Laughter is the best medicine. It's also not a bad career choice, provided you do it in a Chewbacca mask. In the three weeks since Chewbacca Mom became an internet sensation, yukking it up in a Chewbacca mask on Facebook Live, her real-life alter ego, Candace Payne, has received approximately $420,000 in gifts, Mashable reports. Money breaks down the Texas stay-at-home mom's haul:
- $3,000 in swag from Kohl's, where she bought the mask, including $2,500 in gift cards and Chewbacca masks for the whole family.
- $7,500 in trips to California and New York to visit talk shows, Lucasfilm Studios, Facebook, and more.
- $7,500 vacation to Disney World.
- $2,000 trip to Fan Expo in Dallas.
- $400,000 in college scholarships for her whole family to attend Southeastern University in Florida.
But Payne's earning doesn't stop there.
TMZ reports Fan Expo attendees waited 10 minutes in line to pay $20 to get a photo and autograph from Chewbacca Mom. A portion of that money is getting donated to a church in Texas. So remember if you're ever short on cash, simply record the world's most-watched Facebook Live video. (More
viral video stories.)