‘Take the poo to the loo’: Remembering UNICEF’s amusing song against open defecation in India
The infamous, hilarious tune from 2014, with its glorious animations of interactive, dancing poo, is just as sadly relevant today.
When UNICEF India launched the “first poo song in the history of India” in 2014, titled Take the poo to the loo, the plan backfired initially. It drew the wrath of people, quickly leading to ridicule on social media. However, the notoriety of the track led to the important message it served to the people – “take the poo to the loo” – being ignored.
Though defensive Indians denied the premise of the song, which is that a large population still defecates in the open, the facts were clear then, and are clear now. The drive to build toilets across the country only proves the point.
With vivid animations of dancing, stalking poo, and an annoyingly catchy tune, the video (above) shows “poop” following a man around the streets. “First thing in the morning, what do I see? A pile of s**t staring at me. I close my eyes, I step away, no matter where I go there’s no getting away,” starts the song.
The song, composed by Shrikanth Sriram, was launched as part of UNICEF’s “poo2loo” social media campaign in India, which asked people to raise awareness of the issue. UNICEF even released a video game named Toilet Trek.