NEW YORK, Dec. 11 (UPI) -- Duncan Hines has withdrawn a "hip-hop" video ad for cupcake frosting after complaints it played on racist stereotypes.
The commercial for "Amazing Glazes," with singing and dancing chocolate-frosted cupcakes, was released on YouTube with the title "Hip Hop," the New York Daily News reported. The cupcakes had exaggerated lips and eyes and hummed a melody.
"If you're going to call them hip-hop cupcakes, then shouldn't at least one of them at least do a verse?" a blogger complained on the Racialicious site.
When launching the video, its director, Josh Binder, said in a company statement, "I wanted to create an entertaining and engaging way to show bakers that this glaze makes everything you top taste better and more exciting."
The commercial drew more than 19,000 views on YouTube before being pulled, the Toronto Sun reported.
Bloggers were outraged that no one at Duncan Hines realized it might be offensive.
"Clearly there are no minorities in the boardroom where they work on advertising at Duncan Hines," a commenter wrote on Racialicious.
