Pokimane "Myna Snacks" Midnight Mini Cookies Controversy

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Overview

The Pokimane "Myna Snacks" Midnight Mini Cookies Controversy refers to backlash against Twitch streamer Pokimane following the release of her healthy snack brand "Myna Snacks" in mid-November 2023, particularly the product "Midnight Mini Cookies," for their perceived high price, costing around $28 USD for a four-pack of bags. After some voiced their opinions online that the cookies were too expensive, Pokimane went viral for responding to a critic in her Twitch chat, "If you’re a broke boy just say so," garnering further backlash as people accused Pokimane of making fun of those unable to afford the cookies. Pokimane responded by apologizing and claiming that she was joking and the comment was only made towards one chatter, not meant as a broad statement.

Background

On November 13th, 2023, Twitch streamer and YouTuber Pokimane announced the release of her snack brand Myna Snacks on X,^[1] specifically advertising the brand's Midnight Mini Cookies, which were advertised as a healthy snack made with non-GMO ingredients and added vitamin D. The post gained over 32,000 likes in a week (shown below). The cookies can be purchased through mynasnacks.com,^[2] with the smallest quantity, a four-pack, costing $28 USD.

Developments

White Label Accusations

On November 13th, 2023, X^[3] user @Atelisi posted a thread in which they share supposed evidence that suggests the Midnight Mini Cookies are a rebranded white label product, essentially meaning they were created by a third party company, in this case Creations Food, then branded around Pokimane. According to their findings, the cookies were originally sold as "Midnight Mini Cookies by Toatzy" and sold at Costco for a cheaper price than Myna Snacks is charging (shown below). In their thread, they call the cookies a "cash grab."

The claims spread that day, with X^[4] user @DramaAlert making a viral post about it, garnering over 9,500 likes in a week and Dexerto^[5]^[6] reporting on it on November 14th.

On November 15th, Pokimane then posted a response to the controversy on X,^[7] writing that the cookies are not "drop shipped," the batch they're selling was made three weeks ago and confirming they are made by Creation Foods. She writes that the Toatzy branded cookies were sold for one test batch and then retired and months later she partnered with them after "falling in love" with the flavor.

She then explains that they worked to perfect the formula, writing, "while the ingredients list may look similar, they are entirely different in terms of ingredient quality, quantity/ratios, sourcing, the size/texture of the cookie and of course, the added vitamin D," and that "70-80%" of grocery store foods on the market are white labeled. About the price, she writes that it's not cheap to make a healthy, quality snack, denying allegations that the cookies are a "cash grab." The post gained over 22,000 likes in five days (shown below).

"If You're a Broke Boy Just Say So" Viral Video and Controversy

On November 18th, 2023, a clip from Pokimane's stream went viral on the /r/LiveStreamFail^[8] subreddit in which Pokimane responded to someone in her chat for criticizing the price of the cookies, garnering over 5,500 upvotes in two days. In the clip, Pokimane breaks down how it's $28 for a four-pack, making it $7 per pack, then says, "If you're a broke boy just say so."

The clip was subsequently deleted but was shared by X^[9] user @DramaAlert that day, writing, "Who pays 7$ a bag of cookies? Talk about being an out of touch millionaire," garnering over 22,000 likes in two days (shown below). The clip was also shared by the Dexerto X^[10] page the next day, garnering over 24,000 likes in a day.

The controversy spread across social media over the following days, with some content creators criticizing the way she responded to the chatter. For example, on November 19th, YouTubers^[11]^[12] Asmongold Clips and Penguinz0 / Moist Cr1tikal posted videos responding to the clip, both criticizing the way Pokimane handled the situation, with Penguinz0 criticizing her for calling her viewers broke and the pricepoint of the cookies, garnering over 400,000 views and 4.1 million views, respectively, in a day (shown below, left and right).

Some X users also accused Pokimane of being hypocritical, sharing a past post from Pokimane in which she criticized streamer InvaderVie for shaming her viewers into subscribing to her and a clip in which she says she'd feel bad trying to scam money out of her viewers.^[13]^[14]

While Pokimane garnered a large influx of criticism for the comment, some people also defended her. On November 19th, the Hasanabi Productions YouTube^[16] channel posted a video of Hasan Piker reacting to Penguinz0's video and defending Pokimane, claiming it was clear she was joking and blaming her incel haters for blowing the criticism out of proportion, garnering over 71,000 views in a day (shown below).

Streamer Nadia Amine also defended Pokimane on X,^[17] writing, "you guys have people like n3on, jack, sneako, who avg thousands of viewers and do nothing but spread negativity and harass people in public, but when a girl sells cookies that’s when the y’all wanna speak out? the immense hatred towards women on the internet is unhinged," garnering over 26,000 likes in a day.

Pokimane's Apology

On November 19th, 2023, Pokimane posted an apology for the comment to X,^[15] writing, "While what I said was 100% intended to be a joke, I see why it came off as insensitive and I apologize for that." She also addressed the price, writing, "I also understand the current price of the cookies may be expensive for some, and promise we’ll continue to consider pricing to keep myna as affordable as possible." She then clarified that the comment was made towards one "rude chatter" and she "did not at all intend it to be a general statement or towards my community." The post gained over 14,000 likes in a day (shown below).