Love the Chewbacca mask mum? Well, her viral fame has netted her a nice surprise
Mum Candace Payne has been swamped with gifts after her video went viral
THE woman who lit up the internet thanks to her Chewbacca mask hysterics has been enjoying the perks that come with being an internet sensation.
A video of ‘Chewbacca mum’ laughing her head off whilst wearing a Star Wars mask got over 100 million views after being uploaded to Facebook earlier this month.
And the woman behind the mask, Candace Payne, became a viral hit after showing the world the full force of her laughter.
The jolly mum-of-two, 37, spontaneously purchased the Wookie mask whilst returning some items to a local branch of department store Kohl’s, and couldn’t stop laughing when she filmed herself with it on.
“It's the simple joys in life,” the stay-at-home mum wrote in the post, which was filmed in the store’s car park.
But her joys look set to multiply, as she recently found herself inundated with Star Wars related gifts from the department store.
They gave the modest mum a load of Chewie masks for her family, as well as a bumper set of store gift cards worth $2,500 (£1,700).
Kohl’s shared a video on their Twitter account of Candace being presented with a heap of Star Wars merchandise along with her two kids, who were delighted to receive the goods from the store.
A group of store reps turned up at her house with arms full of gifts for her kids, prompting mum Candace to say: “It’s like Christmas.”
The delighted kids can be heard excitedly saying: “Now we’ve got our own Chewbacca masks,” in the heartwarming clip.
But that’s not all Candace has been surprised with since she became an internet hit.
Appearing on The Late Late Show alongside James Corden, she starred in a funny video of her taking the TV star to work, only to be joined by the unexpected appearance of Star Wars director J. J. Abrams in the car.
On the show, James and J. J. don Chewbacca masks of their own, sparking a hysterical scene where the trio can’t stop laughing at the goofy merchandise.
And the best was yet to come, as Candace was surprised by the real Chewbacca, Peter Mayhew, who sent a message in to be read out to the viral sensation.
The actor behind the real-life movie Chewbacca invited Candace to a private meet and greet, setting aside VIP tickets for her family to spend some time with him.
And Candace’s touching story will surely keep on getting better, as her viral fame isn’t showing any signs of slowing down any time soon.