A scathing one-star Google review has become the bestselling merchandise line of the New Bedford Whaling Museum in Massachusetts. The review from 2020 called the museum the “worst aquarium ever”.

The museum printed the quote on t-shirts, hoodies, mugs and tote bags. “We do not have live whales here. This is a natural history and science museum,” said Annelise Conway, the museum’s chief revenue officer.

The campaign took off after a visitor’s TikTok post about the shirt reached about 100,000 views. Coverage on CBS Evening News followed. During the broadcast week, the museum received 738 online orders, up 250 per cent on the previous week.

Sales of the merchandise are up 24 per cent year-on-year. The “worst aquarium ever” line now accounts for roughly a third of total gift-shop sales. The museum’s Google rating has recovered to 4.8 out of 5.

The museum recently added a 250-gallon saltwater aquarium to its exhibits. It is the first addition in years responding to the old complaint. The institution teaches maritime history and whaling heritage in New Bedford, a historic whaling port.