Huggies has rolled out a campaign for its limited edition denim diaper.  It features a young dude in sunglasses swaggering through the streets in his denim outfit as beautiful onlookers gawk (a few modelesque women lower their shades to admire more fully.)  Oh yeah – and the dude is a one-year old. 

Is this yet another tasteless effort by profit-hungry corporations to push the limits of acceptable moral standards in order to hog the spotlight in a typically unglamourous (and somewhat stinky) industry?  Yes and no.  Certainly, Huggies must have weighed the risk of offending some moms and dads against the reward of sending their brand viral (the golden fleece of marketers) and decided it was worth it.  The ad has garnered unprecedented media attention for a diaper manufacturer – the Globe and Mail even dedicated a column to it in last weekend’s edition.  Undoubtedly, the entire diaper buying public now knows they can purchase the fancy pants for the mini pooper in their lives, which likely is the ultimate goal for Huggies.

Some parents have, indeed, found the commercial offensive.  One commentator on Youtube writes: ” under what circumstance would an adult ever find a toddler’s diapers cool or reason to drop their jaw? It just doesn’t mesh with reality. The downside is, that there are pedophiles out there who would react this way.”  No doubt, there is something slightly disturbing about the idea of adults checking out a toddler, however the connection between this funny ad and pedophilia is tenuous at best.  Any video with the line: “I poo in blue”  really shouldn’t be taken too seriously.