'TikTok made me buy it': 8 hilarious viral products

The hashtag #TikTokMadeMeBuyIt currently has 64.1 billion views, producing endless videos of the viral products that have earned cult status.

A quick scroll shows me a mushroom-shaped air fort, butter cutter, burger holder, toothbrush dryer, mini sticker printer, and even a magnetic phone arm for your laptop. I think I’m OK with holding my own burger and using a wet toothbrush, but the sticker printer and phone arm could almost tempt me.

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I asked my community on social media to share what they’d bought based on hype alone, and whether they still used it. While there are a couple of success stories, there are some epic fails too.

Multiple parents came to me with tales of the viral ‘tummy time’ crawling crab toy that seems to have made its way into the carts of sleep-deprived new mums at all hours of the morning.

Universally hated by the parents who bought it, the bubs actually seem to love it.

“I definitely wouldn’t have bought it if I wasn’t sleep-deprived,” one buyer said.

One Aussie was hooked by a viral video of a cellulite-busting suction cup. The $5 tool promised smooth and supple skin after use, which involved dragging the suction cup over your lumpy bits.

“It hurt, and it didn’t work,” the buyer said.

Grab your inner child, they’re going to want to check this one out.

Another impulse purchaser was targeted with an ad for a dinosaur-shaped nacho bowl, affectionately known as the nachosaurus.

“I saw it on Instagram or Facebook and purchased [it] immediately, and even suggested that all my friends also bought them. Several did.”

Sadly, after just one round of Jurassic nachos, the nachosaurus is now MIA somewhere in the purchaser’s house. Perhaps it’ll make for a fun discovery next time they move.

Another #TikTokMadeMeBuyIt fail comes from an Aussie who forked over $34.95 for a glorified ice cube tray, which promised gliding the stick over your face would brighten your under-eyes.

Effectively just a round ice cube mold, not only did it not work, the miracle product ended up breaking her capillaries, leaving her forking out for laser treatments to fix it.

“My beauty therapist thought I was joking when I told her.”

You’ve probably seen the endless viral videos for the miracle neck pillow that props your head up so you can snooze on a long-haul flight. Reviews on this one are divided, with some attributing the best flights of their life to the pillow. For others, however, it wasn’t such a success.

One TikTok victim tells me: “When I opened it, I was like, ‘This isn’t it’. It’s just plastic inside a microfibre blanket material!”

I have this product myself and I agree, they’re definitely playing it fast and loose with the word “pillow”. The $60+ product was a fail – despite its thousands of five-star reviews.

Another victim of hype was lured in by fleece-lined tights that promised to match every skin tone. How, I’ll never know but, clearly, the ad was convincing.

Unfortunately, the buyer reports: “They made [my] legs look the colour of peeled potatoes.”

Another TikTok favourite is the viral migraine cold cap. It's a soft cap that you put in the freezer and then slide on when a migraine strikes. The gentle 360° pressure and coolness after being frozen, I’m told, genuinely provides real relief.

We have a winner. “It does make a markable [sic] difference for the time it’s on,” one buyer said.

Last, but not least, a plastic rice-ball maker. I’m told that you put rice in, shake it, and it makes rice balls. Unfortunately, the buyer hasn’t ever tried it, so I can’t share a review.

“I bought it on social media and forgot about it,” she said. “A month later it showed up and I had no idea what it was.”

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