#TonyTigerGate

Overview

#TonyTigerGate was the hashtag name given to a scandal surrounding the massive block of Twitter users who identify as furries by @RealTonyTiger, the official Twitter account for Tony the Tiger brand of Kellogg’s breakfast cereal, in response to a flood of lewd and lascivious demands tweeted at the corporate account by members of the furry fandom. Although the raid already gained traction in November 2015, the blocking began months later in January 2016.

Background

The Twitter account for Tony the Tiger^[1] was launched on July 30th, 2013, but didn’t post its first tweet until September 18th of that year which simply read “Hello Twitter.”^[2] Since then, the account has tweeted hundreds of messages in character of Tony the Tiger, including many promotional posts about Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes-brand cereal and enthusiastic statements about sports seasons. The mascot character itself is officially known as Tony Jr., the second generation Tony the Tiger and son of the first Tony.^[3]

Notable Developments

As early as in July 2014, Twitter users already began sending lewd messages at @RealTonyTiger (shown below).

On November 4th, 2015, Gawker first picked up on the noticeable influx of furries tweeting lewd and lascivious demands at Tony the Tiger’s account, several of which were highlighted in an article titled “Tony the Tiger Can’t Tweet Without Furries Begging Him for Sex.”^[4] The official tweet^[5] created alongside the article was also posted on the r/justneckbeardthings subreddit,^[6] where it managed to get over 300 upvotes in the following few months. The next day, several other news sites also ran similar articles focused on the tweets, including Bustle,^[7] Death And Taxes^[8] and The Daily Dot.^[9]

On January 26th, 2016, @RealTonyTiger began blocking a substantial number of its followers considered to be furries, though little distinction was made between those who actually tweeted inappropriate messages at the account and other followers who simply identify themselves as part of the subculture. Furries and supporters of @realtonytiger subsequently shared their reactions on the #TonyTigerGate hashtag.^[14]

Following the blocks by @realtonytiger, several furries started looking for a new Twitter account to follow. Initially they went to the official Twitter account for Pizza Hut, @pizzahut, after it coincidentally created a tweet featuring the word “knot”,^[14] which also refers to a canine’s penis^[15] and is used in the furry fandom as a slang term for an erection. Several other food chains were also targeted, most notably Applebee’s who reacted positively towards the furries.

Chester Cheetah’s Response

Later that day, other furries stumbled accross the official Twitter account of Chester Cheetah, the official mascot for Cheetos brand snacks, and respectively asked him to be their “daddy”.^[17] Suprisingly to many, the Twitter account replied positively, after which many furries started following the account and sending tweets to it.

Kellog’s Official Response

On January 27th, Kellog’s provided BuzzFeed^[19] with a statement about the blocking of all the furries:

“As a company grounded in the values of integrity and respect, we recognize people’s right to creative expression, but we reserve the right to block individuals who post offensive content.”

News Media Coverage

As many furries took their reaction to the massive block on Twitter, several news sites published articles about the blocks and Twitter users’ reactions, including Gawker,^[10] Metro UK^[11] and Huffington Post.^[12] The welcoming by @ChesterCheetah was also subsequently documented by various news sites, including Paper Magazine,^[13] Uproxx^[18] and Buzzfeed.^[19]