Unpacking the drama around the viral fake Crumbl Cookie pop-up in Australia

By Fatou Ferraro Mboup

Published Oct 1, 2024 at 01:40 PM

Reading time: 2 minutes

61941

If you’re chronically online like us, you’ve probably seen the brand Crumbl Cookie everywhere. The sweet treat company has taken the internet by storm over the last few years, becoming a cult favourite, with over 5.6 million followers on Instagram. It’s basically the new Little Moons. So, when a pop-up store appeared in North Bondi, Australia, over the weekend, influencers and locals alike flocked to get their hands on these famous American treats. But, after standing in line for over an hour, the excitement quickly turned to disappointment. Instead of the fresh-baked cookies Crumbl is known for, customers were met with days-old imports, sold at a staggering price of $17.50 per cookie.

The cookies, allegedly brought over by super-fans of the brand, were not fresh-baked offerings aimed at introducing Crumbl to the Australian market. In truth, they were imported from Hawaii and sold at the pop-up for $75 for a box of five. The event was marketed as “exclusive” on the fan-run social media account, CrumblSydney. However, the page made it clear in their bio and comments that it was not an official Crumbl store, nor was it endorsed by the US-based Crumbl Cookies brand.

@destiny.griffin_

CRUMBL COOKIE POP UP #crumbl #crumblbondi #crumblreview #crumblecookie #sydneyaustralia #popup @Eleni Vlahos

♬ original sound - Destiny | LÉ CROOKIE

In response to the backlash about the cookies being stale the organisers, who have now deleted all of the posts from their TikTok page, stated: “We never claimed to be an official Crumbl store. This was clearly stated in our bio and comments. Our goal was to bring the authentic Crumbl cookies to Australia by importing them directly from the USA.”

Despite the disclaimer, the revelation that the cookies had been flown in from Hawaii left many customers feeling let down and scammed.

The organisers also addressed criticism from influencers and customers who felt the cookies didn’t meet their expectations: “While most customers enjoyed the cookies, a couple of influencers felt they didn’t meet expectations,” they stated. “We apologise that [the cookies] don’t live up to expectations however they are just cookies at the end of the day.”

https://twitter.com/Pinky_Balboaaa/status/1840963434877165833
https://twitter.com/dxckiii/status/1840776138957676554

The organisers went on to add: “This was never about profit,” they stated. “Our goal was to bring Crumbl cookies to fans. Importing and reselling is called parallel importing, and it is legal. We followed all procedures, including declaring the cookies as commercial goods and obtaining approvals from Australian customs.”

One influencer, Elle, account name @elle_easternsuburbsmum, shared her disappointment after trying 10 cookies, calling them underwhelming and comparing them to items bought from a bake sale. Ouch. Her followers were quick to criticise the high price of what they dubbed “suitcase cookies” with some questioning if the organisers could face legal repercussions.

@elle_easternsuburbsmum

Crumbl hates to see me coming😭

♬ original sound - Elle

“As an American, I feel bad for you paying so much for stale cookies. Crumbl is definitely overhyped!” one commenter said. Others speculated on potential legal action from Crumbl itself. “This looks nothing like Crumbl—they totally played you.”

TikTok food reviewer Hamze joined the chorus of disappointment, calling the cookies overly sweet with a “weird” texture, adding, “It feels like I’m just eating sugar.”

@hamze.t

don’t believe eveeything you see

♬ original sound - 𝐒𝐩𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐟𝐲 𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐠 🎼🧠

Call me devilish, but I think this was a diabolically genius scam. I mean, charging some randos $17.50 per cookie by simply importing Crumbl cookie boxes and leading everyone to believe they were getting the real deal? It’s kind of the perfect crime.

Keep On Reading

By Malavika Pradeep

30 CURSED cakes that will leave you in tears

By Louis Shankar

Colin the OG caterpillar cake hits back at copycats: which side will you pick?

By Abby Amoakuh

Bride walks out on her own wedding after the groom smashed a cake in her face, and she’s not the first one!

By Eliza Frost

The Summer I Turned Pretty season 3 proves we’ll never be over love triangles

By Charlie Sawyer

Transformers director Michael Bay officially confirmed to direct movie about viral Skibidi Toilet meme

By Charlie Sawyer

How influencer Liv Schmidt promotes toxic eating habits through the Skinni SociÊtÊ 

By Eliza Frost

How to spot a performative male out in the wild 

By Eliza Frost

Taylor Swift announces new album on Travis Kelce’s podcast. Everything we know about TS12 so far

By Eliza Frost

Bad Bunny is not touring the US due to fear of ICE raids at concerts

By Eliza Frost

It now takes 20 hours of work a week to survive as a UK university student

By Eliza Frost

The Summer I Turned Pretty stars Lola Tung and Gavin Casalegno caught in political drama

By Abby Amoakuh

John Lithgow fumbles JK Rowling question as Harry Potter TV show cast struggles with fan backlash

By Eliza Frost

Netflix’s Adolescence sweeps Emmys, with star Owen Cooper making history as youngest-ever male winner

By Abby Amoakuh

You star Madeline Brewer faces misogynistic backlash after internet brands her character unlikeable

By Eliza Frost

Rina Sawayama calls out Sabrina Carpenter’s SNL performance of Nobody’s Son for cultural insensitivity 

By Eliza Frost

Hailey Bieber just listed all the beauty treatments she swears by

By Eliza Frost

Bad Bunny announced as halftime act for Super Bowl 2026—and conservatives aren’t too happy 

By Abby Amoakuh

Campaigners call for gamers who carry out virtual rape in the metaverse to be charged as real-life sex offenders

By Alma Fabiani

Amazon Music is giving away 4 months free. Here’s how to claim it

By Charlie Sawyer

How rediscovering Nintendogs as an adult has helped my anxiety