About

Baby Mute refers to a hoax product marketed as a soundproof mask to reduce babies' cries by 87%. Created as satire, it prompted widespread outrage and discussions on child welfare and parenting ethics.

Origin

In April 2023, Canadian comedian Brad Gosse created babymute.com, using AI-generated images to depict the fictional mask for silencing babies during flights or movies. Inspired by public complaints about crying infants, Gosse promoted it on Instagram as lowbrow humor.

Spread

The hoax gained traction on Reddit's r/oddlyterrifying subreddit in April 2023, where a post amassed millions of views, over 50,000 upvotes and 1,700 comments. It spread to X (formerly Twitter), accumulating millions of views across posts, including a Daily Mail article shared on X. By August 2023, coverage appeared in outlets like NY Post and Mom.com, fueling debates. The meme occasionally goes viral every few months on X when someone shares it with the idea that it's real.

External References

NY Post article
Mom.com article
Daily Mail article
CTV News Article