TWICE SPARKS VIRAL FRENZY FOR SF ZOO SHIRT

A casual zoo outing by members of the global K-pop sensation TWICE has turned into an unexpected viral phenomenon, sending demand skyrocketing for a vintage-style San Francisco Zoo T-shirt and boosting the attraction's animal care efforts.

Jihyo, Jeongyeon, and Mina from TWICE visited the San Francisco Zoo during a break in their world tour schedule, following sold-out performances at Oakland Arena on January 17 and 18. The trio enjoyed a sunny day exploring exhibits, including giraffes, zebras, and koalas, before purchasing matching cream-colored "vintage safari" T-shirts featuring a retro illustration of zoo animals.

Jeongyeon shared an energetic Instagram Reel documenting the adventure, complete with playful clips and the group proudly sporting the shirts. Jihyo and Mina also posted photos, showing the three arm-in-arm in front of enclosures. The posts quickly spread among millions of ONCE (TWICE fans), with hashtags and screenshots flooding social media.

The San Francisco Zoo responded enthusiastically on social media: "We were so excited when Jihyo, Jeongyeon and Mina, members of the K-pop group TWICE, visited SF Zoo recently, and it looked like they had a great time! We were also surprised that the group posted images wearing our popular vintage-style SF Zoo t-shirt, and thanks to you, it’s become a ‘thing!’"

The zoo reported being "swamped" with calls and orders almost immediately after the posts went live. Gift shop stock sold out rapidly, prompting the addition of the shirt to the online store (shop.sfzoo.org) on pre-sale for $27.99 (adult) and $24.99 (children's sizes). A portion of proceeds supports the zoo's animal care program.

Local media outlets, including the San Francisco Chronicle, KRON4, and the New York Post, covered the story, noting estimates of hundreds of shirts sold in days—some reports citing around 100 per day at peak demand. Fans worldwide, from the Bay Area to international markets, rushed to grab the limited merch.

The incident echoes similar viral boosts for other attractions, like the Monterey Bay Aquarium's sea otter shirt frenzy tied to Taylor Swift last year. For the SF Zoo, it's a welcome surge in visibility and funding.

TWICE continues their North American leg of the tour, but their low-key zoo day has left a lasting (and fashionable) mark on San Francisco. The viral T-shirt remains available online while supplies last—proving that sometimes, the biggest hits come from the simplest outings.