News/Commentary

‘Disgusting!’ Horrified parents fooled by ‘baby mute’ mask pushed by comedian

August 1, 2023 | | Print Article

Parents went ballistic over a prank product cooked up by a Canadian comedian showing a mask intended to silence a crying infant, not realizing it was a hoax.

The so-called product named “Baby Mute” hit the internet and caused an immediate backlash as angry parents reacted to what turned out to be not quite real.

“Baby Mute is a game-changer for parents who want to enjoy their favorite activities without having to worry about their baby’s cries,” the site description for the product reads.

“A soundproof, breathable device to silence your baby’s cries during long flights and movie nights,” the site advertises, showing a breathable muzzle fitted on a baby covering its nose and mouth.

“The mask is designed to gently cover your baby’s mouth and nose, reducing the sound of their cries by 87%. This means that you can keep your baby calm and comfortable, while still enjoying your favorite movies or TV shows,” the site continues.

The comedian, Brad Gosse, is featured on the site as the inventor. Dr. York Hunt is shown as the head of development and Dr. Michael Lit heads up clinical trials of the product on the site. If you pronounce those names and listen to them, they are profane.

This is the same comedian who mockingly claims to write so-called “children’s books” but not ones you would ever want your children around.

(Video Credit: Brad Gosse)

Gosse has a series of “Rejected Children’s Books” such as “Mom and Dad’s Swinger Party” and “The Cat That Shat,” as well as coloring books that are in equally bad taste.

Gosse promoted the “Baby Mute” product on Instagram and outrage exploded over it. Except that it was all a prank evidently. He made it up as part of a comedy sketch.

His Instagram post was captioned, “Innovation at its best,” and it’s received over 11.4 thousand likes and 420 comments, according to the New York Post.

The media outlet reported that the site was deleted but as of Tuesday morning, it seemed to still be accessible. The site looks legitimate and does not use a disclaimer that it is a prank.

“I checked out their website. They have one, with a fair amount of info. But, when you try to order, they’re out of stock,” one person commented according to the New York Post.

Parents were not amused by the mask.

“Child abuse,” one person stated according to the New York Post. “This can’t be legal,” another asserted.

“I’ll be damned if I put a muzzle on my children,” a user declared.

“I’m sure this will have zero effect on psychological and emotional development…,” a person snarked.

Eventually, people started catching on that the whole thing was a hoax.

Gosse went on to admit that the product was a prank and was just a joke on Instagram.

“#BabyMute is taking over. I trolled millions with my low brow #comedy and I’m gonna stoop even lower next time,” he vowed, according to the Daily Mail.

“I’m a comedian and come up with a lot of weird ideas,” he told Scary Mommy. “I created the website on Monday, posted it yesterday and it went crazy really quickly. People couldn’t decide whether it was real.”

Some people actually believed it was funny.

“You’re a genius. This is the funniest thing that’s happened in a while,” one person in a forum asserted.

“Wow, thank god for that. Good one!” another stated according to the New York Post.

The phone number on the product’s website goes directly to Gosse’s phone. He’s already received approximately 200 calls according to Scary Mommy.

He answers the phone with, “Thanks for calling Baby Mute — it’s a great day to silence your baby!”

The cringy comedian is a father to two teenagers, but he claims his kids weren’t an inspiration for the prank.

“I think I just hate babies,” he told the media outlet with a straight face.

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