Not too long ago, people searched the internet for videos of youtubers doing the “cinnamon challenge”, which consisted of swallowing a spoonful of cinnamon. videos showed people struggling to keep the cinnamon in their mouths as the powdered spice got stuck in the walls of their throats and caused them to cough or choke until they drank water. From the start, it was clear that the challenge had a dangerous side. however, the cinnamon challenge became so popular that every two weeks, hundreds of people uploaded a video of themselves completing the famous challenge to youtube.
the cinnamon challenge is not the only “fun but dangerous” challenge that has emerged on youtube. Over the years, viewers have enjoyed the “Ice Bucket Challenge”, “The Fire Challenge”, “The Salt and Ice Challenge” and “The Milk Challenge”, among many others. What do all these feats have in common? They all endanger the life of those who do it by threatening their health.
the newest challenge trending on youtube, the “human mail challenge”, is just as dangerous as the ones mentioned above, mainly because, as the name suggests, it involves sending someone a mail inside a box cardboard.
many youtubers talk about developing interest in the human mail challenge after seeing the video posted by the “kill’em ftw” channel, where a youtuber from the UK. documented his journey inside a box and showed how he managed to survive. In the video, the owner of the channel explains that he was trying to come up with new ideas for the challenges when he thought of sending himself in a box to his own house.
The Human Mail Challenge consists in one or more people successfully mailing themselves inside a box to a friend, relative or a stranger’s house. YouTubers pick a cardboard box large enough to fit an adult and a couple of resources for their trip. The box is made with discreet, tiny holes so the person can breathe, and one side is marked to indicate the mailing carrier which side of the box should face up.
Next, they go to buy snacks, games, flashlights, blankets, etc. once they have all the supplies needed to complete their journey inside the box, they ask a friend to carefully seal them and take them to the post office. after spending 24 hours at the checkout and arriving at the package receiver’s front door, the challenge is finally complete.
The phrase, “I’m going to send you an email,” is sure to come to mind when you watch videos of the human email challenge. after all, it’s one of the common things people say to express how much they want to be reunited with their loved ones.
However, I doubt anyone ever thought that using boxes as a method of transportation was something that could happen in reality. just thinking about spending an hour inside such a small object, not knowing what’s going on outside, or breathing through a couple of holes drilled in the walls is enough to make anyone feel claustrophobic.
the owner of the “scrubzah” channel posted a video in which he managed to build a box big enough to not only accommodate himself, but also a small generator, a television, and enough pillows and blankets to have something quite similar to a bed. .
Still, after spending the last 24 hours inside his cardboard box, enduring unstable transportation, and moving, whispering, and nearly being discovered when a mail center clerk began to question the size of the box, he looks at the camera and tells his viewers, “if you do this, I recommend you get express shipping, because I’m telling you right now you won’t be able to last more than a day.”
It’s easy to see why scrubzah warns people to avoid attempting this challenge for longer than a day. Compared to other YouTubers’ human mail challenge results, it’s clear that Scrubzah got pretty lucky. kel, one of the members who runs the youtube channel “meet the vloggers” posted his own video for the challenge.
In contrast to scrubzah’s trip inside a box, kel didn’t have a box big enough to fit a television. in fact, he sits with his knees to his chest the entire trip, giving him cramps and making falling asleep a chore. kel calls the human mail challenge “the most awkward thing I’ve ever done” and “this was the worst night of my life.”
Very similarly, the YouTuber “RiceGum” shipped himself from Nevada to California because he thought that the Human Mail Challenge videos popping up on YouTube were a scam. He also added that, in case the challenge was real, this would be a more affordable alternative to travel and meet his friends in the Golden State.
In ricegum’s video, the viewer can see how the youtuber struggles to get into the box with all the supplies. space is so limited that moving around without destroying the box or drawing attention to the package is nearly impossible. But the real danger in ricegum’s video comes to light when he says, “I googled a random address, so basically this box goes to a random address.” he made this decision to add “fun” and a twist to the challenge.
While it’s not uncommon to see youtubers constantly come up with new challenges to grab the attention of their viewers, the human email challenge certainly raises the bar and shows just how much vloggers are willing to do for their subscribers.
Although scrubzah, kel, and ricegum managed to survive this challenge, there are a million things that could have gone wrong during the time they spent inside those boxes. lack of oxygen, cramps, cold, moving too much, the box breaking or the weight crushing it and even getting caught are some of the risks that youtubers choose to entertain their audience.
Whether they decide to take the challenge because they don’t believe it’s real or simply because they’re looking for innovative new videos for their channels, no one can deny the audacity of these videographers. seeing people trying to survive inside a box for 24 hours makes viewers really worried; viewers want to know if there was a problem and if the box arrived safely at the shipping address. At the same time, the same people watching the videos want to see someone build a fort inside a cardboard box and ship themselves via fedex.
The reason behind the growing interest in the human mail challenge is simple: it’s not something everyone is willing to try. Because the challenge requires people to sit in the dark, without access to a bathroom or any other amenities, many would say it’s best to find out how a box’s journey in the mail works via youtube. they want to see what goes on inside the ups truck without risking their own health or getting into trouble. It is understandable since, after all, many people like the feeling of adrenaline, but not of danger.
The challenge of human mail leaves the internet wondering what comes next. After managing to turn a vague thought like “I would fly cheaper in a box” into reality, YouTube has the arduous task of looking for something more dangerous, impossible and daring. but, of course, the youtube audience will be waiting to see what new adventures youtubers come up with popcorn in hand.