Tariq, the viral ‘Corn Kid,’ named South Dakota’s Corn-bassador
Tariq’s social media fame has attracted the state's governor, celebrities, brands and sports teams.
The internet sensation known as “Corn Kid” Tariq has been declared South Dakota’s “Official Corn-bassador,” The Washington Post reports.
The office of Governor Kristi Noem made the announcement on Twitter, naming Sept. 3 “Official Corn-bassador Tariq Day.” The post included photos of Tariq visiting the state’s corn-themed “Corn Palace” over Labor Day weekend.
“The Corn Kid came to South Dakota’s very own @Corn_Palace!!!” reads the tweet from Noem’s office. The official proclamation also noted that “Tariq’s a-maize-ing endorsement contains more than a kernel of truth and has reached ears across the world via social media.”
Tariq became internet famous last month after his interview with the Instagram series “Recess Therapy” went viral. During the conversation with host Julian Shapiro-Barnum, the adorable gap-toothed kid gushed about the wonders of corn.
“For me, I really like corn,” he told Shapiro-Barnum, Today.com reported. “Ever since I was told that corn was real, it tasted good.”
“When I tried it with butter, everything changed,” Tariq added.
In Shapiro-Barnum’s Aug. 4 video clip titled “The CEO of Corn,” Tariq, whose last name and age are not revealed, exclaims “It’s corn!” He is seen in the clip munching on the cob and noting that the juicy knobs are what he most enjoys about corn.
“I mean look at this thing,” exclaimed Tariq while admiring his corn on the cob. “I can’t imagine a more beautiful thing.”
The “Corn Kid” video has more than 3 million views on YouTube and over 875,000 views on TikTok. The buzz inspired popular influencers, the Gregory Brothers, to turn Tariq’s remarks into an auto-tuned song. They released a remix on Aug. 18 on their TikTok account and now there are thousands of user clips on the app featuring the official Corn Song titled “It’s Corn.”
TikTok users have also launched the hashtag #CornTok.
Tariq’s instafame has attracted celebrities, brands, and sports teams. Chipotle tapped the kid for an ad, and Tariq is selling personalized videos on Cameo starting at $220, WaPo reports.
“Something that’s this infectious as the corn song is going to catch a whole lot of people,” Tama Leaver, a professor of internet studies at Curtin University in Australia, told The Post. “That’s part of the joy, part of feeling of being [on TikTok]. Part of the community of TikTok is being in on those audio memes.”
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