Why did somebody send Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg a blue king cake? - NOLA.com

It’s a story of rejection, reversal and reconciliation. The folks at a king cake-focused website called King Cake Snob have sent a king cake to Mark Zuckerberg, the founder of Facebook. Zuckerberg’s king cake – which is decorated in Facebook blue - includes an especially large, custom-made king cake baby clothed in a Facebook T-shirt and what appear to be tiny black athletic shorts.

Why, you ask? Here’s the backstory.

On Jan. 7 the King Cake Snob management attempted to pay Facebook to increase the distribution of a post on the King Cake Snob Facebook page that called attention to the start of the Mardi Gras season. Boosting a post, as it’s called, is routine. The trouble was, the post in question included a photo of king cake babies.

Facebook declined to boost the King Cake Snob post because the photo of the tiny plastic babies included “excessive skin or nudity.” KCS appealed to Facebook to reconsider, but the social media Goliath refused.

Facebook censors king cake babies for nudity. No kidding.

Word of Facebook’s prudishness leapfrogged from one media outlet to another until Jan. 18 when Facebook relented and allowed KCS to boost the previously banned post.

King Cake Snob spokesman Andrew Alexander said that the whole problem underlying Facebook’s erstwhile censorship may have been the California company’s lack of king cake awareness. So KCS enlisted Caluda King Cake bakery to produce a custom cake for Mr. Zuckerberg’s enjoyment and edification.

Members of the KCS website design team created the huge, clothed king cake baby with a 3-D digital printer. Alexander said he is sure the cake has reached its destination, though Facebook has not responded.

Alexander said the gesture is meant to “tie a ribbon on” the whole censorship incident. It is not, he avows, an effort to tease Mr. Zuckerberg or the management of his mega-company.

King Cake Snob is published by the Innovative Advertising agency. The website management uses its Facebook account to draw attention to king cake reviews and news.

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Doug MacCash has the best job in the world, covering art, music and culture in New Orleans. Contact him via email at dmaccash@nola.com. Follow him on Twitter at Doug MacCash and on Facebook at Douglas James MacCash. As always, please add your point of view to the comment stream.

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