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Joy

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.

So long, farewell, to my favorite web-clipper.

For 18 years, Pocket helped the Internet’s voracious readers—and biggest procrastinators—collect their favorite stories online. Stored neatly in one, easy to access location, as a digital hoarder, Pocket was an indispensable asset. That Forbes article on the “secretive, pay-for-play world of movie trailers?” Pocketed with a single click, thanks to cross-platform integration. Or, a deep-dive on “the unstoppable rise of digital detox retreats?” Intriguing, but not for right now. Pocketed. These articles, along with hundreds of others, that ranged from “Why America has so few carpenters” to “The amazing psychology of Japanese train stations” were kept safe, just for me, in my digital magpie nest.

That time has ended.

While dutifully logging onto the app one day, a pop-up appeared, reading “Pocket is shutting down.” The parent company, Mozilla, went on to explain: “After careful consideration, we’ve made the difficult decision to phase out Pocket—our read-it-later and content discovery app. This includes the Pocket Web, Android, iOS, and macOS apps, as well as the Pocket browser extensions.”

ereader, website, internet, article, clipperPocket says goodbye to the internet. Credit: Screenshot, Kat Hong

They also added,

“Pocket has helped millions save articles and discover stories worth reading. But the way people save and consume content on the web has evolved, so we’re channeling our resources into projects that better match browsing habits today. Discovery also continues to evolve; Pocket helped shape the curated content recommendations you already see in Firefox, and that experience will keep getting better. Meanwhile, new features like Tab Groups and enhanced bookmarks now provide built-in ways to manage reading lists easily.”


So, as of July 8th, 2025, after nearly two decades of faithful pocketing, Pocket is saying farewell. I don’t often feel sentimental about app closures or websites shutting down, but scrolling through my saves, it felt akin to a baby bird being pushed out of its nest before it learns how to fly. It felt like the end of an era.

Pocket and me <3

Pocket’s clean, simple interface (which, could be enhanced or further customized with Pocket Premium, the web-clipper’s paid model) was unique. Not overly fussy, like other websites or apps I tried to use, but functional. Genuinely nice to look at, in an age where aesthetics rules over all else.

It was also downright reliable, a function that’s increasingly becoming harder to find and thus exponentially more valuable. With a single click, eye-catching articles, deep-dives, or fleeting curiosities were safely secured, saved for a quiet moment to be unfurled. Often, that moment never came. That’s not the point. I had a digital treasure trove, collected and curated by me, that I could return to at times when scrolling on whatever social media app I was currently obsessed with could no longer hold my attention.

Pocket’s demise resounds through the Internet

But Pocket always felt too good to be true. While the Internet rushed toward instant gratification, overconsumption, and unlimited algorithmic feeds, Pocket cultivated patience and intentionality. With their daily collection of “Saves,” seemingly handpicked from the Internet, Pocket was more than a web-clipper—it felt like a genuine part Internet that could almost pass as community. Contributing writer Samantha Cole from 404 Media provides some context noting, “The Mozilla-owned Pocket, formerly known as ‘Read It Later,’ launched in August 2007 as a Firefox browser extension that let users save articles to… well, read later. Mozilla acquired Pocket in 2017.”

She continues,

“As I said, I’m upset! I use the Pocket Chrome extension almost daily, and it’s become a habitual click for articles I want to save to read later even though I fully know I never will. Before the subway had Wi-Fi, back when I commuted to work 45 minutes each way every day, I used Pocket to save articles offline and read outside of internet access. Anecdotally speaking, Pocket was a big traffic driver for bloggers: At all of the websites I’ve worked at, getting an article on Pocket’s curated homepage was a reliable boost in viewers.”

On Reddit, Pocket users are similarly mourning its dissolution, with one person writing, “I’m grieving. I used this feature nearly every day and loved the Kobo integration that allowed me to read saved articles distraction-free on a my Kobo e-ink devices. It’s the end of an era.”

Another wrote, “I’m gutted. I love Pocket…”

User @ThunderDaniel lamented, "Kind of bittersweet. I loved Pocket when I was a broke student that only had access to wifi speeds in the max of kilobytes per second. I’d download long form articles and cool listicles and read that stuff on my phone for hours. Surprised it took this long for Pocket to be shut down, but RIP nonetheless."


