How are Pop Tarts connected to Paul Harrell? Meme lore explained as internet honors gun rights activist and YouTuber

Paul Harrell, a 58-year-old gun rights activist and YouTuber, passed away on Tuesday, September 3, following a prolonged struggle with cancer. He was diagnosed with Stage 2 pancreatic cancer in July 2023. At the time, Harrell had a prognosis of 1-5 years, but his health deteriorated much faster than expected.

Tom Grieve, an attorney and fellow YouTuber, revealed the news of Paul Harrell's demise on X and wrote:

I just learned and was given permission to share that Paul has passed. A true lion of men, a paragon of integrity, the gun dad of the internet, and a role model for us all. May he continue inspire and call us to be better and do more. Rest in peace. #paulharrell #2ndamendment."

Grieve's post came after, Paul's brother, Roy, shared an old video of his late brother that was titled "I'm Dead". In the video, Paul announces, "If you're watching me, I'm dead." He then elaborates on his health, thanks his followers for their support, and urges them to keep engaging with the content that his family and friends would post on his channel.

Paul Harrell had 1.16 subscribers on YouTube and his channel's motto was "Real firearms information for citizens."

Following Harrell's death, a meme started making rounds on the internet relating Harrell with Pop-Tarts. This deeply confused some netizens as Harrell was known for not taking sponsors.

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The link between Paul Harrell and Pop-Tarts

Paul Harrell had previously mentioned his fondness for Pop-Tarts. In an old video, he can be heard saying:

"I can tell you in all honesty and sincerity, I have eaten Pop-Tarts that were over six years old."

One Reddit user further explained the association between the firearm enthusiast and the famous toaster pastries and wrote:

“Paul noted in his 5 survival tips video that he took Pop Tarts with him when he went out solo on a daytrip that ended up becoming a survival situation. Sounds like Pop Tarts are his go-to snack in the field.”

It is likely that Paul's open endorsement of Pop-Tarts, either ironically or sincerely, inspired posts that showed him advertising the snack.

Interestingly, these "fake ads" were edited in such a way that they mimicked the old print advertisements of Camel Cigarettes, which featured actor Bob Beck. These ads, made in the 1980s, showed Bob Beck as an outdoorsy person dressed in Khaki clothes.

Perhaps, many netizens noticed the resemblance between Bob Beck in Camel Cigarettes ads, and Paul Harrell, who would often dress in khaki outfits and make his videos out in the open.

Memers edited photos of Paul to make it look like he was promoting Pop-Tarts in the same fashion as Bob Beck promoted Camel Cigarettes. They even copied Camel Cigarettes' tagline, "Where a man belongs", in these fake ads.

These fake ads had been circulating for years now, but after Paul's death, many people began resharing them as a way to lightheartedly remember the gun rights advocate. An X user shared a photo of one such fake ad and wrote:

"Paul Harrell is a legend and his legacy will live on. His videos are great for learning about different aspects of gun ownership from maintenance to zeroing a rifle. I'll eat a Pop Tart today in memory of him. Rest in Peace."

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In recent years, a section of Paul Harrell fans have expressed their wish to see an official collaboration between Harrell and the popular snack. Last year, a fan wrote on X:

"If Pop-Tarts really knew their audience, then they would be hiring Paul Harrell to do their advertising. An American and Oregonian treasure."

Soon after Paul's death, another fan shared the same above-mentioned sentiment and wrote:

"Let’s all flood @PopTartsUS’notifications with posts requesting that they make a Paul Harrell commemorative box. #PopTartsForPaul"

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Needless to say, the Harrell and Pop-Tart connection is an inside joke between Harrell fans. Nevertheless, none of Harrell's family members have said anything about the ads or the whole meme fest.