Dive Brief:
- Los Feliz, Calif.-based Dumb Starbucks made a brief but elaborate splash with its "Dumb Lattes" and "Dumb Contemporary Jazz" CDs before being shut down by the city's health department.
- Canadian comedian Nathan Fielder veered between dead-pan earnestness and lighthearted silliness about his dumb coffeehouse stunt, saying he believes it was a business innovation that allowed Americans to finally dream again.
- Fielder also insisted he could not get into legal trademark trouble because the whole point was art and parody. Starbucks, for its part, acknowledged the humor but didn't seem willing to allow the prank to go for too long.
Dive Insight:
It's not clear whether comedian Nathan Fielder was slamming Starbucks' ubiquitous presence in the American landscape or just having a little fun, but it didn't last long. Fielder managed to take his shtick onto the set of Jimmy Kimmel Live, where he presented the host with a Dumb Latte and prepackaged baked goods from a Vons supermarket. Fielder says he plans to open another Dumb Starbucks in Brooklyn, but this dumb coffee-based stunt may be as hot as it's going to get.
