The Corn Kid Will Be Riding In This Year's Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade
This summer saw one of the happiest and most wholesome videos ever made, in which a young boy charmed the world with his love for corn. In the interview shared on the YouTube channel, Recess Therapy, young Tariq said it was okay if not everyone liked corn, but for him, the day he had corn with butter was the day that "everything changed." Tariq's enthusiasm and pure joy for a simple ear of corn made him an overnight sensation. The video was sampled into a true earworm of a song on TikTok, and best of all, it landed Tariq the title of Official Corn-bassador of South Dakota (per NPR).
Naturally, folks were a little sad upon learning that the 7-year-old announced his retirement from corn duties. (Understandable though — he had to go back to school!) Good news, however: The Corn Kid is coming out of retirement for the holidays. Vegetable company Green Giant announced that he'll be their special guest in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Here's what to expect from Tariq's special appearance.
The Corn Kid wishes you a corntastic Thanksgiving
In a press release, Green Giant announced that the Corn Kid, Tariq, is joining them for the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade and other fun corn promotions. "This is the one day that we get to stay home with family, watch a big parade, and then eat corn. Lots and lots of corn. It's my favorite day of the year!" Tariq says in the release. The 7-year-old will ride on the "Harvest in the Valley" float in the iconic parade, as part of a week-long partnership to make corn "the star of the Thanksgiving table."
To honor corn lovers, Green Giant is giving away aprons that say "I'm a giant fan of corn" and have a recorded message from Tariq (per Green Giant). The company also has two new corn recipes for Thanksgiving: Corn Kid's Corniest Mac n' Cheese and Corn Kid's Corn Casserole.
To ensure that those in need won't go hungry this Thanksgiving, Tariq and another famous veggie fan — the Jolly Green Giant — will deliver 90,000 canned goods to City Harvest, New York's largest food rescue organization located in Tariq's own Brooklyn. The donation includes 50,000 cans of corn. Kristen Thompson, of B&G Foods, says, "Corn Kid has a giant heart and we are thrilled to help him share his love of corn with his community this Thanksgiving" (via PR Newswire). With Tariq's help and joy, this will be the most "corntastic" Thanksgiving ever.