"First he's spikey, then he's sweet."
Lionel the Hedgehog is not your typical house pet, in the past two years he's skyrocketed to social media celeb status. Closing in on 135k fans, everyone has bowed down to Lionel's Instagram game. Just give up, you can't compete.
He lives in a pineapple. He loves naps & tacos just as much as I do. He could be your next spirit animal. You're welcome.
Longtime friend and fashionista, Anna Mathis of Charleston, South Carolina, was not expecting to become a mom of a semi celebrity when she first took in Lionel. Unlike some puppy/baby owners, Anna understood that not everyone (scrooges) may be as excited about the hundreds of adorable hedgehog pics infiltrating their newsfeed. She opted to create an account solely for Lionel with the intention to terminate it if it didn't reach 1,000 followers in the first month. Well, we all know how that turned out.
Did I mention Anna is in PR? Not a bad project for her burgeoning portfolio; who doesn't enjoy seeing a hedgehog living it up while we're at work?
Lionel is now competing in the big leagues, having been nominated for the Shorty Awards which honors the top influencers, brands and organizations in the social media world. You can vote EVERY SINGLE DAY and preach the cuteness of this Holy City local. It's your boss's birthday? Share some Lionel. Your sister's getting married? Great, share some Lionel.
This ball of spikes doesn't just want to have fun when there are so many less fortunate animals in the world. Lionel has partnered with West Elm in creating "Lionel the Hog" Christmas ornaments in support of the ASPCA... this just took care of your whole holiday shopping list. But until December, Lionel's online shop offers “Spiky Scoop Coming Up” stickers & t-shirts (coined by Joe Jonas) so you can proclaim your love of Lionel all year round.
If you really require more convincing that you need some hedgehog in your life, Buzzfeed has you covered - 21 Reasons You Should Follow Lionel the Hedgehog on Instagram. Now you know.