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The Chicken Nugget Kid Actually Earned Free Wendy's Nugget For A Year

Olivia Harrison
Last Updated May 9, 2017, 6:00 PM
Well folks, he did it. The Chicken Nugget Kid really did it. We met Carter Wilkerson, a high school junior, last month when his tweet to Wendy's started to go viral. You may remember he asked the fast food chain via Twitter how many retweets it would take for him to earn free chicken nuggets for a year, and Wendy's, sassy as ever, responded "18 million." This morning, it was announced that Wendy's has awarded Wilkerson the free chicken nuggets, and the internet is so proud of him.
The high schooler, who is currently in the midst of AP exams and prom preparations, didn't actually get 18 million tweets, but he did surpass Ellen DeGeneres' world record for most retweets of a single tweet. That was enough. As Wendy's chief concept and marketing officer, Kurt Kane, said in a statement, "You’ve more than earned our respect ... and the nuggets." According to the New York Times, in addition to receiving free chicken nuggets for one whole year, Wendy's also made a $100,000 donation to the Dave Thomas Foundation For Adoption in Carter Wilkerson's name.
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To announce the big news, Wendy's tweeted a photo of Wilkerson in a #NuggsforCarter tee holding a certificate and gift cards. This photo, which was first shared at 9:30 this morning, has already received almost 20,000 retweets. It has also garnered plenty of comments from Twitter users and fellow Wendy's lovers wishing to congratulate Chicken Nugget Kid. Some are also curious about the stipulations attached to his winnings, and Wendy's is ready with answers.
Way to go Carter, and thank you for showing us what can happen when you, ahem, dare to go after your dreams.
Update, April 14, 2017: Last week, a 16-year-old name Carter Wilkerson tweeted at Wendy's and asked how many retweets it would take to get a year supply of chicken nuggets. The fast food chain responded with 18 million. So far, Wilkerson hasn't been retweeted enough for free nuggets, but he has received enough to get close to the world record for most retweets. As you may know, Ellen DeGeneres currently holds that title for a selfie taken with several extremely famous celebs at the 2014 Oscars. The photo, which was taken by Bradley Cooper and tweeted by DeGeneres, has been retweeted over 3.3 million times. When Ellen caught wind of the fact that she could be losing her world record title for most retweet to this chicken nugget lover, she knew she to put up a fight. Take a look.
We heard you loud and clear, Ellen. We've got some retweeting to do.
This story was originally published on April 6, 2017.
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Even though we’re well past childhood, occasionally we still find ourselves drawn in by fairytales. You know, those stories of brave people going on journeys to find their true love or conquering great obstacles in order to prove their commitment to that love. Now that we’re adults, they tend to look, well, a little bit different. With some help from NBC News, we recently came across a example of our ideal modern day fairytale, and it involves a man and the food he holds most dear, Wendy’s chicken nuggets.
Late last night, a Twitter user named Carter Wilkerson tweeted at his favorite fast food chain and posed a very important question. He wrote, “how many retweets for a year of free chicken nuggets?” Wendy’s has been known to have fun with the social media platform, and yesterday was no exception. The chain responded with a pretty lofty challenge. It simply said, “18 million.” Just like a noble prince in any sappy old storybook, Wilkerson didn't back down. He's willing to do whatever it takes to prove his love to this red headed mascot. He quickly wrote back, "Consider it done."
This Twitter conversation took place about 17 hours ago, and the nugget lover has already made some impressive headway. As of right now, his tweet has been retweeted 5,547 times, and that number keeps increasing. Shortly after he received word from Wendy's about what he had to do to get his wish granted, Wilkerson sent out a plea to the Twitter-verse that said, "HELP ME PLEASE. A MAN NEEDS HIS NUGGS." and included a screenshot of the exchange between him and the chain.
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People are clearly very moved by his commitment to this quest, which we obviously understand. Other Twitter users seem more than willing to help any way they can. Many have taken to tagging their friends in their retweets so more people will see what's going on. Some are even tagging celebrities who have a significant Twitter following in hopes that these famous users will help out. A few less optimistic users are retweeting the message with their own comments on how unlikely it is that this guy will reach the goal, but let's not dwell on the negativity.
One of the things we loved most about fairytales as kids was the fact that the stories always ended well. So here's hoping this guy gets his happily ever after in the form of a year supply of Wendy's chicken nuggets.
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