Walmart reported that five years after Patti LaBelle‘s sweet potato pies became a viral internet sensation, the singer’s signature desserts are still flying off the shelves especially during this most recent Thanksgiving holiday.
Even diehard fans of the music legend may be shocked to learn that according to Fox Business, Walmart sells a whopping 36,000 of LaBelle’s desserts every day, which comes down to 1,500 per hour.
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“With Thanksgiving just around the corner, ‘Patti Pie’ is expected to remain at the top of customer’s lists when shopping for their holiday meal,” a spokesperson for Walmart explained in an email to the publication prior to the holiday.
The singer’s treats first went viral back in 2015 when social media influencer James Wright taste-tested one of LaBelle’s pies on camera and posted an enthusiastic and infectious reaction on YouTube. The clip instantly went viral, going on to attract over 5 million views and causing the sweet potato pies to sell out at Walmarts all over the country. This soon created a black market where the baked goods, retailed for less than $4 each, were being hawked on eBay for upwards of $60.
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In addition to the infamous sweet potato pies, LaBelle’s baking empire now features other treats such as Southern buttermilk pie, peach cobbler, bread pudding and banana pudding.
“The Verzuz effect”
As we previously reported, the “Lady Marmalade” songstress made headlines back in September when she and longtime friend Gladys Knight took part in what many believe to be the most iconic Verzuz battle to-date.
After the musical legends came together on Sept.13 for an evening of love and friendly competition, their trip down memory lane reminded several of their fans – spanning across generations – to remember just how good and extensive their musical catalogs are.
As a result, they more than doubled their U.S. streaming totals in the days following the live stream. Thanks to what is now being dubbed “the Verzuz effect,” each entertainer officially had the biggest streaming week of her career.
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