Northeast Iowa’s Gucci the Cow gains TikTok fame with antics

JESUP — When Greg Corkery saw his son loading a 400-pound animal into the back seat of a truck two years ago, he almost had a cow.

“I looked over and that kid was pushing that critter in the back seat of his pickup,” he said. “I thought ‘what in the Sam Hill.’ ”

But the only cow nearby at that time was getting situated for a trip to the local Dairy Queen for a “pup cup” to share with his handler, Mason Corkery. Before long, a video of the encounter uploaded to TikTok went viral, turning the cow previously earmarked for the slaughterhouse into a social media star and local celebrity.

“He told my mom ‘that kid needs to be medicated,’ ” Mason recalls of his father’s reaction.

But as an amateur comedian with a newfound route for bringing joy to others, Gucci the cow has supplied one of the best medicines for a variety of audiences: laughter.

“I don’t know why I do what I do, but it seemed like a good idea,” Mason explained.

With more than 343,000 followers and 8 million likes on their videos, he has learned to trust his instincts.

@iowacholodoc Repost because I think we can do better 😄 #gucciherd #cowtok #dairyqueen #iowa ♬ original sound - Mason Corkery

How it started

After the Corkery family’s 150-head dairy farm was forced to close a few years ago, the man who grew up tending to cows his whole life with his brother had to find other means of employment. For Mason, it meant working as a calf manager for another dairy farm in Grundy County.

There, he managed raising about 400 calves at a time. And when calves get sick, they’re separated.

But Gucci and his twin, who died at 3 weeks old, were not separated. Breaking the protocol livestock farmers are raised with, he quickly formed an emotional bond with the cow.

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“I’ve never gotten close with a cow before. But when his sister died, I thought he needed a friend,” said Mason. “He was so ugly that I thought he was cute — had eyes going in different directions and a mean underbite.”

With a newfound bougie lifestyle with Mason, the young cow quickly got accustomed to a new habit of outings and shenanigans around northeastern Iowa. With a new luxury name to match the unusual routine for a dairy cow, the fun was only meant to be temporary.

Gucci was tagged, dehorned and readied for the truck to go to the slaughterhouse. But the owner, having seen the videos, let Mason take him home.

Gucci finessed his way out of becoming ground beef.

Before long, the social media channels that Mason used to continue the stand-up comedy he started in college quickly moved in a direction that behooved both cow and comedian.

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Serving a new mission

Whether he’s going out for ice cream, carrying Mason around downtown Cedar Rapids, turning the party or grabbing cash from an ATM, Gucci’s weekends with Mason have taken on a life of their own.

Over the last couple years, the videos filmed by Mason and his brother, Michael, have turned into real life engagements, garnering invitations to festivals, fairs, and parties as well as nursing home and school visits.

The 1,700-pound cow is fueled by his favorite foods — bananas and doughnuts. Earlier this month, Gucci had his first Guinness beer at the Iowa Irish Fest in Waterloo. (All are occasional treats that supplement a well-balanced diet of grass hay, corn and minerals.)

Like the average large dog, he’s a sucker for chin scratches and bounces around on the lawn with a playful energy that indicates he’s blissfully unaware of how large he is.

Most reactions to his appearances are simply “wow,” particularly in urban environments like downtown Cedar Rapids.

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“I remember there was a guy in an ambulance looking at me and mouthing, ‘Is that a cow, ‘” Mason said after riding Gucci south of the DoubleTree by Hilton. “And I mouthed, ‘Yes, it is.’”

With the petting and selfies come up-close learning opportunities about the kinds of places that cows like Gucci hail from — small dairy farms.

Like the farm that Mason and Michael grew up on, small dairy farmers are being quickly pushed out of existence by an industry demanding larger and larger production to make ends meet. Mason knows several farms around theirs that have gone by the wayside, too — like they have in most parts of Iowa.

“I wish more people understood how small farm America is disappearing at such a rapid rate,” he said. “A lot of people have demonized the farmer. But a lot of people don’t understand that at a lot of these small farms, that’s their livelihood. They have to treat these animals with dignity and respect, because that’s their paycheck.”

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Mason now works as a nutritional consultant for large dairy farmers across the Midwest. But Gucci represents an emotional connection to a time long gone for many in the dairy industry.

Now, Mason just wishes Gucci was still small enough to stuff into the back seat of his GMC Sierra.

“I always say there’s not a lot of pride in milking another man’s cow,” Mason said. “He became one of my buddies. He’s one of my bros — that’s the idea of my (TikTok) channel.”

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