A toddler became a TikTok sensation and is earning a wage - just for being Scottish.
Ivy Connelly, aged two, has 86,600 fans and was recognised on holiday in Cyprus. She racked up 7.7million views on one video and got 5.1million likes on her account, 'Ivy the Scottish toddler'.
The chatterbox tot, who loves using Scots slang, entertains viewers with her antics - and was paid nearly £300 in the past two months. Mum Sam Connelly, 34, who works as a nurse, set up the TikTok account during lockdown and has unsuccessfully tried to teach Ivy to 'talk posh'.
Ivy, from Greenock, Inverclyde, earned £169 last month - which will be put away for her future in a bank account. In the past 60 days she had 6.8 million video views, 981,000 likes, 14,000 comments and 179,000 profile views.
Sam is expecting a baby and plans to carry on making the clips of Ivy, which also include their pet dog Alfie.
Mum-of-one Sam said: "It's crazy, we were on a boat trip in Cyprus and a little girl from England said 'is that Ivy from TikTok?'."
"We were in Blackpool and she was recognised there. It's got so big now - she's got more than 80,000 followers.
"I've had people ask for Ivy to send a video message to say happy birthday. At Christmas people were asking me to make a wish list on Amazon."
"She's really clever, she's got a really big vocabulary and it's like having a conversation with an adult. Ivy was born really small and she wears 12-month-old clothes although she's nearly three.
"She's really tiny, it's the way she talks and walks and because she's so small, people are attracted to her. She's like a little doll.
"She loves the camera. Until July she's an only child.
"She's so cute and she knows it."
Sam began using TikTok properly in 2021, after initially used it for friends and family. She has tried to teach Ivy to use proper English but the mouthy tot loves using regional slang to annoy her mum.
Sam said: "She's got a really strong Scottish accent. Instead of saying 'wasn't', she will say 'wisn't.'
"She will tell the dog to 'get doon' and I'm saying to her 'it's get down'. My boyfriend talks really Scottish and she copies him and uses his lingo.
"She's very cheeky."
Ivy shot to fame with a video of her crying after pet dog Alfie snatched her lolly away racked up millions of views.
Sam said: "We were howling at it. It's got 7.1million views.
"She's absolutely sobbing, saying 'Alfie stole my lolly'. It is chaos at home."
The first payment was £80 based on followers and views but last month £169 was made from TikTok. Brands have also gifted outfits and a star projector for Ivy.
Sam said: "She had an elf suit which was very cute She would love modelling, she just loves the camera.
"She knows she's funny as well and she loves to make people laugh. There's a video where she's eating crisps, saying 'I'm not giving Alfie the pizza'.
"It's just things we do on a day-to-day basis. I ask her questions and start filming, we do one or two a week."
Sam has not accepted gifts from the public due to safety concerns and has been trolled online which she said was disturbing. When the account was temporarily taken down Sam got messages from people saying they missed Ivy as she cheers them up.
Sam said: "My boyfriend worries about privacy, I'm conscious about making sure she's clothed and not posting our address. I got quite a lot of abuse about one video where she was wearing a coat, sitting in a car seat.
"The car wasn't moving but trolling a child happens as well. It was quite upsetting, a lot of negative comments that I don't respond to.
"So many people have sent messages to say how much they would miss her videos and to say it cheers them up. Brands have sent gifts, the general public have offered but we haven't taken that.
"Promotions are through a 'creator' tool so it's safe. I'll ask her questions and video them. She's great company."
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