🧵 The Monster Energy Conspiracy Theory That Convinced Boomers It Was Satanic

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Mar 04, 2025

Ah, Monster Energy. The drink of choice for sleep-deprived college students, extreme sports fanatics, gamers running on pure adrenaline, and me - a designer and art director juggling too many deadlines and side projects.

In 2014, an unexpected conspiracy theory spread widely online, leading many people, particularly from older generations, to believe that Monster Energy wasn't just marketing an edgy image - it was actually part of a hidden demonic scheme to influence young people.

So what's the chronology of this story:

In 2002, Hansen Beverage Company (now called Monster Beverage Corporation) created Monster Energy drinks. They came up with the famous Monster logo that looks like three claw marks in the shape of an "M." This logo was designed by a company called McLean Design.

2002–2014: Monster Energy became one of the leading energy drink brands, recognized for its aggressive marketing and sponsorships in sports and music.

But in 2014, a viral conspiracy theory took hold, convincing a surprising number of people (mostly boomers) that Monster Energy wasn’t just an edgy brand - it was a secret Satanic plot to corrupt the youth.

But how did we get there?

The theory gained mainstream attention after a Christian woman at a religious convention made a now-legendary YouTube video breaking down why Monster Energy’s logo was “proof” of devil worship.

Her argument?

The three claw marks that form the Monster logo aren’t random—they resemble three Hebrew letters that look like the number “6” ( ו ). So, 666. The Number of the Beast.
The tagline “Unleash the Beast” was obviously referring to Satan.
The cross inside the letter “O” in “Monster” appears in some of the company’s promotional material. When you drink the can, the cross turns upside down, which, according to conspiracy lore, is a symbol of the Antichrist.
The drink is popular among rebellious teens, meaning… Satan has already won.

Annnd… the Internet Runs With It

After the video spread across Facebook, it became an instant meme. Some people took it seriously (mostly boomers and hardcore religious groups), while the rest of the internet turned it into comedy gold.

People ironically started calling Monster “Devil Juice.”
Memes flooded social media with captions like “Finally, an energy drink that fuels my dark lord.”
The theory was featured on Reddit, Twitter, and late-night TV shows, where people gleefully pointed out that if you squint hard enough, you can find Satan in just about anything.

Some Christian groups actually started boycotting Monster over this nonsense. Meanwhile, Monster fans leaned into the meme - some even got “666” Monster tattoos just to mess with the conspiracy theorists.

2014–2018: Monster Energy and its design firm, McLean Design, dismissed these claims as fabricated and delusional. The company clarified that the logo was designed to resemble claw marks to evoke an aggressive brand identity, not religious symbolism.

Despite this, Monster Energy didn't suffer financially at all. The company remains one of the top energy drink brands globally. If anything, this controversy only strengthened Monster's reputation - after all, what's more rebellious and cool than being mistakenly linked to satanic connections?