Stoned Elmo awakes to Qwikster controversy

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The controversy surrounding the Qwikster Twitter account took a new turn on September 20 when the owner of Netflix's desired handle realized what was happening.

Popular DVD rental and on-demand streaming service Netflix recently announced that it would be changing the name of its DVD-by-mail service to Qwikster, with CEO Reed Hastings stating he hoped the move would allow customers to distinguish between the two services.

However in what can be seen as a PR oversight the company forgot to check that the Twitter handle @qwikster was available before announcing the re-branding on Sunday, September 18.

Unfortunately for Netflix/Qwikster the handle @qwikster belongs to one Jason Castillo who, using the image of a pot-smoking Elmo, pastes sporadic updates generally relating to drugs and women.

The controversy surrounding the Twitter handle, and the legal problems Netflix faced in acquiring it, turned into something of an internet joke and quickly led to Castillo acquiring over 10,000 followers despite his not tweeting since August 16, when he wrote "About tired as shyt n i can't sleep."

However it appears that Jason has been informed of the controversy, as his Twitter account, with the badge of Barcelona FC replacing Elmo, became active again on September 19, at which point he tweeted "Dayum over 3120 follower just cuz some ppl wanna buy my handle 3 ppl have asked but idk who to trust."

In addition to trust issues relating to any financial settlement stemming from Netflix, Mr. Castillo has also been working out and having insect issues, tweeting on September 20 "Just finished benching :) tired n sweaty my arm hurts stupid bee we about to hit the shower tweet in a bit."

Qwikster/Netflix have not yet released a statement commenting on this latest turn of events.

Jason Castillo @Qwikster