Testicular Cancer Society Turns Unintentional Phallic Shapes into Life-Saving Lessons

To mark Testicular Cancer Awareness Month this April, the Testicular Cancer Society has partnered with FP7McCann to launch ‘I See Balls’, the world’s first AR lens that uses AI to transform everyday, accidentally phallic-shaped objects into life-saving health tools. From cactuses to vegetables, the lens detects objects that resemble male anatomy and overlays a medically accurate, step-by-step guide for performing a testicular self-exam. What started as an internet joke is now a powerful early detection tool, turning censorship into creativity, and instinct into action.

The idea was born from a growing contradiction. While 42% of men aged 15–35, the group most at risk, rely on social media for medical advice (World Economic Forum), platform algorithms often can’t distinguish between testicular cancer education and explicit content.

As a result, important health information frequently gets blocked. In June 2024, Meta removed a Facebook infographic demonstrating how to perform a self-exam, requiring a formal appeal just to have it reinstated. Even a simple search for “testicles” on Instagram triggers the warning: “We’ve hidden most results for your search because they may contain sensitive content.” And the content that does get through? It’s usually dry, clinical, and easily ignored.

Meanwhile, the internet is overflowing with unintentional phallic imagery, silly but instantly recognisable. These familiar shapes have long fuelled shared laughter, even inspiring the viral subreddit /mildlypenis, where users post everyday objects that resemble male anatomy.

Instead of fighting the AI filters, I See Balls embraces the absurdity. The team trained their own AI on thousands of these organic images, everything from buildings and shadows to scoops of ice cream, so the lens can spot phallic patterns and overlay a simple, animated tutorial on how to perform a testicular self-check.

“Men already notice these shapes instinctively,” said Federico Fanti, regional chief creative officer at FP7 McCann MENAT. “What makes I See Balls powerful is that it builds on that behaviour. It’s a behavioural nudge disguised as humour, once you’ve seen the overlay, you start spotting reminders everywhere you go.”

The tool lives at iseeballs.com, where users can scan the shapes they encounter, learn the steps, and share videos on social media to spread awareness as lifesaving ambassadors, sidestepping censorship without risking takedowns or shadowbans.

To build momentum, the campaign launched on the very platforms where testicular health content is most restricted, Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook, by commenting on phallic-shaped content and redirecting users to the lens. The team also activated communities like /mildlypenis and humour-driven groups to plant the message in spaces where audiences were already primed to look, and laugh.

Testicular cancer is the most common cancer in men aged 15–44. It’s 99% survivable if caught early. Yet a recent survey revealed that 62% of men didn’t know this, and one in five never perform self-checks.

“If guys don’t know how to check because the tutorials make them fall asleep, they won’t check themselves,” said Mike Craycraft, founder of the Testicular Cancer Society. “I See Balls skips the awkward and uses humour and engagement to make a serious point. That’s a game-changer.”

By flipping censorship into creativity, I See Balls doesn’t just find a way around platform restrictions, it reimagines how health information is delivered. Humour becomes a Trojan horse for awareness. Phallic patterns become life-saving prompts. And when traditional methods are blocked, this campaign proves there’s always another way in, one unintentionally playful pic at a time.