NAHANT — It’s been quite a year for Cheerio the duck.
Between achieving viral fame on the internet and receiving the distinction of the Nahant Historical Society’s first non-human inductee, the friendly waterfowl managed to capture the hearts of thousands in 2020.
Now, Cheerio has been selected as the Essex Media Group’s 2020 “Person” of the Year.
Now well-known globally among his nearly 17,000 Instagram followers, Cheerio has actually been a fixture of the Nahant community since 2017, when Steven Thibeault, grounds manager at Bass Point Apartments, discovered the then-newborn duckling struggling to escape the apartment complex pool.
Despite his best efforts to reunite Cheerio with his mother, the young duck quickly imprinted on Thibeault, refusing to leave his side and following him home at the end of every work day.
“I’ve worked with him since he was a duckling,” Thibeault said. “I’d just whistle, and he’d know that was his cue to come to me. Within five to 10 minutes he’d come flying in from wherever he was and we’d go home.”
Earlier this year, Thibeault learned one of his neighbors had a connection at the popular animal-focused media brand, The Dodo. The neighbor tried hard to convince Thibeault to tell Cheerio’s story.
At first hesitant to give in to the surge of media attention surrounding his feathered friend, Thibeault said he finally relented when he realized the heartwarming tale might help prompt some smiles during an otherwise relentless year of dismal news.
“It’s been a tough year and I figured people needed a feel-good story,” he said. “They needed something to smile about.”
In July, a video published by The Dodo detailing Cheerio’s life story quickly went viral online, and from that point on, 2020 was never the same for Nahant’s hometown duck.
“It’s tough keeping up with a duck’s social media life,” laughed Thibeault, who said he never expected to become a surrogate “duck dad” and media manager. “It’s not easy, but I make the best of it.”
The idea of inducting Cheerio into the Nahant Historical Society was first posed in September by NHS social media manager, Susanne Macarelli, who was inspired by a post she’d seen on the Marblehead Museum Facebook page announcing a similar membership ceremony for a cow named Curly.
After seeing his story featured in a number of local and national news outlets, NHS Executive Director Julie Tarmy said the organization thought Cheerio would make the perfect honorary member to represent Nahant.
“It’s been a gray year, and we thought it would be nice to shine a little smile around the community,” Tarmy said in September.
Thankfully, it seems the bird himself has been up for the challenge of life as a public figure.
“Everybody who came (to the ceremony) just left with a smile,” Tarmy said of the induction. “We had the Public Library Director, Sharon Hawkes, bring a handful of children’s books she had on ducks because we wanted it to be light, and it was.
“We even had people stop in their cars (and ask) ‘what’s going on with the duck?’ And we let them know.”
As for Cheerio, Thibeault said his main priority is making sure the duck is happy and healthy.
“At the end of the day, he really chooses me. He chose me to be his main man, and no matter what he does, when the sun starts going down, he knows to find me to be safe at night,” Thibeault said. “He knows what he wants in life.”
He later added: “Hopefully he’ll continue to do his work of making people smile through 2021 and well beyond.”
