Month: October 2024

The internet is wrong—very wrong—about when Ice Ice Baby was first released.

One day, I was describing how much we heckled a guy my senior year in high school, that last semester. We teased him, good-naturedly, about how he looked exactly like Vanilla Ice. He’d respond with dismay, claiming he wasn’t trying to and didn’t see the resemblance. Except for the fact that he dressed exactly like Vanilla, cut his hair like Vanilla, and tried to strut like Vanilla…he wasn’t trying.

Anyhow, someone told me that was impossible because that timeframe was 1989, and Ice Ice Baby didn’t come out until I was in college—in 1990.

Hmm. Not used to having my timeline challenged because my record is solid, but I was still open to the possibility of a mistake. It’ wasn’t ‘s not about ego; it’s about accuracy. I’d hate to keep repeating an inaccurate story, but beyond that, it made me question my sense of the past.

So I set out to research this and it wasn’t looking good! Page after page said 1990 for the song’s timeframe. I dug through about 20 pages of Google results and nowhere did I see 1989 specifically linked to the song. As of this post, that is still the case. What I noticed, though, was that these sources were basic gossip blogs, not major site. So it must be a case of people blindly copying content from each other wihtout verfiying.

I assumed the larger sites and media outlets would get it right, but even some of them were slightly off, inadvertently confusing readers with statements like:

“Top hit of 1990,” or “Vanilla Ice wins AMA award for Ice Ice Baby, January 1991.”

Major sites like New York Post, Billboard Magazine, and Top40 Weekly all tout it as a 1990 song. That is so misleading, yet still technically accurate.

1990 is when the song shot to meteoric fame! It topped the charts for a week, beating out Mariah Carey and other “heavy hitters” that year. So it feels like a 1990 song to most people. But for those who remember, it’s a 1989 song—and I love that! How fitting that this catchy tune became a virtual anthem for leaving the ’80s behind.

Still unresolved, I combed through the internet and found a tiny corner, a little cobweb of an article with a passing mention of him working on his album in 1989. That helped a bit and encouraged me to keep looking.

I got specific in my search with “Ice Ice Baby 1989.” Adding the year really helped! Buried a few pages in was a 1989 video of him performing the song.

Phew. Success!

Problem solved.

Crisis averted.

And Ice Ice Baby belongs to the 80s–barely but it’s ours nonetheless.

My memory is still solid. As accurate as ever, and I am relieved because I take pride in my accuracy. I want to be known as credible when I retell stories that others have forgotten.

I knew someone briefly in 2019 but sadly, he was a huge letdown. Definitely not worth the hassle.

As if things weren’t bad enough, I had to kick him out of my house within the first month!

He was such a disappointment that I didn’t bother with a second chance because after so many years on this Earth, you know a waste when you see it. Once he was gone, I didn’t miss him at all–got right back to my normal way of doing things and was glad for it!

Fast forward to 2022 when I ran into him on Facebook. It was just in passing thank goodness. But then a week later he was suddenly showing up EVERYWHERE online–my Facebook feed, in my Insta reels, and TikTok.

He had suddenly become popular and I was in total disbelief.

Had he changed?

Or, were people blindly accepting him and catapulting him to superstardom?

I scoffed any time I saw him online especially when he was filmed with all those women on TikTok.

Gross!

They had him in their houses just laying there in front of everyone: the kids, the husbands, the dogs, the viewers. He had no shame being the center of attention at all for no apparent reason. I just couldn’t believe it.

How could he be worth the hassle, the trouble, and the cost?

What were they thinking? I huffed at the screen. UGH!

When he wouldn’t go away, or slide into the shadows as I expected with this kind of viral fame, I began to question myself:

Had I missed something?

Did I overlook his best qualities?

Maybe I mishandled him somehow?

I suddenly regretted letting him go and quickly hatched a plan to get him back. It was going to take a little effort and expense but I had no doubt it would be worth it now that I saw he was popular and worth my time!

You may be surprised to know that I’m not talking about a real man in the human sense. Nope. I’m actually, quite pitifully, talking about a sponge. Not just any sponge but a special, beloved one.

His name is Scrub Daddy. I’d been with him before but now he was everyone’s love and I just had to give him a second chance.

Realizing he wasn’t just a fad–I went and got another one to find out what I had overlooked. Now, I was curious to see if he had changed or if it was me that had changed.

That first time I brought him home and threw away the box, he didn’t really clean very well. He was cute but nothing special. In fact, he was awkward, ineffective, and took up too much space. He wasn’t the kitchen champ I had hoped for.

And to my surprise, I discovered this time around–he hadn’t changed a bit.

It was me–I had been the problem all along.

This time, I read the instructions on the box whereas I had discarded the box years ago without so much as a glance at the information. I mean–who would’ve thought you needed to read directions about how to use a sponge?

Now, he was amazing– worked like a champ, put my high-end sponges to shame with their dank, germy stank.

What is it , though, that really makes him so special?

For one thing, it’s his history that sets him apart. He got his start on Shark Tank from the inventor, Aaron Krause, who brought this brightly smiling sponge to life for the investors, and brokered a deal on TV with Lori Greiner. Then it became an overnight sensation, which is not the usual path to fame for a sponge.

From there, Scrub Daddy wasn’t just another household item; he had become quite a phenomenon.

Why? What is the real appeal?

Well, it’s because this sponge is so effective—and has a charming little smile. His cute “face” actually has a purpose. The eyes are finger grips, and the mouth is shaped to clean both sides of utensils in one go, which, yes, is weirdly satisfying.

But the real secret sauce is in the material. It’s made of this high-tech, polymer foam that stays firm in cold water for tough scrubbing and softens up in warm water for gentler cleaning. You can scrub a pan like you’re sanding wood, then switch to wiping delicate glassware without a second thought. And it doesn’t scratch.

Not kidding—nonstick pans, glass, stainless steel—Scrub Daddy just sails through them without leaving a mark. Plus, it dries faster than traditional sponges, so it doesn’t smell like a wet dog after a week.

In this age of the cleaning hack, CleanTok, and Instagram, Scrub Daddy found his place. People started posting about it online, giving “Scrub Daddy hauls” like it was some coveted item, and the brand ran with it. They put out new colors, new shapes—there’s a whole Scrub Family now.

It’s almost like the sponge has a personality, and somehow that makes people want to scrub their dishes more. Go figure.

So, Scrub Daddy’s fame is both a product of the right backing, smart design but also pure luck. Its rise was as much about practical genius as it was about hitting the cultural sweet spot for viral, quirky cleaning products.

Scrub Daddy is a true testament to innovation, and he delivers on all promises.

I feel bad for ever doubting him.