The Internet is a strange and fickle land. As bountiful as it is barren, very few things can find a stronghold in such an environment. Mighty empires have fallen through the years at the hands of the next, newer, better something. Many times, popularity on the Internet fades with time, leading the latest Internet junk to simply disappear without warning. People often just move on, in search of another flavor. It's hard to measure what has the most potential to be sustainable on the Web. But, in two decades of the Internet's popular culture, there is one for sure currency with which any entity can barter staying power: Cuteness.
Ariel Griggs, 29, an tax agency owner and mother of two, had no intention on managing Internet commodities, but cuteness is one of those forces that no one can predict. So, in the days leading to Thanksgiving, when pictures of her 22-month-old son, Ashton Howell, began popping up in social media timelines across the world, she became as frightened as she was confused.
"My first thought was, 'How did they get my baby's pictures? I mean, I don't have these pictures,'" Griggs says.
"I'm thinking, 'Let's report it.' You know, pictures are very intimate to me, very private. But it got to the point where it was like wildfire. You couldn't stop it. I was very anxious and worried about his safety."
Griggs, who only primarily uses social media to promote her Mobile-area tax business, knew that the photos could not have come from her page. In fact, she didn't recognize the photos. When looking for a culprit, Griggs knew it could not have been Ashton's father. He doesn't have social media.
"I knew there was only one other person that would be this close to my son - that'd be my brother," Griggs says.
Griggs' brother, 18-year-old Steven Small, is a freshman at UC Berkeley, who admitted to posting the photos on his Instagram account. Griggs says her brother babysat Ashton regularly before going on to college.
"He thought it was funny to dress Ashton up, putting his 'little' big head in caps and stuff and taking pictures of him. I found out he has tons of pictures of Ashton on Instagram. I guess people just thought his pictures were cute and went from there," she says.
"I'm kind of leery of social media. I kinda think that my brother set this up as a ploy to get more followers on Instagram, but he hasn't admitted, yet."
Whether or not Small gained more followers, Ashton has a huge following. However, his celebrity has not come by his own name.
"I see that they call him 'Honey Bun Baby,'" Griggs says. "I thought that was so funny. People have been asking if I can have another child and name him 'Cinnamon Roll.'"
The most popular photo of the Honey Bun Baby is a picture of Ashton donning a red skull cap, smirking into a camera. The meme has become a catchall for a range of emotions, typically relating to mischievous behavior.
Arguably, the most popular iteration of the meme to date has a caption that reads that Ashton's face is a face you make "when you find the hidden piece of sweet potato pie."
This adorable, lighthearted quip became a gem in the Thanksgiving humor treasure trove, alongside Pastor Shirley Caesar's "Beans, Greens, Potatoes and Tomatoes" song. Actor and singer Tyrese posted the photo to his Instagram page, a highlight for Griggs. But social media enthusiasts found humor in the photo far beyond their affinity for dessert items.
"After Thanksgiving, I'm starting to see more that are the crazy ones. The last couple memes I've seen, they've been a little X-rated. I don't want people looking at my baby's picture and thinking of stuff like that!"
Griggs says she still struggles a bit to come to terms with accidental fame, but her most important priority is keeping Ashton grounded as he matures.
"People ask me, 'Oh! He's famous. What are you going to do now?'"
"Well, he is a child. I want to keep his lifestyle. I know this may be too far-fetched to think, but I don't want him to be like one of those kid stars who become horrible adults. I just don't want him to have a hard time adjusting."
Now that Ashton has entered the realm of Internet child stars, many social media users are comparing him to the reigning adorable meme kid, Gavin, an elementary-aged Minnesotan, who, similarly to Ashton, was introduced to the world via a social media savvy uncle.
"I don't think there should be competition. They are both children. There's no competition," Griggs says.
Some users have posted that the two kids should come together and produce an act of the ultimate Internet cuteness. Griggs agrees.
"Gavin is a little older and Ashton is young. Maybe they could collaborate together on something that involves Gavin showing Ashton the ropes. That'd be cute."
What does Ashton think of all the success his cute gaze has garnered?
Griggs says she's confident he hasn't let his celebrity go to his head.
"He doesn't know what's going on. He still wants his nap time. He's still cranky in the morning. And getting on the potty is still big business."
For more reactions to Ashton the Honey Bun Baby from around the Web, look below!