Man who uncovered KFC's Twitter secret rewarded with painting

Nov. 13 (UPI) -- A man whose post pointing out a subtle joke by KFC's Twitter account went viral was rewarded by the restaurant with a painting of himself and Colonel Sanders.

Mike Edgette, @edgette22 on Twitter, was hailed as a hero on social media last month when his tweet revealed that fast food giant KFC's official Twitter account follows the five Spice Girls and six guys named Herb -- 11 herbs and spices.

Edgette's tweet came to the attention of KFC, which sent Edgette a congratulatory letter along with an unusual prize -- a painting of him receiving a piggyback ride from the Colonel.

The letter read:

"It has come to my attention that I owe you a Kentucky Fried 'thank you.' You were the one who found the obscure message hidden in who I was following on Twitter. I wasn't sure if anyone in the world had the wits, skill, and sheer determination to solve this puzzle I had created. And you not only solved it, you went, as they say, 'viral' with it. So, from one refined yet still in-touch social media mogul to another: Well done.

You may not have noticed yet, but attached to this letter is a reasonably sized painting. This is a painting that I painted, with paint. And yet, it's somehow more than that. It's a metaphor. It's a tribute. It's a long-awaited payoff for those years of art classes i took from Lisa in Accounting's weird aunt. But above all, it's a thank you. A thank you for your service on the front lines of the internet, bringing people the web-based content that they crave as much as my delicious chicken. Thank you, Mr. @edgette22. You're as crispy as they come. Enough chitchat -- here are 52 gift cards, each worth $5. I'd tell you not to spend it all in one place, but, well, you know."

"Dreams DO come true. #GiddyUpColonel" Edgette tweeted with photos of the painting. "Thanks @kfc."