Spotted on InSing today:

PUB video goes viral for the wrong reasons

Water Wally is seen in the background, while a pre-teen boy showers. The music video was done to encourage people to “shower less than five minutes” (Photo: Screen grab from YouTube)

A YouTube video, posted by the Public Utilities Board (PUB), promoting the careful use of water went viral but for the wrong reasons. Posted by “pubwebadmin” on 15 April, the music video teaches Singaporeans about the value of saving water and features the national water agency’s mascot, Water Wally.

Water Wally Shower Dance Music Video (Original from PUB)

The video shows people from all walks of life – student, housewife, taxi driver and hawker auntie – dancing uncontrollably to a dance beat.The voiceover raps to the music and tells people to “keep it to five (minutes)….time to save, water is life….a five-minute shower is all you need”.

Water Wally is seen in the video to be appearing in various parts of the video, waving his hands, peeping out from corridors and dancing with people. An unfortunate segment shows Water Wally smiling in the background as a boy soaps himself in the shower and YouTube user “CaravelClerihew” points out the oddity.

“So a man in an outfit is sneaking into bathrooms to watch a kid shower? Isn’t this, y’know, illegal?”, he said.

Titled the Water Wally Shower Dance Music Video, it has been viewed more than 41,000 times with over 85 comments.

When it was reposted on Facebook, it was shared nearly 200 times in the span of a day.

ONLINE REACTIONS

Reactions to the video were predominantly negative with many saying that the message could have been expressed “in a more professional manner” and that the video “is not sane, (and has)…no sense of purpose”. Some pointed out how the scene could be misconstrued, but many were just shocked by how bad the video was.

“I am dumbfounded. I can see this going viral, for all the wrong reasons. A low, an all time low,” YouTube user, “Isaac Basil”.
User “Dr PQ Jazz” wondered: “So basically, the best way to save water is to have spontaneous seizures?
“…how much water was wasted to make this video?” said YouTube user “skyRazak”.

IMMEDIATE PARODY

Parodies of the video were swift with one being posted on 20 May.

Called “Water Wally Shower Dance ft Para Para Sakura video”, the techno music in the original advertisement by PUB is substituted by the Para Para Sakura song.

Water Wally Shower Dance ft Para Para Sakura video

A bit unfortunate but coincidental, the video going viral coincided with YouTube’s Comedy Week.

PUB has not yet responded to the negative comments online.

Article Credits:InSing Singapore

Lol, if you haven’t watched the video yet..so do, especially the parody (watch the original FIRST though) because it’s seriously funny! HAHAHA XD  Kudos to Ashraf Juanda (Youtube) for doing up this parody!

Till later,
♥ mitsueki