Ice cream shop owner with a heart of gold goes viral for the wrong reasons

Ooh la la... talk about "cooking" up a viral storm.

Ice cream shop owner, 24-year-old Rob Huysinga, may have been making ice cream over an ice pan but oh boy, temperatures were definitely rising.

In a video that Huysinga posted on TikTok (a video sharing app) on International Women's Day, he filmed himself making an Oreo and Nutella flavoured ice cream in celebration of the event.

But it wasn't just his chiselled good looks and scruffy beard that caught the attention of the internet. Oh, not at all.

It was his sensual performance that made viewers flock to the video - like bees to honey.

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From the slapping of the Nutella on the ice pan, to the passionate folding of the ice cream, to the smooth gyrations of his hips, and the sultry gazes into the camera; Huysinga's video was a recipe for sweet success.

Clearly those hips don't lie.

The hunky British entrepreneur definitely won his fair share of fans with the video racking up millions of views.

However, the over-the-top performance wasn't palatable for all and left some viewers feeling uncomfortable and bewildered.

And as the internet is wont to do with the subject of any viral content, they got some sleuthing done to suss out the identity of the mysterious hottie.

Instead of finding skeletons in his closet though, the cyber detectives discovered that what lies beneath the #IceCreamMan (yes, it's a hashtag) was his heart of gold (and many thirst traps on Instagram).

Once a month, Huysinga visits a children's hospital in London where he doles out ice cream to the tiny humans.

This revelation ironically thawed the hearts of detractors, prompting them to possibly reconsider their cold, snap judgment of his ice cream dance.

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It was reported that Huysinga philanthropic act was due to his desire to be kind and give back.

He said: "Actions speak louder than words. It is all well and good having 'Be Kind' on the back of our T-shirts, however, doing good makes a person and a business better than just saying good. For this reason, once a month we go to children's hospitals and the kids love it."

It also helps that he loves dogs.

After all, it was the famous Paul McCartney who said: "You can judge a man's true character by the way he treats his fellow animals."

As for the video, it was also reported that the theatrical preparation of the company's ice cream rolls was part of his "distinctive approach" to set it apart from competitors and it helps to create a "vibrant environment".

"Our company stands for theatre, whereby we don't just offer a conventional scoop of ice cream. For example, we often have saxophone players on the weekends and we even have a ball pit in our office," added Huysinga in that interview.

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He was merely trying to reflect the brand's "light-hearted identity and positive outlook on life" as it "really sets (them) apart from other ice cream brands".

Hence, Huysinga felt that his performance in the provocative video was "misinterpreted and misconstrued".

He admitted: "The eccentric manner upon which I make the ice cream, right through to the introduction; the whole thing has been completely blown up and taken out of context."

He did apologise to anyone who "may have been offended by the video", and as with any savvy business owner, turned his 15 minutes of fame into a lesson.

"What I find frustrating with today's age is how the other videos of me having fun with customers, or me in children's hospitals, never fully surface in a way this other one has.

"Instead, individuals look at where they can hate and just jump on the bandwagon and ride it.

"This is something I have had to learn abruptly, and going forward I will ensure I am more aware of what I am doing in my videos and how they'll be perceived," Huysinga added.

In any case... anyone fancies vanilla?

bryanlim@asiaone.com