2006 / Video / Creator-led practical-effects spectacle
Diet Coke + Mentos
One hundred and one bottles, five hundred Mentos, and a backyard fountain that inspired widespread soda-and-candy experiments.
The original is hosted off-site; this page provides context and a link to it.
What was this?
In lab coats and goggles, the pair set off a cascading field of Diet Coke geysers with carefully timed Mentos drops. It was homemade spectacle with carefully timed homemade spectacle.
Why it spread
The official post drew thousands of viewers within hours; television invitations and NPR followed that first week. Its simple, repeatable premise set off a worldwide wave of soda-and-candy experiments and early viral-video remakes.
What happened
In lab coats and goggles, the pair set off a cascading field of Diet Coke geysers with carefully timed Mentos drops. It was homemade spectacle with carefully timed homemade spectacle.
Where it came from
Maine creators Fritz Grobe and Stephen Voltz, working as EepyBird, spent six months developing a choreographed fountain experiment. They filmed Experiment #137 in one take and published it on EepyBird.com on June 3, 2006.
Why it mattered
EepyBird showed that a small, creator-owned experiment could become huge without pretending to be an ad or a television show. It combined practical effort and visible spectacle in a format people wanted to share.: practical effort, visible wonder, and exactly the kind of thing you had to send to someone.
How it spread
The official post drew thousands of viewers within hours; television invitations and NPR followed that first week. Its simple, repeatable premise set off a worldwide wave of soda-and-candy experiments and early viral-video remakes.
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