The Chewbacca Mask Mom Has Made Almost $500,000

Who would have thought that recording a video of yourself putting on a Chewbacca mask could earn you almost half a million dollars in less than three weeks? Certainly not Candace Payne, the stay-at-home mom from Texas who took the instantly viral Facebook Live video, in which she gleefully tries on the mask after buying it at Kohl's. According to Money, which estimated Payne's earnings from gifts, talk-show appearances, and more, the mom has made about $420,000 to date. Keep in mind that this has all happened since May 19. Payne has earned everything from full college scholarships for herself and her family, to $2,500 in gift cards from Kohl's (which, thanks to the Facebook Live session, sold out of Chewbacca masks), to a Walt Disney World vacation. She was also invited on a special trip to Facebook headquarters as her reward for having the most-watched Facebook Live video yet. She even visited Lucasfilm to go behind the scenes where Star Wars magic gets made. Not so bad for a four-minute video that only cost $20 (the price of the then-on-sale mask) to produce. The mask is now selling for as much as $1,000 on eBay. If the potential of earning almost half a million in cash isn't enough to get everyone on Facebook Live, we don't know what is. Check out these tips to create your own viral hit, and if you haven't watched Payne in action, check out her Chewbacca roars, below.