Blue Check Homes: Danielle Baskin's Satirical Service for Verified Houses Goes Viral

Artist and designer Danielle Baskin launched Blue Check Homes, a website that parodies Twitter's verified blue badge by offering physical plaster shields for homes in the Bay Area. The site, which went viral shortly after its debut on Twitter, mimics a real service where homeowners could purchase a blue check plaque for $2,999.99 to signal that a public figure lives there. Baskin was inspired by Victorian-era plaster shields found on San Francisco homes, which she posted about on Twitter on January 29, 2021. Technologist Adam Scheuring responded that those shields were "the blue check before Twitter existed." The project received over 500 inquiries from people believing it was genuine, along with millions of views and reactions. Baskin later added a disclaimer stating the service is not real, blending reality and fiction. The work critiques social media status symbols and the human desire for prestige.