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Uh-oh: SpaghettiOs pulls its ridiculous Pearl Harbor tweet

Uh-oh: SpaghettiOs pulls its ridiculous Pearl Harbor tweet

By Jacob Kastrenakes, a deputy editor who oversees tech and news coverage. Since joining The Verge in 2012, he’s published 5,000+ stories and is the founding editor of the creators desk.

Source SpaghettiOs (Twitter) | Via Wil Wheaton (Tumblr)

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SpaghettiOs pearl harbor
SpaghettiOs pearl harbor

After receiving significant criticism last night, SpaghettiOs has apologized for and removed a tweeted photo of its cartoon-noodle mascot waving an American flag in honor of Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day. The tweet prompted a series of disgusted replies, with some questioning "who is going to be fired tomorrow" and others appropriating #UhOhSpaghettiOs — the brand's own advertising slogan — as a hashtag. Comedian Patton Oswalt took a number of shots at the tweet as well:

Others began remixing SpaghettiOs' image onto the scene of other national tragedies, placing the noodle on the sunken Titanic, at the Kent State shootings, and at the Hindenburg disaster — among others — to suggest the absurdity of the brand's tweet. While SpaghettiOs' image may not be the worst instance of a marketing department's overzealous attempt to show its brand's sensitivity to a national day of remembrance, it perhaps should have taken the hint that it's widely considered an inappropriate moment for advertising.

SpaghettiOs removed the tweet and photo around 13 hours after initially posting it. It followed up with an apology, writing, "We apologize for our recent tweet in remembrance of Pearl Harbor Day. We meant to pay respect, not to offend." The pulled tweet is embedded below.

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