Berries & Cream - The Funniest Version
Berries and cream: thousand times better than tea and crumpets.
Berries and Cream/Creme Starburst were a flavor of Starburst candies that were sold in the 2000's. This commercial was aired in 2007 and was an instant hit. The ad was directed by Randy Krallman and produced by Smuggler Films.
Synopsis[]
Two men are sitting outside at a bench, when the guy standing asks the guy sitting if he tried the Berries and Cream Starburst, when a British man (played by Jack Ferver) answers with "Pardon me, what kind of Starburst did you just say?". The guy answers with "Berries", when the Brit interrupts him and asks what else. He answers with "And Cream", and the lad gets excited and starts to dance and sing:
Berries and Cream, Berries and Cream,
I'm a little lad who loves Berries and Cream!
(slightly higher) Berries and Cream, Berries and Cream,
I'm a little lad who loves Berries and Creeeeeeeaaaaam!
And then at the end, he does a kick in the air.
Why It's Cursed[]
The "Berries and Cream" commercial quickly became infamous for its sheer absurdity. The juxtaposition of a grown man, dressed in Edwardian-style clothing, gleefully declaring himself a "little lad" and breaking out into an outlandish jig was both unsettling and hilarious. The over-the-top performance by Jack Ferver, with his exaggerated accent and wild-eyed enthusiasm, pushed the ad into a realm that was equal parts catchy and uncanny.
The surreal nature of the commercial — complete with sudden bursts of song, awkward pauses, and the almost ritualistic dance — left viewers baffled. Instead of the usual polished, high-energy candy ads, Starburst went for something that felt almost like a fever dream. The phrase "I'm a little lad who loves Berries and Cream!" stuck in viewers' heads for days, and the character’s high-pitched squeal became the stuff of internet legend.
Adding to its "cursed" status, the commercial didn't really explain the product at all. Most people remembered the dance and the lad, but not necessarily what made Berries and Cream Starburst different from the rest. The ad’s oddness made it ripe for parody and memes, and years after its original run, it resurfaced on platforms like YouTube and TikTok, where new generations discovered —and were haunted by — the lad’s antics.
Trivia[]
- The actor of Little Lad, Jack Ferver, is an actual dancer in New York, and a professor at Bard College. Rumor has it he hates the commercial, as he is not too thrilled when students bring up the commercial to him or attempt to do the dance, and furthermore he doesn’t even talk about it on his website.
- There is a video featuring the Little Lad on how to do the "Little Lad Dance".
- In September 2021, the dance became a TikTok trend.