"Take Poo to the Loo",[2] commonly shortened to "Poo2Loo",[1] was an Indian social media campaign led by UNICEF to combat the country's problems with open defecation. The campaign received a mixed reception online, and continues to be the subject of humour and ridicule on social media.[3]
 Open defecation in India | |
| Date | November 2013[1] |
|---|---|
| Location | India |
| Also known as | "Poo2Loo" |
| Type | Social media campaign |
| Theme | Open defecation |
| Organised by | UNICEF India |
| Website | poo2loo |
The Times of India reported that the idea was developed and initiated in March 2013 after a sanitation conference was organised by UNICEF India and the Indian Institutes of Technology as part of the larger Total Sanitation Campaign, which the Indian government launched in 1999.[1]
Poo2Loo calls on Indians to "take the pledge" and show support by signing the following petition addressed to then President Pranab Mukherjee:[4]
Hon'ble President of India,
I call on you as Head of State to ensure that India rises to the challenge of ending open defecation. As a citizen of India, I am proud of our country's rich and varied culture; we have a beautiful land. However, over 620 million people do not use a toilet and nearly as many accept this practice. The result is an unacceptable level of filth in our environment. This is why I have chosen to take a stand and raise my voice with that of many other young people. We want our sisters and brothers to survive, grow and develop as healthy individuals in a clean country. We urgently request your help. Together we can change India.
The website of the campaign contains many puns and some unusual media, including a simple educational video game called Toilet Trek. The campaign also produced an official music video.[5] The official mascot of the campaign is antihero "Mr. Poo", an anthropomorphic lump of excrement.[6][5]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c Sharda, Shailvee (6 March 2014). "Poo2Loo to break open defecation taboo". The Times of India. Times News Network. Archived from the original on 24 April 2022. Retrieved 7 September 2019.
- ^ "About the Campaign". poo2loo.com. Archived from the original on 19 March 2015.
- ^ "'Take the poo to the loo': Remembering UNICEF's amusing song against open defecation in India". Scroll.in. 9 October 2017. Archived from the original on 30 November 2020. Retrieved 23 November 2020.
- ^ "The Pledge". poo2loo.com. Archived from the original on 18 March 2015.
- ^ a b Ruble, Kayla (18 April 2014). "UNICEF Is Inviting India to a Poo Party". Vice News. Archived from the original on 30 July 2015. Retrieved 7 September 2019.
- ^ McGrath, Timothy (16 April 2014). "UNICEF's 'Poo2Loo' campaign targets open defecation in India with weird games, videos, shitty puns, and a turd mascot". GlobalPost. Archived from the original on 16 April 2014.