Candace Payne, a mother of two and Star Wars fanatic, wanted to treat herself for her birthday. What did she get? A Chewbacca mask featuring sound effects. She was so excited about her new acquisition that the moment she entered her car in the parking lot, she just had to video record her purchase and share. Little did she realize that her sharing would go viral and reach nearly 100 Million views!
Why would something as seemingly meaningless as the purchase of a novelty mask garner so much attention? It’s all in Candace’s reaction.
“Hey, I’m really excited to share with you something I got,” Payne says at the beginning of her video. “I’d like to say that I bought this for my son that would really, really want it — and let’s be honest, he’ll probably [confiscate] it from me. However, this is mine. When it’s said and done, at the end of the day, this is mine that I bought, and I’m gonna keep it for my own.”
Upon putting the Wookiee’s mask on, she opens up her mouth wide to reveal that the mask also opens its mouth and emits the purrs of Chewbacca so recognizable from the Star Wars films. It doesn’t take long to see just how much she loves this purchase and finds it hilarious! Candace bursts into uncontrollable laughter for nearly two minutes straight.
“Oh, I’m such a happy Chewbacca!” she exclaims between contagious chuckles.
The comical viral clip even caught the attention of Peter Mayhew, the actor who has played Chewbacca in all of the Star Wars films. “Absolutely wonderful!” he commented on a Reddit post of the video.
But it was Candace who summed up the moment perfectly: “It’s the simple joys in life.”
