Rules
What this is
ViralToys is a public experiment in virality. We release very small digital toys into the open internet and watch what reality does to them.
Most fail.
Status
Every toy has exactly one status:
- LIVE — not failed
- VIRAL — rare; earned
- FAILED — final
Nothing else.
1. Toys must stand on their own
No instructions. No tutorials. No explanations.
If it needs explanation, it failed.
If it needs explanation, it failed.
2. LIVE means “not failed”
LIVE does not mean:
- promising
- popular
- active
- recent
It means only:
We have no real evidence to fail this toy yet.
Silence is allowed.
3. Failures are real and final
A toy is FAILED only for internal reasons:
- no perceptual doubt
- no inspection or verification
- illusion collapses instantly
- aesthetic engagement only
Not for:
- low views
- algorithm silence
- timing
- “needs more time”
Failed toys are never resurrected.
4. We minimize false failures
When signals are mixed or unclear, the toy stays LIVE.
A toy fails only when evidence accumulates. Uncertainty does not fail.
A toy fails only when evidence accumulates. Uncertainty does not fail.
5. VIRAL is rare
A LIVE toy becomes VIRAL only when:
- epistemic signals appear publicly
- across multiple posts
- with behavioral confirmation (rewatch / completion)
Private reactions alone are not enough.
VIRAL is earned, not declared.
VIRAL is earned, not declared.
6. We don’t blame the audience
If people don’t react, the toy failed.
Not the viewer.
Not the viewer.
7. We don’t rescue toys
Weak toys are not saved with:
- better visuals
- better captions
- more explanation
- more time
If it needs saving, it failed.
8. We don’t chase trends
No memes. No formats. No timing hacks.
If a toy works, it works without scaffolding.
If a toy works, it works without scaffolding.
9. This is not a platform
No accounts. No likes. No scores. No personalization.
Just artifacts and outcomes.
Just artifacts and outcomes.
10. Failure is part of the output
Failed toys remain visible. They are not hidden or softened.
Failure is data.
Failure is data.
11. Viral outcomes do not imply understanding
Success does not explain itself.
A toy going viral does not mean:
A toy going viral does not mean:
- the mechanism is understood
- the pattern is repeatable
- the rules have been cracked
Virality is an outcome, not a theory.
12. We do not owe the project a success
ViralToys is not required to produce a winner.
If nothing goes viral:
If nothing goes viral:
- the rules stay the same
- the failures stay visible
- the project remains valid
We do not add meaning when reality provides none.
13. Why the test matrix is intentionally small
The test matrix is not designed to discover any configuration in which a toy might work. It is designed to test whether the core mechanic survives reasonable variation. We assume that if a toy only works after many rounds of copy refinement, background tuning, or edge-case adjustments, it is too fragile for social virality. A small number of semantically distinct CTAs and neutral presentation contexts capture most of the meaningful variance; additional tests rarely change the kind of outcome and mainly reduce decisiveness. We stop early by design, not because more tests are impossible, but because robust effects reveal themselves quickly and fragile ones are not worth saving.
One-line truth
Everything is live until reality fails it.
Very little earns the right to be called viral.