As of: February 13, 2024, 9:27 a.m
By: Julia Hanigk, Romina Kunze
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Valentine's Day is just around the corner.
Yes: chocolate and flowers are out, cockroaches and rodents are in.
At least according to the original campaign of a zoo in the USA.
San Antonio – Was the San Antonio zoo director perhaps a little lovesick?
A few years ago he came up with a very special campaign for Valentine's Day: instead of flowers and chocolate, participants could give away cockroaches for the “Day of Love”.
Special greeting of love: Have the ex's name fed to cockroaches
This very special “love greeting”, which runs under the motto “Cry me a Cockroach” based on the Justin Timberlake hit “Cry me a River”, is dedicated to the person or people who have passed away.
If you still have a bill outstanding, you can give a cockroach the name of your previous lover for ten US dollars (the equivalent of around 9.28 euros) and have it fed to the zoo animals.
Also a way to get rid of his or her ex as a cockroach.
Afterwards there is a Valentine's card and a certificate;
upon request also to your ex.
Important: Anyone who wants to take part in the campaign must be at least 18 years old.
This still needs to be confirmed before users are allowed on the cockroach shopping website for special Valentine's Day greetings.
Valentine's Day campaign with cockroaches: Zoo wants to collect donations with original “love greetings”.
According to the zoo, you don't need to have a guilty conscience: the campaign is intended as a fundraiser for the preservation of the homeland of wild animals.
In the worst case, the feelings of the ex-lover will be damaged during the fundraising campaign, assures the San Antonio Zoo.
In any case, the insects are already dead before the “baptism” and are on the menu of the zoo residents anyway.
The Texas Zoo's Valentine's Day campaign is global.
Anyone can take part, whether from the USA, South Korea or Germany.
Anyone who sees their ex as a scruffy lettuce or a dirty rodent will also get their money's worth.
Alternatively, for five US dollars (approx. 4.64 euros) you can no longer have freshly picked vegetables and for 25 US dollars (approx. 23.21 euros) a dead mouse has the desired name.
Names for cockroaches in the Valentine's Day campaign: Sarah and Jacob were hot in 2022
But “Cry me a Cockroach” isn’t entirely new.
The last two years have already seen the original greetings from the Texas zoo.
The zoo does not reveal how many took part.
But it can be assumed that the campaign has enjoyed great popularity in the past.
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Copy of Montage small circle (10).jpg © Screenshot San Antonio Zoo
Anyone who clicks on the zoo's homepage is immediately greeted with an advertising banner for the fundraiser.
According to the zoo, the top sellers of cockroach names in 2023 were Matt and Sarah.
Amanda and Matt are currently emerging as the top favorites for 2024.
Other souvenirs of the campaign are also available from the zoo's online shop in the form of a “Cry me a Cockroach” T-shirt or mug.
Internet celebrates the cockroach campaign for Valentine's Day: "How often can I take part?"
It didn't take long for the online reactions to the original fundraising campaign to arrive.
Under the San Antonio Zoo post and the #CryMeACockroach there are a number of likes, reshares and comments across the networks, everything from “brilliant” to concrete name suggestions.
One user struck twice and reported sarcastically: “I bought one for myself and one for a friend... I love giving gifts!” Another woman asked if she could watch videos.
The zoo publishes clips of individual feedings on social media.
Not a hated old love?
You can still take part in the zoo's Valentine's Day campaign
Anyone who is happily married or single can of course also name the cockroaches after their boss, annoying in-laws, hellish neighbors or whoever else gets on their nerves.
A “not so special one,” as the San Antonio Zoo calls it.
And for anyone who would rather stick to flowers, there are a few useful tips on what to look out for when buying flowers.