Dayton (Ohio/USA) - She has two adorable twin daughters (1), who she prefers to capture on video rather than in photos. Because like so many toddlers, Evelyn and Elsie are always on the move. But what happened to US American Emma Snell from Dayton, Ohio, last week during one of her clips not only blew her socks off, but also millions of TikTok users.

The viral video begins as harmlessly as it was intended: daughter Evelyn is standing by the sofa in her home, where it is decorated for Christmas. Then it happens: Elsie suddenly comes into the picture - and gives her mother a real fright.

The reason: the one-year-old looks like a goblin and bears a strong resemblance to Gollum from "The Lord of the Rings". This twist works! More than 40 million clicks, plus a good six million likes, come together in less than a week.

The abrupt change of mood knocks many users off their feet just as violently as the twins' mother. Of course, the shock is over as quickly as it came.

Because what is actually going on in the strange video is quite obvious.

Emma Snell had accidentally activated a Snapchat filter on her cell phone.

"I must have accidentally scrolled there when I put my phone down for a second and didn't realize it until I was recording," the US-American said in an interview with Newsweek this week.

The moment she saw her daughter in the "Gollum look", Snell went through a brief but intense rollercoaster of emotions.

"It shocked me for a second. But then I thought it was pretty funny," she told the US magazine. In future, she wants to be more careful to switch off her filters.

For now, however, the mother of twins can enjoy her viral hit on TikTok - at least in this respect, the little mistake was really worth it.