Computer, laptop, internet, collecting, pocket, ereadingWhat's next, now that Pocket is through?Photo credit: Canva


Now what?

The official Mozilla blog post says that Pocket will shut down on July 8th, 2025, but users will be able to export their saves at any time until October 8th, 2025. On that day, all user data will be deleted.

Premium monthly subscriptions will be automatically canceled before the next billing cycle and annual subscriptions will be canceled on July 8th with users receiving a prorated refund.

Finally, the Pocket email newsletter, Pocket Hits, (which offers readers "daily and weekly curation of engaging content from trustworthy sources") will be renamed to “Ten Tabs,” curated by the same editorial team.


ereader, website, internet, article, clipperInstapaper? Maybe that's the new frontier? Credit: Screenshot, Kat Hong

What platform will fill the Pocket-shaped hole in my digital existence? Well, I’ve been experimenting with Instapaper. People on Reddit seem to enjoy Raindrop.io.

Or, as 404 Media puts it, “404 Media contributing writer Matthew Gault suggests copy-pasting links to articles into a giant document to read later. Now that Pocket is no longer with us, I might have to start doing that.”

Pop Culture

Will Ferrell answers rapid fire questions from Stephen Colbert, and it's delightfully weird

A rollercoaster of unhinged to poetic that only Will Ferrell can deliver.

The Late Show with Stephen Colbert/Youtube

This funny man likes to take the window seat while traveling to see all the "dead bodies," i.e. trees.

For those not up to speed with all things Stephen Colbert—during his Colbert Report days, the television host popularized a bit called the "Colbert Questionert," where he asked the same 15 questions (covering the ”full spectrum of human experience") to whichever celebrity guest he was interviewing at the time.

That bit lives on with the Late Show, and during the show’s April 29 episode, Anchorman star Will Ferrell was asked those trademark "ergonomically designed” questions.

His answers were every bit as unserious as you’d might expect…from declaring the “classic” salami and grapefruit on rye with a light sheen of mayo as the “best sandwich” (which, actually, does sound pretty delectable), to naming penguins as the “scariest animal (“you know the old phrase, don’t turn your back on a penguin"). You can definitely tell Colbert is working very, very hard to keep himself together.

And yet, when asked, “What do you think happens when we die?” things took a bit of a profound turn.

“What I know happens…we turn into trees.”

- YouTubewww.youtube.com

He went on to say that once that happens, you’ll still be "experiencing" things, and “contributing to the world,” but…”that’s it.”

“And you know this…how?” Colbert replied.

“I just know it,” said Ferrell before immediately dubbing Sense and Sensibility as his favorite action movie followed by a full-on spontaneous acapella duet with Colbert of Rick Astley’s "Never Gonna Give You Up”— the one song Ferrell would pick if he could only listen to one song for the rest of his life. If that’s not life in a nutshell, I don't know what is: beauty, silliness, and everything in between.


Whether you find answers to this ultimate mystery in religion, a spiritual practice, science, or simply accepting that you’ll never know, the one truth of it all is that our bodies go back into the earth in some way or fashion. Some might find this concept unsettling, while others find it deeply meaningful—so much so that they opt for biodegradable urns or pods to house their remains which are then planted with a tree, allowing the remains to nourish the tree as they decompose and it grows.

- YouTubewww.youtube.com

So, while Ferrell was obviously taking on the funny man role, he also seemed to pull one of the oldest clown tricks in the book: offering poignant wisdom.

By the way, if you want to host your own little Colbert Questionert, here are the 15 questions:

  • Best sandwich?
  • What's one thing you own that you really should throw out?
  • What is the scariest animal?
  • Apples or oranges?
  • Have you ever asked someone for their autograph?
  • What do you think happens when we die?
  • Favorite action movie?
  • Favorite smell?
  • Least favorite smell?
  • Exercise: worth it?
  • Flat or sparkling?
  • Most used app on your phone?
  • You get one song to listen to for the rest of your life: what is it?
  • What number am I thinking of?
  • Describe the rest of your life in five words?
Joy

Woman makes a show out of timing how long it actually takes to do tasks she puts off doing

She's being hailed the "more relatable, Marie Kondo" for how she inspires people to tackle their own put off tasks.

