If you see anyone tweeting about Newcastle United’s goalkeeper, Nick Pope on their profile lately, know in your heart that it was a magic act, a trend created out of thin air by a guy like any of us.
It all started when the fast-food giant, Burger King, came out with a poll. A simple question: Which is better? Tomato or Gherkin? While the replies flooded in with people announcing their preference between the two, there was an odd response from a Twitter page named ‘Toon Polls.’ On closer inspection, it turned out to be a Newcastle fan page with over 24,000 followers.
But what was exciting was this page’s reply to the Burger King tweet. Out of nowhere, the admin of the page commented, ‘Nick Pope.’ And that was it – kerosene, match stick lit, and BOOM! The comment spread like wildfire and the fans of the Magpies took notice but over the next few hours, everyone saw the brilliant absurdity of the comment and made it viral.
The man who ignited the fire is Liam Phillips. If you scroll through the page of Toon Polls, you will see his healthy obsession with Pope but to turn it into a Twitter phenomenon takes some talent. However, Liam’s account paints a completely different story.
He is a man with everyday interest and a father to two beautiful daughters. A true Newcastle-ite, he even adores the local alternative rock band, Maximo Park. Liam’s page looks like a picture of marital bliss where he’s seen spending time with his wife and kids.
Although, the other side of his life is turning Nick Pope into a trending sensation. But his journey hasn’t been entirely rosy. Back in March 2022, Liam’s account was suspended for copyright infringement, but they miraculously restored it in a few days, much to the respite of his loyal supporters.
RIP Toon Polls. All good things come to an end. After 5 years of blasting people for running unauthorised polls, it seems fitting that Copyright infringement was the final nail in our coffin. Thank you to all the Polls fans over the years. It was an honour. #RIPToonPolls#NUFC
But since the Toon Polls page has been restored, it has garnered a lot of adoration among the fans. And when the fans saw the Nick Pope comment on the Burger King poll, they knew that they have struck the jackpot. In a few hours, Burger King gave into the trend and tweeted, ‘Nick Pope.’
Other competitive brands also joined the bandwagon and started tweeting, ‘Nick Pope,’ to gain more followers and customers. McDonald’s will give a free breakfast to Liam Phillips if Pope keeps a clean sheet in the upcoming game.
Okay…if Nick Pope keeps a clean sheet tomorrow, we'll send @ToonPolls admin a maccies breakfast next week, deal?
This is an absolute victory for a loyal supporter to hoist the name of his favourite player across the world and get people to tag along with it.
With the up-and-coming fan base of Toon Polls and the tectonic shift in the upper echelons of management at the club, one can expect many more trends that circle the Magpies. But the funniest ones might come from Toon Polls.
