Buttery, delicious and full of juice are words that can be used to describe two things: The corn a little boy loves so much and the viral song inspired by that love.
On Aug. 4, popular child interview series “Recess Therapy” caught up with a kid who is very, very into the most popular crop grown in the world. Julian Shapiro-Barnum, who interviews kids aged 2 to 9 for the social media show he created and hosts, talked to a little boy who is holding a half-eaten corn cob.
With interviews like this one captioned “CORN KID IS HERE,” it becomes quite clear how the account has amassed more than 2 million Instagram followers since its start in 2021.
“For me, I really like corn,” said the unnamed kid, in a video which has been liked more than a million times on Instagram. He’s asked by the Recess Therapy host what he likes about corn. “Ever since I was told that corn was real, it tasted good,” he said.
“Did you think corn wasn’t real?” Shapiro-Barnum asked.
“When I tried it with butter, everything changed!” said the little one, definitively answering the question he was posed, obviously. “I love corn. Mmm, corn,” said Corn Kid, taking bites in between questions.
Corn Kid is then asked in the video what his other favorite things are.
“I play a variety of games: hide and seek, tag, never lava monster,” said the kid, before ending the list of games he plays with, “Yeah, mostly corn.”
“I mean look at this thing,“ Corn Kid said, returning to the issue that really matters while holding his treasured cob. “I can’t imagine a more beautiful thing.”
When asked how he would describe corn to someone who hasn’t had it before, Corn Kid describes it as “a big lump with knobs.” The child also said that he mostly likes the juice from the corn and that’s what makes him like it so much. Marvelous review, truly — Frank Bruni couldn’t describe it any better.
Corn Kid also is asked how much he thinks corn should cost, to which he replied, “One dollar.” Please keep in mind that in allowance that’s a significant amount of scratch.
“I hope you guys have a corn-tastic day!” said the kid, which was met with hysterical laughter by his guardian sitting to his left. “What?! It’s just a pun about corn!”
Comments accompanying the corn-tastic video are lauding the love the kid has for the little things, calling him everything from a “corn connoisseur” to “adorable” to a “teacher.” One even guessed his name might be “Cornelius,” which would be serendipity indeed.
The video ends with a little girl being asked if she liked corn, to which she says "no" and also says that she’s never had corn. A lesson in contrasts.
Still, the little boy, whose name was later revealed to be Tariq, serves as an inspiration to all of us who hold that sweet yellow vegetable close to our hearts. Among those inspired by the CEO of Corn are the musical group the Gregory Brothers, an American musical quartet specializing in comical music through their YouTube channel Schmoyoho, TikTok and other social media outlets. On Aug. 19, member Michael took to his digital keyboard and tinkled out another smash hit like previous viral tracks "Bed Intruder Song," "DOUBLE RAINBOW SONG!!" and more.
“Intro song for any meal/snack with corn,” reads the caption on the TikTok, which has garnered a staggering 31 million views, takes Corn Kid’s signature memeable confabulations and adds a little seasoning in the way of autotune. The song, which is titled “Corn but it becomes a song and unites world” just might do that, as most of the comments on the video have cemented the track as a certified earworm.
“Nebraska should make this their state song,” said one commenter.
“Not me buying corn at the store tonight solely because this song has been running through my head all day,” commented another person. Whoever is in charge of Big Corn should probably look into an advertising campaign with these two. They’re already helping drive up sales!
Returning to the tiny corn philosopher for a moment: At one point in the video, he's asked if everyone should like corn and his response is an inadvertent life lesson that could be pertinent for the little girl to follow — and the rest of us, too.
“Not everyone has to like it to be the best, everyone just has to try it,” said the kid about corn, but he could really be speaking about anything any of us might be reluctant to try. That’s what makes this interview series so poignant, even when it’s not trying to be. "Have a bite!"
