Chewbacca Mom’s viral video gets 135M+ views, surprise visit from Kohl’s
NEW YORK (AP) – A Texas woman who spontaneously donned a Chewbacca mask she bought for a Facebook video says she “feels like she deserves a gold medal” after the post garnered more than 135 million views.
Candace Payne told ABC’s “Good Morning America” that the mask that emits the Star Wars creature’s distinctive roar “was just calling from the bag” before she made the video Thursday in her car. The video posted on Payne’s Facebook page on Thursday shows the mother of two laughing wildly as she wears the mask.
As for why she thinks the video has become so popular, Payne says “the world, as a whole, is in need of a good laugh.”
Payne bought the mask at a Kohl’s store. Representatives from Kohls’ went to her home Friday and surprised her with gifts from Kohl’s as a gesture of thanks for the unexpected publicity. They also gave her $2,500 in gift cards, 10,000 rewards points and Star Wars toys, including Chewbacca masks.
Information from CNN was included in this report.