The Story of Penn State’s Student Squirrel Whisperer: ‘From Stupid Blog to World Sensation’ Posted by College Media Matters on Friday, November 16, 2012 · Leave a Comment

Early last month, Onward State featured Mary Krupa, a Penn State University freshman “best known for playing with squirrels, while also donning them with tiny-squirrel sized hats.” PSU’s premier online independent outlet dubbed Krupa nothing less than a full-blown “squirrel whisperer.”

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In the post by Maggie McGlinchy, Krupa is described with “squirrels . . . climbing on her, sitting on her forearm, and generally gathering around her.” She even has a favorite: Sneezy The Penn State Squirrel (who has a Facebook page).

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At present, roughly 45 days after Onward State’s initial post, Krupa has evolved from a “mini-web phenomenon” to a full-blown “world sensation.” On today’s interwebs, how does a squirrel whisperer go viral?

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In a fascinating new post, OS senior content producer Ryan Kristobak offers a step-by-step glimpse into Krupa’s sudden, circuitous journey to digital stardom.

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The path, whittled down to platforms and one performer: Onward State, Mashable, Yahoo! News, Penn State Network, two Taiwanese outlets, BuzzFeed, something called Neatorama, and Pee-wee Herman. And most recently, as Kristobak noted, “Tosh.0′s blog raved about squirrels and hats in that typical, condescending, a**hole Tosh fashion.”

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From my perspective, the five elements leading to the post’s instant, ginormous virality:

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1) Krupa’s extreme, not immediately understandable behavior– leading to gaper delays among headline scanners and social media sharers.

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2) Standout nickname (“squirrel whisperer”) on par with Johnny Football– perfect for branding.

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3) Memorable, funny visuals.

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4) Its lighthearted, personal tone– easy to take in and expressing the sarcasm-cum-disbelief most readers are experiencing.

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5) Onward State’s entrenched awesomeness– ensuring its content is scanned and seen as trustworthy and worthy of sharing by major outlets.

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