Current:Home > FinanceCity of Boise's video of 'scariest costume ever,' a fatberg, delights the internet -Wealth Evolution Experts
City of Boise's video of 'scariest costume ever,' a fatberg, delights the internet
SignalHub View
Date:2025-04-07 13:34:23
One “scary” Halloween costume has the made the City of Boise the talk of the town, and the internet.
Elizabeth Kidd, social media manager for the city, had been trying to figure out a way to create content for TikTok for years, but it didn’t start to click until earlier this summer, when she noticed that there were a lot of people talking about Boise, a lot of videos being made in Boise and a lot of people from Boise on the platform.
“We should be there and we should be making sure that our message and our value are part of the conversation about Boise that’s happening on TikTok," Kidd told USA TODAY on Friday.
She ended up striking gold with the city's first TikTok: a skit in which she scares city leaders by dressing up as a "fatberg," or an accumulation of oil and grease that, when been poured down the drain, congeals with other waste flushed down the toilet. The video includes the city's mayor and some noteworthy performances.
“The way we did the specific video is something that I’ve also been thinking for a while now, which is, ‘How do we as local government break through on social media?’" Kidd explained. "Because I’m trying to talk about the water renewal system while I’m competing with Moo Deng.”
More about the City of Boise's hit video
The video, which shows Kidd dressed up as a fatberg to get everyone at the office in the Halloween spirit, has delighted many who have come across it online since it was posted Tuesday. The video was also reposted on another social media platform the next day, garnering over 2 million views on X alone.
“It’s officially October and to get everyone at City Hall in the Halloween Spirt, I put together the scariest costume I can think of,” Kidd says in the video. “And I’m gonna go try and prank some of my coworkers.”
The response to the video has been so overwhelmingly positive that Kidd can’t help but be “very excited” about it.
“As somebody who’s creating content all the time, I’ve learned to never expect that something is going to do great because we are all living at the mercy of an algorithm,” Kidd said. “I was really proud of the work that we did on that video.”
Watch: Fatberg ‘haunt’ City of Boise office
Entertaining people while informing them
Kidd and her team, Taylor Nash and Abby Haydin, wanted to make sure that the content created for TikTok could get the “really important information” they needed out there in an engaging and entertaining way that serves the people of Boise.
Kidd had been tinkering with the idea of making “mockumentary style” content because “it's a good way” to get out a lot of information out and create something very fun.
A couple of weeks ago, her and team had the idea to do something with fatbergs, which “wreak havoc” on the water renewal system, Kidd says in the video.
The message of the video is to remind City of Boise residents and viewers to avoid flushing any kind of wipes, even the ones branded as “flushable” down the toilet, so a fatberg does not “wreak havoc” on the water renewal system.
The goal is to make people 'excited to be a part of our city'
Kidd got a “good response” from a lot of people in the office before she posted the video for the public
Kidd shared it on her personal TikTok and in an Instagram story, but she and her team didn’t “really do any kind of promotion” for the video, or about the City of Boise posting to TikTok.
The fun, according to Kidd, has been seeing the video take off and the “overwhelmingly positive” response they have gotten.
Many viewers likened the video to NBC's hit office sitcom "Parks and Recreation," with one user commenting: "We need more episodes."
One user said, "Elizabeth, you're a star," while another posted: "I love you, City of Boise TikTok account."
Kidd just hopes that people “think twice before they flush wipes again” and that the next time they fill out a City of Boise survey that they “remember that they like following us on TikTok.”
The story was updated to add a photo.
veryGood! (6)
Related
- Appeals court scraps Nasdaq boardroom diversity rules in latest DEI setback
- Ex-jailer in Mississippi is charged in escape of inmate who had standoff with Chicago police
- Rob “The Rabbit” Pitts, Star of Netflix’s Tex Mex Motors, Dead at 45 After Battle With Stomach Cancer
- Chick-fil-A's latest menu additions are here: Banana Pudding Milkshake, spicy sandwich
- McConnell absent from Senate on Thursday as he recovers from fall in Capitol
- Pennsylvania museum to sell painting in settlement with heirs of Jewish family that fled the Nazis
- Taylor Swift shuts down rumors of bad blood with Charli XCX
- Cooper Flagg, Duke freshman men's basketball phenom, joins New Balance on endorsement deal
- Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Hi Hi!
- Mother of high school QB headed to Tennessee sues state of North Carolina over NIL restrictions
Ranking
- The FTC says 'gamified' online job scams by WhatsApp and text on the rise. What to know.
- Martin Short Shares His Love for Meryl Streep Amid Dating Rumors
- Ballerina Farm Influencer Hannah Neeleman Returns to Mrs. American Pageant to Crown Successor
- Hailey Bieber Shares Glimpse Into New Chapter After Giving Birth to Her and Justin Bieber’s Son Jack
- EU countries double down on a halt to Syrian asylum claims but will not yet send people back
- Comic Relief US launches new Roblox game to help children build community virtually and in real life
- Former North Dakota federal prosecutor who handled Peltier, Medina shootout cases dies
- Fake online reviews and testimonials are a headache for small businesses. They hope the FTC can help
Recommendation
At site of suspected mass killings, Syrians recall horrors, hope for answers
Wisconsin Supreme Court refuses to hear case seeking to revive recall of GOP Assembly speaker Vos
Lily Allen Responds to Backlash After Giving Up Puppy for Eating Her Passport
RealPage lawyer denies collusion with landlords to raise rents, 'open to solutions' to resolve DOJ lawsuit
Grammy nominee Teddy Swims on love, growth and embracing change
Pennsylvania museum to sell painting in settlement with heirs of Jewish family that fled the Nazis
Baywatch’s Nicole Eggert Shares She's in a Grey Area Amid Breast Cancer Battle
Noel and Liam Gallagher announce Oasis tour after spat, 15-year hiatus