An unlikely pitchman in the Lone Star State is bringing Texas-sized enthusiasm to his library’s curbside pickup service, and the Internet is delighted.
“Curbside Larry,” who works for the Harris County Public Library in the Houston area, made his debut on Twitter last month in a video that’s going viral on social media. The video is reminiscent of old-school commercials featuring super-excited salesman pitching used cars or mattresses.
“Hey, folks, Curbside Larry here at the Barbara Bush Library, and we’re crazy with curbside service!” exclaims Larry in an unmistakable Texas twang. “That’s right, we’ve got shelves and shelves of books, Blu-Rays, and DVDs, and we’d like nothing better than to take care of all your reading, research, and entertainment needs!”
Howdy Y'all! Meet Curbside Larry.... We Got'em! #libraries #curbsidepickup pic.twitter.com/Rkvzrt3ScU
— Harris County Public Library (@harriscountypl) July 22, 2020
The cowboy-hatted Larry is played by library staffer John Schaffer, Houstonia magazine reports, and it’s hard not to be charmed by the way he delivers lines like “What’s it going to take to put you into a biography or a science fiction today?” and “What’s all this cost? Just three low payments of zero, zero, zero dollars!”
Twitter users have been quick to register their love for the book-crazy Texan.
“Curbside Larry has restored my faith in humanity,” tweeted journalist Pamela Colloff. “God bless librarians.”
“This is so pure and perfect,” wrote professor Suzanne Scott. “Bless public libraries and Curbside Larry, y’all are the absolute best.”
And then there was one Twitter user who may have summed it up the best, tweeting, “CURBSIDE LARRY IS MY BOYFRIEND.”
At press time, that could not be corroborated—but Larry has definitely captured a lot of hearts.
Michael Schaub is a Texas-based journalist and regular contributor to NPR.