Thanks to pineapples, a new, quirky trend is taking over Spain. Nicknamed “Pineapple-gate,” the craze is sweeping across the nation, leaving some hilarious and chaotic scenes in many supermarkets. Here’s the scoop on this fruity phenomenon that’s got everyone talking.

The Pineapple Code
It all started with a video shared by Spanish actor and comedian Vivy Lin on TikTok. She shared the ‘genius’ idea of singles finding their future partner in supermarkets. How? Just put a pineapple upside down in your trolley! Of course, the romantic supermarket adventure should fall between 7 pm and 8 pm.

The best time to find a date at Mercadona is from 7 pm to 8 pm,” said Vivy Lin in her TikTok video. Well, Mercadona does happen to be a rather popular supermarket chain in the country, and it appears this broadcast by Vivy just went like wildfire. The next thing that happened was that people around Spain began to follow her pineapple tip, and things began to get interesting.

The Supermarket Shuffle
So, as people jumped onto the bandwagon more and more, the supermarkets-most of all, Mercadona-had started seeing new faces: shoppers that arrived with pineapples in hopes of finding their love. They put an upside-down pineapple in the shopping trolleys and then go on to the wine section; this would apparently give them a better chance at finding a date.

But this trend didn’t only generate sweet moments. It also generated utter chaos. In Madrid, the sight of groups of teenagers was seen doing trolley rounds inside the store without purchases. A guy even went so far as to dress himself up as a giant pineapple for his bachelor party, and that was quite a sight!

Police to the Rescue?
It even drew the attention of the local police. The police appeared at a Mercadona store in Bilbao during the keen pineapple hour of 7 pm to 8 pm. After reports of rowdy behaviour authorities went in. Fortunately, they did not have to intervene; they were there only to watch over.
To further create a stir about this trend, a song with a catchy melody begins to virally spread across the internet. The lyrics are as follows:

The Pineapple’s Past
Now, using an upside-down pineapple as code is absolutely new.
An upside-down pineapple has conventionally been used to denote interest in “swinging” or people who seek out partners with which to swap. But the trend in Spain involves no more than fun and flirtation.

Not everybody, however, is having much fun with the pineapple fad. Many employees were hacked off by the extra work the trend has brought upon them. In videos, you see workers shoving pineapples off the shelves and into storage when the clock strikes towards 7 pm.

It is loud and clear that Mercadona has complained that it did not start this trend. This is what the company’s spokesman had to say concerning this recent phenomenon: “This pineapple trend was not created by us; it just happened on its own.”

Social Media’s Impact
This Vogue of pineapples is a good example of how social media influences offline behavior. According to the social commentator Susana Quadrado, who wrote on this issue for La Vanguardia newspaper, social media often takes harmless fun and makes it into something with an impact. Yes, the pineapple meme is playful; yet, according to her, this is a very good example of how the digital world can affect reality when it comes to amplifying trends.

It says a lot about the power of social media that even the most innocuous idea can be made into a sensation that grips an entire nation, as the trend for pineapples has shown in Spain. From humorous supermarket antics to viral songs and police interventions, “Pineapple-gate” has indeed left its mark. Whether you’re looking for romance or just want to see what all the fuss is about, it’s clear this fruity trend has stirred up quite a bit of excitement across Spain. So, the next time you are roaming through the supermarket, don’t be surprised when you see a pineapple in someone’s cart; there might just be a little love in the air!