My First Ankle Monitor

About

My First Ankle Monitor is a fake toy created by artist legbootlegit that resembles a red-and-yellow plastic ankle monitor meant for children, advertised as a way to keep your child in their room and "prepare your mini me for its future house arrests." The artist posted a video showcasing the My First Ankle Monitor by Little Yikes to Instagram and TikTok in late July 2023 that subsequently went viral, inspiring reactions and posts across social media, including some who seemingly believed the toy was a real product.

Origin

On July 31st, 2023, artist and TikToker^[1] @legbootlegit, known for creating fake products like the Google first search award, posted a video where he showcases the My First Ankle Monitor by Little Yikes. The product is an ankle monitor, used by police to keep criminals under house arrest, made for children. The video explains that, by attaching the ankle monitor to their child and using the My First Ankle Monitor app, parents can designate what area, or areas, around the house they want their child to stay in. If the child leaves that area, they get a notification on their phone and have the option to electrically zap the child if they want. The video gained over 23.4 million views on TikTok in a day, gaining over 28,000 likes on Instagram^[2] in the same span of time.

Spread

The video gained viral spread over the following days, also inspiring reactions. On July 31st, 2023, Twitter^[3] user @BigOleBeee tweeted the video, writing, "Having your toddler on house arrest is fucking insane 😭😩," garnering over 8,400 likes in two days. On August 1st, Twitter^[4] user @Bornakang posted the video, writing, "Ain’t no way they putting kids on house arrest lmao," garnering over 149,000 likes in a day (shown below).

That day, TikToker^[5] @lit_i_gator posted a video reacting to the toy, garnering over 72,000 views in a day (shown below). Later that day, Forbes^[6] published an article confirming that the toy is not a real product.

Various Examples

Search Interest

External References