# Popeyes Kid In August 2013, a man filmed nine-year-old Dieunerst Collin at a Popeyes and joked he looked like Vine star Terio, catching the boy's confused side-eye on camera. The clip racked up over 19 million Vine loops, and Collin's awkward glance became one of the most-used reaction GIFs of the 2010s before an unlikely redemption arc landed him an NIL deal with Popeyes a decade later. ## Origin The original clip was posted to Vine on August 21, 2013, by user TheRealSnoopy under the title "Terio At Popeyes"[5]. In the video, filmed inside a Popeyes next to a pair of trash bins, a man off-camera says, "Yo, this nigga Terio at Popeyes," comparing nine-year-old Dieunerst Collin to the Vine dancing celebrity Terio, who had blown up that same month[3]. Collin, who did not know the man and had nothing to do with Terio, responds with a series of long, uncomfortable side-eye glances. The Vine racked up more than 19 million loops, 670,000 likes and 591,000 revines[3]. Terio himself was a separate Georgia kid named by Complex that August as the breakout star of Vine's summer, which is the comparison the Popeyes customer was leaning on[2]. Collin only figured out weeks later that the viral clip was him. He later told Sports Illustrated he "felt sad about it" at first and took being called Terio in public as bullying, saying he "cried a little bit" before coming to accept the meme over the years[1]. - **Platform:** Vine (origin) / Twitter and Reddit (viral spread) - **Creator:** TheRealSnoopy (Vine uploader) - **Date:** 2013 ## Overview Popeyes Kid, also known as Dieunerst Collin or Terio at Popeyes, works as a reaction image built around one specific beat: a kid being told, on camera, that he looks like someone else, and silently clocking the person filming him. The joke is less about what the man says and more about Collin's slow, suspicious glance back at the lens[3]. That five-second emotional arc, confused, judged, and done with the whole situation, is why it became a go-to reaction. Online, people clip the moment into two-frame image macros or looping GIFs and pair it with captions about running into someone you'd rather avoid, reading a dumb comment, or catching a partner doing something embarrassing[1]. A June 2014 r/reactiongifs post captioned the GIF "MRW my wife sees my comments on gonewild," which is a decent example of the standard setup, awkward exposure met with a dead-eyed stare[7]. The format also gets stretched into absurdist history memes, like a 2016 Instagram macro reading "When the Japanese heard the U.S. was testing nuclear bombs after attacking Pearl Harbor"[8]. The side-eye is the whole payload, which is why it has lasted long past the Vine shutdown. It is one of those reaction images that reads instantly without context, even to people who have never heard of Terio[2]. ## How to Use The standard template is a two-panel or GIF format showing the setup, usually a caption describing an awkward realization or accusation, followed by Collin's side-eye as the punchline. People typically pair it with "When..." or "MRW" (my reaction when) captions covering situations like getting caught, being judged, or hearing a bad take[7]. The GIF version works well as a standalone reply with no caption, since the glance alone reads as skeptical disapproval. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### What is Popeyes Kid? Popeyes Kid is a reaction image and GIF built from a 2013 Vine of nine-year-old Dieunerst Collin side-eyeing a man who jokes that he looks like the Vine dancer Terio[5]. ### Where did Popeyes Kid come from? It originated from a Vine posted on August 21, 2013, by user TheRealSnoopy, filmed inside a Popeyes restaurant[3]. ### What does Popeyes Kid mean? People use the clip or stills from it to express awkward judgment or suspicion, often with 'When...' or 'MRW' captions about being caught or hearing a bad take[7]. ### How do you use Popeyes Kid? Typical use is a two-frame image macro or GIF where a caption sets up an awkward scenario and Collin's side-eye lands as the reaction[6]. ### Is Popeyes Kid still popular? The reaction stayed in circulation long after Vine shut down, and the subject, Dieunerst Collin, signed an NIL sponsorship deal with Popeyes in January 2023 that put the meme back in the news[1]. ## References 1. [https://www.si.com/extra-mustard/2021/12/07/popeyes-side-eye-meme-kid-grows-up-high-school-state-champion-dieunerst-collin]() 2. [https://www.complex.com/pop-culture/2013/08/terio-maleek-vine-kid-interview]() 3. [https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/popeyes-kid-dieunerst-collin]() 4. [https://x.com/i/status/1612201471260659713]() 5. [https://vine.co/v/hOY7TQOOIe5/]() 6. [https://twitter.com/Drummerboy_015/status/370738906284556288]() 7. [https://www.reddit.com/r/reactiongifs/comments/27cy4a/mrw_my_wife_sees_my_comments_on_gonewild/]() 8. [https://www.instagram.com/p/BDF894nPiCc/]() 9. [https://www.reddit.com/r/OutOfTheLoop/comments/asikcu/whats_the_deal_with_the_terio_at_popeyes_ooh_kill/]() 10. [https://twitter.com/Jerseystar973/status/1467651834139582465]() 11. [https://twitter.com/CollinDieunerst/status/1467652518180114434]() --- Source: https://meme.com/memes/popeyes-kid-dieunerst-collin Published by meme.com — The Internet Meme Library