@christinewrutzen/TikTok

Not all heroes wear capes.

We can all be guilty of convincing ourselves that certain tasks will take wayyyyyyy longer than they actually do. Those mountainous piles of clothes that need to be folded (or is it washed? who can tell anymore), the fridge that desperately needs old condiments thrown out, removing whatever entity is behind that couch…

No matter what chore we’re procrastinating on, odds are we are making it way more herculean than it actually is. And now, thanks to one brave—and very entertaining—soul, we have definitive proof.

In her super-viral TikTok series titled “How Long Does It Actually Take,” fellow procrastinator Christi Newrutzen dons a pair of sunglasses, comfy clothes, and a newscaster-worthy microphone as she times herself doing dull tasks she’s put off…some upwards of a couple of years.

It’s really the perfect combo of charming deadpan delivery, relatability, and eye-opening discoveries that make these videos so impactful. In the clip below, Newrutzen puts away two loads of laundry, which she had been putting off for 11 days.

Armed with her laptop (because she always has to watch something while doing laundry) Newrutzen managed to do it all in just 28 minutes.

 
 @christinewrutzen I dont know if it looks like it but it was in fact 2 loads of laundry 😂 and I always have to be watching something while I put away laundry otherwise it's like a death sentence 🥲 #cleantok #laundry #homeimprovement #clothes #adhd #executivedysfunction #organization ♬ Boss Bitch - Doja Cat 
 
 

In another video, Newrutzen finally schedules a dentist appointment. After three years of avoiding it, the whole thing only took nine minutes.

 
 @christinewrutzen i dont know why this took me soooooooo long to do, but MAN do I feel so much better now, please don't judge me, this was hard 🥲 #procrastination #dentist #appointment #cleantok #organization #adhd #executivedysfunction #homeimprovement ♬ original sound - Christi Newrutzen 
 
 

Newrutzen also handles bigger tasks, like organizing the garage. This did end up taking a little over an hour. But considering the shelves have apparently “never not looked like this,” it’s still safe to assume this was undeniably less taxing than she assumed it would be.

 
 @christinewrutzen This one took me out, I was really not feeling it by the end 😩 ill have to take out all that stuff to the dumpster later 😅 #cleantok #cleaning #organizing #garage #procrastination ♬ two - bbno$ 
 
 

Newrutzen’s longest task to date seems to be repainting a chest of drawers she bought discounted in hopes of refurbishing. It was a project she started two years ago, and hadn’t touched since. This technically took her 23 hours, including waiting for paint to dry and whatnot. But the actual time spent working on said project was an hour and four minutes.

If this is inspiring you to finally conquer your own ever ending to-do list, you’re not alone. So many people shared how Newrutzen’s videos gave them the gumption to tackle their chores. Lo and behold, they made the same discoveries she did!

“I timed how long it took me to match the freaking socks last night,” one viewer wrote. “Because of you, I found out it only takes me 15 minutes!! I swore it was an hour long deal.”

“I’ve been staring at a mess in my hallway for about a week now trying to get myself to clean it up and because of your video I did it this morning and it took a total of 42 seconds,” another shared. “42 seconds!!!!!!”

Others just chimed in to praise Newrutzen for her contribution.

“You are the new, more relatable, Marie Kondo,” one person gushed.

“You're gently and comically reminding us that the giant, foreboding thing in the corner that we've been dreading for months is not THAT bad if we just do it ✨ TYSM,” said another.

productivity, marie kondo, getting things done, to do list, chores, procrastination An assortment of stick notes on a car steering wheelImage via Canva

Newrutzen told Upworthy that the response to her series has equally inspired her to do more.

"It feels incredible to know my videos are having this kind of impact on people and also I am finally getting stuff done that I've needed to do for years," she said, adding that she continues surprising herself with how quickly she gets certain tasks done. Unloading the dishes, for example, took around 5 minutes. "Dishes are literally the bane of my existence but seeing it through that perspective has helped me a lot!"

Next time you find yourself putting off that thing (you know the one), remind yourself that it likely won’t take nearly as long as your brain tells you it will. Maybe even take a page from Newrutzen’s book and time yourself doing it to get that hard data. Because, even though perfection is impossible, having something so minuscule take over valuable brain space is just plain stressful…more stressful than actually doing the thing.