For most people, going viral only happens once in a lifetime, so they may as well make the most of it.
Hawk Tuah Girl certainly seems to know this, as she is currently cashing in on her 15 minutes of fame and her explicit catchphrase – and who can blame her?
For those who aren’t sure whether I’m talking about a strange bird species or not, Haliey Welch is a US woman who has been plastered over pretty much every social media platform over the last few weeks.
Footage of her chance encounter on the streets of Nashville, Tennessee, with YouTubers Tim and Dee TV has been shared far and wide thanks to an explicit admission she made.
Haliey Welch, AKA Hawk Tuah Girl, has launched a line of merch. (YouTube/Tim&DeeTV)
The creator duo asked her: “What’s one move in bed that makes a man go crazy every time?”
Haliey didn’t gatekeep her tips and tricks in the bedroom, and boldly gave everyone a quick demonstration – with sound effects – showing how she satisfies a fella.
She responded with a smirk: “You gotta give ’em that ‘hawk tuah’ and spit on that thing!”
And the Hawk Tuah Girl was born.
The video was first shared on 11 June and quickly racked up millions of views, making Haliey into an overnight internet star who is known for…erm…mustering up a lot of spit. Take a look at the clip here:
Social media sleuths managed to track Haliey down online – and as well as rumours about her job status being quickly debunked, it seems the boost to her follower count got her brain thinking about business moves.
I mean, what’s the next logical step after going viral and being dubbed the Hawk Tuah Girl? Creating a merch line, of course.
Haliey is said to have since got herself an agent in the hopes of cashing in on the craze surrounding her catchphrase and is now working with family-owned business Fathead Threads.
In collaboration with the firm’s owner Jason Poteete, the viral star is now flogging a line of hats which sport the phrase ‘Hawk Tuah ’24’ and they are apparently flying off the shelves.
These are available for $32.78 (£25.89) each, or you can splash out on a signed version which is available for $50 (£39.48).
She is working with Jason Poteete to cash in on her viral fame. (Facebook/Fathead Threads)
Poteete estimated that the shop has so far sold just over 2,000 hats, earning an estimated $65,000 (£51,329).
“Our largest orders are usually 100 hats, maybe 150-250 shirts. This is way out of the normal for us,” he said. “This is a small family-owned shop. We’re all-hands-on-deck right now.”
As for his thoughts on Welch’s video, Poteete said: “I just think the world needed a laugh, and she provided that.”
The businessman has known Haliey for years and reached out to her after seeing the video online.
Speaking to the Rolling Stone, Poteete said: “Of course she hasn’t gotten a dime from the first viral video that went out. Nobody was asking permission for her to do nothing, neither. I just wanted her to get some profit off of this deal.
“She’s probably one of the most well-known people in the world at this point. But I don’t know if she’s embraced it.”
Poteete revealed that Haliey has been in touch with a lawyer to trademark the phrase ‘Hawk Tuah’, though she asked him not to feature her face on any of the merch they’d be selling.