Thelife- Dieunerst Collin became a meme in 2013 after an awkward encounter was filmed and posted on Vine.
- Collin became known as "Popeyes Kid" as the video took place in the fast-food establishment.
A boy who became an internet meme in 2013 after an awkward encounter in a Popeyes restaurant has grown up to become a college football player, and secured a sponsorship from the fast-food business that made him famous.
In August 2013, a creator named TheRealSnoopy uploaded a video to the now-defunct short-form video app Vine, in which he filmed a boy who appeared confused and uncomfortable standing in a Popeyes. The upload received over 19.2 million views and the person featured in the video, whose real name is Dieunerst Collin, became known as the "Popeyes kid."
The clip has since been adopted as both still images and GIFs, and is often used as a reaction to suggest someone is unsure about something, due to Collin's facial expression and body language, as he darts his eyes towards the camera in sideways glances.
On January 8, Jim Weber, host of the sports podcast "Lost Lettermen," tweeted a still from the video along with a football profile of Collin, saying he was a freshman offensive lineman at Division II Lake Erie College. "If this guy doesn't have an NIL deal by tomorrow, the Louisiana kitchen needs to clean house on upper management," he wrote, referring to a contract in which an athlete can receive payment or products from a brand in exchange for use of their name, image, and likeness.
That same day, Collin quote-tweeted the post, writing "SAID IT BEST" and tagging Popeyes' Twitter account.
—Dieunerst Collin (@CollinDieunerst) January 8, 2023
Collin, who has over 71,000 followers on Instagram, shared a post to his account on the same day which showed a different side-by-side image including the original meme, and Collin holding a football trophy. The caption read, "I NEED EVERYONE TO REPOST THIS AND TAG @popeyes I JUST WANNA TALK BUISNESS." The post received over 49,000 likes.
Collin also posted a screenshot of his Instagram post on Twitter and again encouraged fans to tag the restaurant. Several comments assisted Collin in his efforts. Among a number of users tagging Popeyes was the Twitter account of the restaurant chain Buffalo Wild Wings that wrote "do it for the vine" in a reply which received over 730 likes. On his Instagram post, many of the top comments also tagged Popeyes' account.
On January 11, the official Popeyes Twitter account acknowledged the online campaign by quote-tweeting Collin with the caption "Let's get this bread(ing)."
The following day, Popeyes announced a deal had been done in a tweet that said, "Proud to welcome @CollinDieunerst to the fam." The tweet also included an image with the in-photo caption, "FROM MEMES TO DREAMS," and in the bottom right-hand corner said they were the "proud sponsor of Dieunerst Collin."
—Popeyes (@Popeyes) January 12, 2023
Popeyes did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment, ESPN reported that Collin will promote the restaurant and be featured on a Popeyes billboard in New Jersey.
Speaking with USA Today, Collin said, "Only thing I can say is that I will be promoting that business like crazy," and "I actually love Popeyes myself."
Collin did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
This isn't the first time a person who found themself at the center of a brand-related meme has parlayed viral success into a professional opportunity. In 2022, TikToker Nathan Apodaca was offered a guest spot in the Hulu show "Reservation Dogs," after a video he filmed of himself drinking cranberry juice while skateboarding and lip-syncing to Fleetwood Mac went viral.
In 2016, after a video of a teenager hyping up his friend Daniel Lara went viral, placing particular emphasis on his footwear and coining the phrase "Damn Daniel, back at it again with the white Vans," the shoe company gifted Lara with a "lifetime supply" of Vans shoes during a segment on The Ellen DeGeneres Show.
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