A Massachusetts whaling museum has turned an insulting one-star Google review into a viral merchandise sensation, generating hundreds of orders in just days and attracting national media attention. The New Bedford Whaling Museum took the phrase “worst aquarium ever” from a 2020 review and splashed it across T-shirts, hoodies, crewneck sweatshirts, and tote bags that have become an unexpected hit.
The story began in 2020 when a Google user left the damning one-star review, despite the museum never having claimed to be an aquarium. Staff members found the critique so absurd that it became internal folklore, with the phrase passed down as a running joke. For years, employees joked about turning it into merchandise.
Last fall, the museum made that dream a reality. Emily Roznoy, the museum’s visitor experience manager and designer of the merchandise, drew inspiration from a barbecue restaurant that was selling shirts featuring an equally harsh one-star review. She created the design featuring the museum’s sperm whale skeleton on the front and the infamous review text on the back.
The initial batch sold mostly to museum staff when it debuted around Thanksgiving. The museum expected limited sales, with staff buying most of the first run. Yet the merchandise would soon capture the nation’s attention through an unexpected sequence of events.
The viral explosion began in mid-July when the museum posted about restocking the items on social media. The post caught the attention of local radio and sparked wider coverage, eventually leading to a feature on CBS Evening News. The timing proved perfect, as the museum had just expanded the collection to include crewneck sweatshirts and tote bags priced at $60 for hoodies, $32.50 for T-shirts, and $39.95 for totes.
The national exposure triggered a shopping frenzy. Between the CBS broadcast on Wednesday night and 2:30 p.m. Thursday afternoon, customers placed 738 online orders for the merchandise. By Thursday, weekly orders had surged 250 percent compared to the previous week. A typical week previously brought just 15 to 30 orders, but the museum saw more than 800 in recent days.
The merchandise became so popular that it ranked consistently in the top five sellers at the museum store, even before the viral moment. A TikTok video showcasing the items from November had already racked up more than 96,000 views. The CBS clip subsequently generated nearly 800,000 views on TikTok and nearly 90,000 likes on Instagram.
The humor at the merchandise’s core stems from a fundamental mismatch. The museum, which opened in 1903 and houses 750,000 items related to American whaling history, has always been a land-based institution focused on the whaling era, maritime heritage, and local history. In 2020, when the negative review was posted, the museum had no aquarium whatsoever. It contained whale skeletons—including a 66-foot blue whale, a 37-foot humpback whale, a 49-foot North Atlantic right whale, and a 48-foot sperm whale—but no live aquatic creatures.
The situation has only slightly improved. Earlier this year, the museum installed a 250-gallon saltwater tank in partnership with UMass Dartmouth’s School for Marine Science and Technology. The modest exhibit features local South Coast species including blue crabs, Forbes’ sea stars, and northern puffer fish, but still no live whales.
Annelise Conway, the museum’s chief engagement officer, embraced the absurdity with good humor. She noted that the design reflects a hearty New England spirit and serves as a way to connect with a broader audience rather than maintaining an exclusive image. She expressed hope that the merchandise would draw visitors to the museum itself, not just souvenir hunters.
“I hope people become interested in the T-shirt or sweatshirt and then realize we’re an incredible museum,” Conway said. “And that they find out how incredible New Bedford is, and spend a little time here, spend a weekend here, and realize what a gem of a city this is.”
The museum’s willingness to poke fun at itself has resonated widely. People around New Bedford began wearing the merchandise even without a connection to the institution. The publicity prompted a wave of five-star Google reviews from former visitors, offering a stark contrast to the original one-star jab.
Amanda McMullen, president and CEO of the New Bedford Whaling Museum, said the review had been legendary among staff for years, always providing what she called “a good chuckle.” The museum’s decision to lean into the joke rather than dismiss it appears to have struck the right tone with the public.
The museum staff has struggled to keep up with demand. With a small team, fulfilling hundreds of additional orders weekly has proven challenging. Yet the viral moment shows no sign of slowing down, with the merchandise continuing to generate significant interest.