NEW YORK — A boy whose love of corn went viral is still using his fame for good.
Grade schooler Tariq rocketed to unexpected prominence this summer when he chatted to the host of "Recess Therapy," an online show featuring interviews with kids in New York City: "For me, I really like corn," Tariq says in the now-viral video, adding between bites of corn on the cob: "Ever since I was told that corn was real, it tasted good."
The "Corn Kid" interview took off, garnering nearly 10 million views on YouTube since it was posted in August. Of course, it led to countless memes, a song, and partnerships with brands like Chipotle.
It was back to business for Tariq in the fall — he said in an interview with TikToker Nolan Hansen that he had "retired" because of school: "Even if I got bored of corn, I will always be the Corn Kid in my heart."
While the "Corn Kid" craze has ended, Tariq is still getting involved in his community in corn-related ways. He visited NYC's City Harvest Monday to help hand out more than 90,000 cans of veggies with Green Giant — including, the brand said in a release, 50,000 cans of corn.
City Harvest told NBC New York that visits to food shelves and soup kitchens in the city are still nearly 70% higher than before the pandemic. The nonprofit's volunteers were also delivering meal boxes with dry goods and holiday classics, plus more than 13,000 Thanksgiving turkeys.
Green Giant says the event was part of a weeklong partnership with Tariq, culminating in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Yep, the "Corn Kid" will be a special guest on Green Giant's float in the yearly extravaganza.