Photos of Disaster With Dad’s Electric Kettle Go Viral: ‘Didn’t Realize’

A post about a “mind-boggling” mistake made about a kettle has left users on Reddit in disbelief.

The incident was highlighted in a post shared by a user called poetryiscool. It featured images of a damaged kettle with what appeared to be a burnt base and a title shared that read: “Didn’t realize my Dad’s tea kettle was electric…”

The kettle in question appears to be a gooseneck electric kettle from Nueve&Five, which is a cordless device, according to its listing on Amazon, which sits on a base that’s plugged into an outlet, rather than on a stove like a traditional tea kettle.

The post has amassed 43,000 upvotes and thousands of comments since it was first shared on March 4.

It comes as the global electric kettle market was valued to be worth $1.77 billion in 2023 and forecast to expand at a compound annual growth rate of 5.6 percent from 2024 to 2030, according to a report by Grandview Research, a market research firm headquartered in San Francisco.

The growing demand for electric kettles was attributed to an increasing awareness and emphasis on energy efficiency. “Electric kettles are generally more energy-efficient compared to boiling water on a stove, which can result in lower energy consumption and reduced utility bills. This aspect is particularly appealing in regions with high energy costs or a strong focus on environmental sustainability,” the Grandview Research report said.

The United States is also experiencing “a surge in demand for electric kettles due to the growing popularity of tea-drinking culture,” according to Statista, the global data firm.

‘Mind-Boggling’

Reddit users were floored by the unfortunate blunder highlighted in the viral post.

U/KingMRano asked “How are people this oblivious?” and u/Hei-Hei-67 said “How did you not notice?”

“I mean, all the signs were there,” said u/tadboat, while u/kwack250 noted “Easy mistake to make if you don’t notice the plastic, wires or switches.”

U/Chantalle22 wrote “Sir, I feel like the plastic base should’ve been your number one clue” and u/Jorvalt added “Yeah OP [original poster], this is completely on you.”

U/BluetheNerd said: “I looked up what the kettle looks like unmelted and it’s not exactly subtle either. Plastic bottom, big switch sticking out, a whole ass light on it that tells you it’s on.”

U/MathematicianBulky40 noted: “I’m from the UK, where kettles like the one in the picture are the norm. This is mind-boggling to me.”

The poster appeared to see the funny side, responding with laughing emojis to a comment saying, “dad was right about you,” and writing “Exactly! <3” in response to a facepalm GIF.

They also responded “its all good fun to me!” to someone praising their bravery in publicly admitting the mistake.

Newsweek has contacted the original poster for comment via the Reddit messaging system.