Netflix
A staggering 45m people watched Netflix's Bird Box over the holidays. The movie, starring Sandra Bullock, is a thriller in which the main characters must cover their eyes in an attempt to deceive the supernatural forces preying on their worst fears. The huge hit movie has spawned a number of memes already, including the #BirdBoxChallenge.
The challenge is simple: you blindfold yourself and see if you, like Sandra Bullock and the kids in the movie, can avoid injury as you go about your life.
Netflix, sensing the potential danger in this (or perhaps keen to stoke the viral flames even further) tweeted out a warning message raising awareness of how badly this could all go wrong.
“Can’t believe I have to say this, but: PLEASE DO NOT HURT YOURSELVES WITH THIS BIRD BOX CHALLENGE,” reads a tweet from the @netflix account. “We don’t know how this started, and we appreciate the love, but Boy and Girl” – a reference to Bullock's kids in the movie – “have just one wish for 2019 and it is that you not end up in the hospital due to memes.”
Can’t believe I have to say this, but: PLEASE DO NOT HURT YOURSELVES WITH THIS BIRD BOX CHALLENGE. We don’t know how this started, and we appreciate the love, but Boy and Girl have just one wish for 2019 and it is that you not end up in the hospital due to memes.
— Netflix US (@netflix) January 2, 2019
You can see a selection of the challenge videos below. Unless you're already blindfolded that is.
Bird Box Challenge #Netflix #BirdBox pic.twitter.com/wVY2wFraWj
— Laugh With Larante (@LaranteNoble) December 26, 2018
Y'all doing this #Birdbox Challenge? pic.twitter.com/Yjx86Ex55f
— FireMadeFlesh (@FleshFire) December 27, 2018
#Birdbox challenge 💀💀💀 pic.twitter.com/2p0duqam0e
— Ja〽️aR🎄 (@JMaLicous4U) December 30, 2018
#BirdBoxChallenge: @michaelstrahan attempts to put lipstick on @sarahaines with a blindfold on! #GMADay https://t.co/G4PdrKdY6w pic.twitter.com/h5HIWtJtXw
— Good Morning America (@GMA) January 2, 2019
uhm so me and my cousin was just messing around with this bird box challenge & this is how it went 🤣🤣 pic.twitter.com/OFG3QFazwX
— Tee✨ (@Terrilynlangrus) January 3, 2019