What is Brownies & Downies?

People often say that online, bad news travels faster and further than good news. The decent and wholesome things people do every day never get as much attention as the negative and unwholesome activities we read about on our typical feeds.

Brownies & Downies, a Dutch bakery which employs people with Down Syndrome, has gained a lot of attention (and criticism) on TikTok lately, making an important argument for the power of good news and wholesome vibes online.

How Did Brownies & Downies Begin?

The bakery's first location opened in Brabant, The Netherlands, in 2010. By 2013, the company had two more locations in Brabant, and by 2016 it had expanded to South Africa. It has plans to expand even more.

When Did Brownies & Downies Become Internet Famous?

The chain started to attract attention in 2015, as it uploaded fun YouTube videos featuring employees. Local news outlets in both South Africa and The Netherlands devoted coverage to Brownies & Downies, informing their audiences about the chain's philosophy and mission. Brownies & Downies was also discussed a fair amount on Twitter throughout the late 2010s.

The bakeries really took off online, however, with the arrival of TikTok. After joining the platform in 2021, Brownies & Downies posted a variety of TikTok dance videos, many of which went viral that summer and earned millions of views.

Isn't The Name Controversial?

The name of the chain, "Brownies & Downies" has received some backlash, with many viewing "Downies" as a somewhat derogatory term for people with Down Syndrome. On Twitter and TikTok, the comments sections of posts and reposts from the chain are always filled with people engaging in this debate. Some argue that it's up to the employees of the bakery to decide whether they feel the name is right or if they're being exploited. Others see the name as disrespectfully tokenizing them.

No fucking way they named the store that 😭 pic.twitter.com/vCPHCJTCqM

— Detective Dong Bussy (@DongBussy) August 24, 2022

To some extent, the debate over the rightness of the name has helped bring more attention to the topic, as online arguments often tend to do.

For the full history of Brownies & Downies, be sure to check out our entry on it here for even more information.