http://www.cbc.ca/newsblogs/yo...-defecation-psa.html
Dancing poo stars in Unicef India's anti public defecation PSA
by Lauren O'Neil Posted: April 16, 2014 2:27 PM Last Updated: April 16, 2014 2:41 PM
Approximately 620 million people in India defecate outdoors every day, according to Unicef.
This dumps an average of 65 million kilos of feces right out into the open where anyone can step on it or, worse, get sick from it.
So how are officials working to get public poopers inside and on the toilet? With more poo, of course -- poo of the animated, singing and dancing variety.
Meet "Mr. Poo," the face of Unicef India's "Poo2Loo" campaign.
In an upbeat music video called "Poo Party," Mr. Poo and his friends can be seen dancing in the streets, waving their arms, chasing public poop offenders, clinging to the bottoms of shoes, and singing "take your poo to the loo" repeatedly. At one point, they even enter a disco club.
In other PSA videos on Poo2Loo's YouTube channel, Mr. Poo takes physical form in the shape of a giant walking mascot that harasses people in public. He's obnoxious, offensive and downright rude -- then again, that's kind of the campaign's overall message.
"Think about it. Half the population doesn’t use a toilet while the other half of the population accepts it. We simply accept India as it is. We are part of the issue, part of the acceptance," readspoo2loo.com. "So, if you give a sh*t about this issue, then don’t just scrunch up your nose and walk away."
The website features a petition directed at the president of India asking for his help in resolving the issue. More than 100,000 people have already taken a pledge in support of the cause.
Unicef is careful to note that the problem doesn't stem from laziness or an unwillingness among Indians to use toilets -- in many cases, toilets simply aren't available to them.
Almost 28 million school children across India do not have access to school toilet facilities, according to Unicef, and 15 per cent of the world's population have no access to a toilet at all.
To raise awareness about the issue of toilet scarcity, Unicef has also created a game called "Toilet Trek." In the game, a player must find a safe toilet for his or her character to use. It's not easy.
And for those who want more Mr. Poo, he's got his own game too. In the Mr. Poo game, players flush away the character's tiny minions while walking down the streets of India.
Whether or not the campaign is effective remains to be seen, but it's certainly got people talking. Twitter users from all over the world are singing Unicef India's praises for creating such a catchy song.
