you about America.” The answers were a great mix of cultural misunderstandings, myth-busting, and much-needed geography lessons. Here are 15 of the funniest things non-Americans have told Americans about the U.S.

 laughing, man in hoodie, gen alpha, man with beard, funny, joke A man laughing.via Canva/Photos

1. Slick Willy

"While being transported from the airport to the hotel in Morocco, the cab driver said, 'American?' I responded, 'Yes.' His response: 'Ahhh yes. Bill Clinton.'"

"Buddy was in Eastern Europe in the 90s, and a little old lady who spoke no English found out he was American and just said 'Monica Lewinsky' and then laughed."

2. American monsters

"An International Student (from Malta) and I were hanging out at the 'Smoker's Lounge,' aka the place in front of the dorms where people smoked. A raccoon popped out of one of the trash cans, and he freaked out and said that the animals in North America were the size of monsters."

3. It's a big country

"A Japanese person once told me that the US is 'enviably wide.'"

"Because Japan is similarly tall, but lamentably skinny."


 american, us map, map of us, territory, cities of us,  A map of the United States.via Canva/Photos

4. Melon farmers?

"A guy from the UK I know loves to refer to Americans as melon farmers. Melon farming imbeciles. Doesn't know what some object I refer to is? Must be some kind of weird melon farming contraption. Where have I been the last few days? Must have been tending to my melon farm. I wish I had a backyard instead of a dumb asphalt apartment parking lot? Ah, I must be missing life back on my melon farm."

5. No wood houses

"This man I knew in college was from rural Kenya. Apparently, your temporary house was constructed of wood. Folks that had gained enough wealth no longer had a wooden house."

"We had a guy from Kenya bring pumpkin spice muffins to a potluck. He said something like 'I see how you keep pumpkins on your porches, so I figured you must really love them.'"

6. We love ranch

"A French guy asked me if we really put ranch on everything. I said, 'Yes, even salad,' and he stared at me like I’d just admitted to living in a dumpster."



7. Guns, guns, guns

"A Persian man that I worked with did a redneck impression. He said 'I'm an American and I like guns and Jesus' in a perfect southern accent."

"When I lived in Italy, one of the first questions my neighbors asked was 'How many guns do you have and where do you keep them all?' They were absolutely floored that I didn’t own any guns."

8. Small world

"A waiter in Prague asked where I was from. I told him Boston. He said, 'Oh, I have a friend named Tomas Dvorak in Wyoming. Do you know him?'"

9. We love peanut butter

"When I studied abroad in Germany, my host family told me 'We bought lots of peanut butter for you. We know Americans need peanut butter.' I do love peanut butter, but I had definitely never heard that stereotype before!"

"I did once startle a lovely Australian couple with my PBJ. Apparently, PB and J are only considered compatible here in North America. They looked at the sandwich I made with the same kind of horror I might’ve used on something with, IDK, tuna and marshmallow fluff."

10. Are cheerleaders real?

"'Are cheerleaders real?' Cheerleaders were in movies, but a teenager in London had no idea if that was a real thing. It was a charming conversation as a teenager."

"I like how foreigners will believe that everyone in America is dodging gunfights and car chases on their morning commute, but then think we made up cheerleaders and yellow busses for the movies."


 cheerleaders, football, cheerleader squad, rah-rah, high school girls,  Cheerleaders with their pom-poms up.via Canva/Photos

11. Sweet tea is addictive

"A British friend of mine called southern sweet tea 'the most vile, disturbing, horrific swill ever created. Please bring another pitcher.'"

"If they don't have to amputate a foot after your first glass it needs more sugar."

12. Angry sink

"Saying I had an angry sink because it had a garbage disposal in it."

13. Crossed-up

"My fiancé from the Netherlands asked what the 'zing' road sign meant that he kept seeing everywhere. I couldn’t figure out what the heck he was talking about at first. It was the X-ing (crossing) sign."

"My international colleague thought it was a word in Chinese (Xing) and was very confused by this lol."


 crosswalk, city, big city, stressts, cars, pedestrians People crossing the street.via Canva/Photos

14. It's bigger than you think

"My wife's Swedish cousins thought they could go explore both New York City and Los Angeles in a single weekend."

"Also had Swedish visitors, and we live in New England. They wanted to take a drive to California during the 5 days they were going to be here, and they wanted to stop and see the Grand Canyon along the way, then be back in time to catch their flight home out of Boston."

15. The Ohios

"Was at a pub in Italy with a friend, and some of the guys found out we were American. Proceeded to take shots with them toasting ‘to the Ohios!’… we’re not from Ohio lol."

"Which Ohio are you not from, North Ohio, or South Ohio?"

This article originally appeared in May.