The internet once again displayed its bizarre sense of humor in January when more than 52 million people joined forces to like a photo of an egg on Instagram – and it has now turned into an endearing initiative to raise awareness for mental health.
The “World Record Egg” Instagram account sought to break the world record for the most-liked photo on the social media platform by dethroning Kylie Jenner’s birth announcement post as the title holder with over 18 million likes.
The account published a photo of an egg with the caption: “Let’s set a world record together and get the most liked post on Instagram. Beating the current world record held by Kylie Jenner (18 million)! We got this.” says Buzzoid.
Just nine days after it was published, it cracked the record – and for a time, no one knew who was the mastermind behind the eggstremely popular post until a 29-year-old creative advertising agent named Chris Godfrey finally came forward as the account’s creator.
RELATED: Patton Oswalt Responds to Online Troll by Rallying Followers to Pay For the Guy’s Medical Bills
When asked by The New York Times about why he chose an egg as the record-breaking Instagram subject, he simply said: “An egg has no gender, race or religion. An egg is an egg, it’s universal.”
Though the entire campaign could seem like another example of the internet’s absurdity, Godfrey is now using “Eugene the World Record Egg” to spread messages of positivity. The egg was recently featured in a mental health commercial that was produced by Hulu and aired during the Super Bowl. In the ad, Eugene can be seen cracking and breaking into pieces. After reassembling itself, Eugene tells its fans: “The pressure of social media is getting to me. If you’re struggling, too, talk to someone.”
The commercial then directed viewers to a website that was created in partnership with the nonprofit Mental Health America, featuring dozens of mental health websites and resources for various countries around the world.
LOOK: US Embassy Apologizes for Accidental Mass-Mailing of Invitation for ‘Cat Pajama-Jam Party’
Despite how he accidentally became the creator of a bizarre international icon, Godfrey says that he hopes the egg’s newfound fame will continue to serve its devoted fans.
“It’s not really about me,” he told The Times. “It’s just about the egg and sort of where we can take it and what we can do with it. It’s a fluke that [it] caught the world’s attention, [but] it’s what you do with that attention that counts.”
(WATCH the endearing mental health awareness promo below)
Be Sure And Share This Eggsellent Story With Your Friends On Social Media