A pint-sized toddler in a small B.C. city has captured the attention of millions around the world.
Thomas Pethick is only 15 months old but he already loves to help out in his parents’ water utility company in Quesnel.
He started going to work with his mom last September.
“Since then, he’s just been watching what we do every day,” mom Tamara Pelletier said.
On Friday, Pelletier posted a video on TikTok of Thomas helping to move and load empty four-gallon water jugs in the store, setting it to the music of I Like to Move it.
The video amassed more than 33 million views and has been seen in dozens of countries.
“It’s tough to get people working, it’s tough to get kids involved and that kind of message just blew up, I think,” Pelletier said.
“We have the delivery truck come and go a couple of times a day and we load it up in the morning and we unload it throughout the day and he just watches and likes to pack the jugs around.”
Even Canadian comedian Howie Mandel shared the video on his TikTok account, joking about child labour and how Thomas works from the moment he wakes up until his bedtime with no health benefits.
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Pelletier said Thomas has attracted quite the following in Quesnel already.
“He’s got quite the fan base around here,” she said.
“He likes to sweep, he likes to mop. He likes to eat all the snacks. He likes to roll the jugs around. He’s pretty helpful.”
She added Thomas also likes to help with the customers and he will take the empty bottles they bring in to the fill station.
Andrea Abercrombie works at the store and actually took the video of Thomas moving the bottles.
“He’s always in here doing cute things,” she told Global News.
“I thought it was very cute that he was very into it that morning. Usually, he carries one jug but that morning he was carrying two so I just thought it was very cute.”
Abercrombie said she often jokes that Thomas knows the business even better than they do.
“They’re almost the same size as him so it’s pretty cute watching him carry those jugs that are almost as tall as he is.”
“I will video him doing all the cute things he does around here,” Abercrombie added but says she leaves the posting decisions up to his mom.
Pelletier said she is happy to share Thomas with the world right now.
“I think the world needs more Thomas,” she said.
“I’m just so thankful that it makes people happy because we need more of that.”