The Battle of Josh: 4-Year-Old Little Josh Wins

Just how many people out there are named “Josh”? We don’t know but there were dozens that came out to the town of Lincoln, Nebraska over the weekend!

The mass gathering of the Joshes, some even from out of state, flocked to Air Park last Saturday to duke it out for the “right” to keep the name. They were armed with pool noodles and masks, engaging in a playful fight that ended with 4-year-old Josh Vinson, Jr. as the victor.

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Josh Swain, the organizer of the event, (L) with champion Josh Vinson, Jr. (R)
Photo from Kenneth Ferriera, Journal Star

“Little Josh”, as he came to be known, is a resident of Lincoln that subsequently went viral after winning the Burger King crown. As per his father, Josh Vinson, Sr., Little Josh “loves attention” and has always wanted his own YouTube channel.

The Josh Battle Royale was actually a product of a mid-pandemic post about a year ago. Josh Swain, the mastermind behind the gathering, originally group messaged other Josh Swains to fight for the title.

While intended to be a joke, the event was remembered a year later after a Twitter post went viral.

With all the attention the post was receiving, the original Josh Swain thought to push through with the weird but good-natured “fight” and made the event both a food drive for the Food Bank of Lincoln and a fundraiser for the Children’s Hospital & Medical Center Foundation located near the battleground.

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Photo from Kenneth Ferriera, Journal Star

By the end of the spectacle, donations for the children’s hospital reached a little bit more than $11,000 while some attendees generously donated more than 110 pounds of food.

And, as coincidence would have it, it was revealed that when Little Josh was 2, he actually used to be treated at Children’s Hospital for seizures. It couldn’t have been more fated!

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The original poster Josh Swain (L) battling another Josh Swain (R) in a game of rock-paper-scissors
Photo from Kenneth Ferriera, Journal Star

For Swain, the turnout was unexpected. “It just shows how Lincolnites – how incredible they are, how incredible the Internet is,” he told the Lincoln Journal Star. “It’s bizarre, but (in) such a good way.”

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