Meet The French Bulldog That Has Over 500,000 Instagram Followers
Instagram followers can be hard to come by if you’re not a celebrity. But that isn’t the case for Manny, the Bulldog known online as “Manny, The Frenchie.” Manny has close to 700,000 Instagram followers.
The Daily Mail caught up with the canine superstar, who currently lives in Chicago with his human, Amber Chavez, and her boyfriend. Manny was born in Ohio and was about to be handed over to a shelter when his life changed forever. Amber adopted him and brought Manny to his new home. That was four years ago when he was about 4-months-old.
“We started sharing pictures and videos of Manny with friends and family straight away,” Amber said. “He was like a first born child, where your world revolves around them and you simply can’t stop taking pictures.”
A photo posted by Manny The Frenchie (@manny_the_frenchie) on
Amber and her boyfriend created the Instagram account when Manny was about a year old. And just like that, an Instagram star was born. “We saw other animals had pages and thought Manny had such a funny personality that it had to be shared,” Amber said. “We didn’t start the account to gain any fame and to be where we are today, to have grown completely organically, is quite amazing and we don’t take it for granted” Since amassing hordes of Instagram followers, Manny has scored a merchandising deal with American Apparel. The company now sells T-shirts with his face on them. “It’s hard to remember the exact time Manny got so popular, but it was probably right around the time when American Apparel reached out to us to collaborate on a T-shirt for charity.”
An old pic but a favorite. Happy Mother’s Day to my mommy and all the fur and human mommies around the world. #mothersday A photo posted by Manny The Frenchie (@manny_the_frenchie) on
Manny isn’t just popular on Instagram. He has over 1 million Facebook followers and over 20,000 followers on Twitter. Not bad for a dog who could have ended up in a shelter.
Manny is part of a new breed of social media stars- the pet celebrity. As CBS News reports, animals are achieving bonafide celebrity status via platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.
Grumpy Cat is probably the most recognizable member of this furry new celebrity A-List. The frowning feline who first caught the world’s attention via Reddit, now has a fortune worth close to $10 million, The Express reports. Boo, the Pomeranian, dubbed the cutest dog in the word, has over 11 million followers across multiple social media platforms. He now has his own book and plush toy.
As for Manny the Frenchie, he’s just completed a 15-city tour where he met his adoring social media followers in person. In fact, managing his career has become a full-time job for his owner, Amber. They’re currently managing his ad deals and a line of his own products.
We’re sure his Instagram followers are just lapping that up.
[Photo via Manny the Frenchie Facebook]
