Kid who went viral for dropping hot dog at White Sox game and facepalming in regret is a quirky local 4-year-old ‘obsessed with the digestive system’

After a local 4-year-old let his hot dog slip out of the bun and slide down to the ground at a recent Chicago White Sox game, the little mishap became an instant classic.

The video circulating all over social media showed Matthew Hoobler, from suburban La Grange, at the Aug. 14 Sox vs Detroit Tigers game holding a hot dog while seated on his father’s lap. He was taking small little bites until the sausage slipped out leaving Matthew with a sad, empty bun.

In the video, Matthew looked down regretfully and smacked his forehead with his palm. The adorably devastating — and relatable — moment resonated across the Twitterverse and beyond.

“He does that a lot,” said Matthew’s mom, Liz Hoobler. “And I didn’t realize how much he did it until after the video when we were playing a game at the dining room table, and something messed up on his turn and he did the hand to his forehead thing. I was like ‘oh, I guess you do that a lot.”

The family has spotted the clip all over — from WhatsApp groups and Instagram to ESPN’s SportsCenter.

“It’s been pretty fun, people messaging or calling to just say how adorable and funny Matthew is and how it made their day,” Hoobler said. “We get that a lot. It’s been rough so it’s really nice to have something fun going on for a change.”

Hoobler said Matthew likes seeing the video of his first-ever Sox game but doesn’t exactly know what the fuss is all about. His little brother who is almost two has already picked up on the “facepalm” having also seen it several times.

“All of a sudden the other day while he was walking around, he goes “brother does” and did the facepalm thing! I was dying,” Hoobler said. “I didn’t even realize he was paying that much attention, but he does everything his big brother does.”

While the White Sox completed a three-game sweep winning 5-3 against the Tigers, it was Matthew that became the talk of the town. He also drew the attention of cheeky, Chicago-based Wieners Circle, who offered the 4-year-old and his family an all-you-can-eat hot dog experience on Saturday, and a lesson in hot dog holding.

“We’re a fun, irreverent brand and we like to have a say in all things hot dog in Chicago,” said Ari Levy, co-owner of The Wieners Circle. “So when we saw the poor kid drop his hot dog and go viral, we thought it would be fun to have him out.”

The Wieners Circle sent out a call on Twitter to locate the boy and then received a direct message from dad, Robert Hoobler.

“No kid should have a bun without a hot dog,” Levy said over the phone. “He’s a super funny kid — I walked up to him and met him, and I asked, “are you the kid that lost your hot dog, and then you did this? I did the facepalm thing with both of my hands,” Levy explained. “And he’s like no, ‘it was one hand!’”

Hoobler, who was driving her boys to swim rescue practice on Tuesday, said Matthew is a typical kid with not-so-typical interests.

“He’s obsessed with the digestive system and the stomach is his favorite organ,” she said, trying not to laugh while her boys were asleep in the back.

Matthew turned four at the end of July and had an organ-themed birthday party, for which Hoobler was looking for “any sort of anatomical structures” to decorate with.

“One of the funniest things was when I asked him what color he wanted his cake to be, he said ‘yellow, like stomach acid.’” Hoobler said.

“It’s kind of his thing. If he sees anything that might resemble a digestive system, like a toy car track, he’ll start at ‘the mouth’ and go through the whole system,” she added.

Hoobler, an Oak Park native, said they are a family divided when it comes to many things. Her husband is from Michigan, but they’re going to let the kids decide their sports team loyalties.

“Matthew usually just picks his favorite animal or color,” she said.

The Detroit Tigers invited the family to a home game over Labor Day weekend, and Hoobler is excited her boys get to experience another ballgame up close. Matthew, who deals with a sensory issue, will likely be donning a set of headphones again to drown out the loud noises and fireworks.

Hoobler said the Aug. 14 moment was a “good reaction day” and wonders if he would have eaten the actual hot dog if it hadn’t fallen.

“He’s definitely a bun guy,” she said. “Who knows — he’s a typical kid, they’ll eat things in a weird way.”

In between the hot dog slip and his affinity for the human body, Hoobler said it’s been fun to share her son’s little world with people who are interested in knowing him.

“He’s hard to describe cause he’s calm, yet he’s goofy and so curious about everything and how it works, hence the digestive system,” she said. “Then he’ll go around and call everyone “poopy butt.’ So … you know.”

zsyed@chicagotribune.com