PORTLAND, Ore. — Editor's note: The video above aired in 2017, looking back at the viral clip of 10 years earlier.
Breaking news: He still likes turtles.
The original "Zombie Kid," Jonathon Ware, recently reprised the role that made him internet famous in a promo video for Paramount's forthcoming movie, "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem."
Ware's new appearance in the promo closely tracks with the hallowed original, down to the zombie face paint. But the "reporter" is wearing a yellow outfit in a not-so-subtle nod to intrepid Ninja Turtles reporter April O'Neil — and instead of Portland's Waterfront Park, they're standing in front of a graffiti-covered "Waterfront Theater" in New York's Midtown.
The clip that inspired the new promo happened 16 years ago, way back in 2007 during a live broadcast on KGW. Ware was 10 years old at the time and had just gotten out of the face-painting booth with his ghastly glow-up.
"Back here live at the Waterfront Village with my friend the zombie, Jonathon," reporter Nancy Francis said. "You're looking good. Jonathon just got an awesome face paint job. What do you think?"
"I like turtles," he said.
"All right!" Francis said. "You're great, zombie. Good times here at Waterfront Village."
A 17-second clip of the live interaction got posted up on YouTube. Within hours, the short video snippet surged to 500,000 views. It really started picking up steam on then-social-powerhouse MySpace (remember that?).
In the Paramount promo, the reporter asks Jonathon what he thought of the new Ninja Turtles movie after seeing a screening instead of asking him about his face paint. Regardless, the answer is the same — he likes turtles, obviously.
In her own flat-footed pivot, the fake reporter sneaks in a plug for the new movie.
"Good times here at 'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem,' opening in theaters August 2," she says.