Jacob Pina, also known as the “Long Thumb Guy” or by simply “Thumb Guy,” found viral fame when he decided to share his not-so-average thumb on social media.
Pina’s thumb is unusual because he is able to dislocate it and extend it to be more than 12cm long.
The 21-year-old shared his first video to TikTok in August 2019, and quickly became a viral sensation. In the video, he smacks his thumb against his leg, and bends it up and down.
“My actual thumb :),” he wrote. “Enjoyyy.”
Speaking to BuzzFeed, Pina said he discovered he could extend his thumb during his freshman year of high school.
"I just dislocate my thumb, by forcing it out of its socket, to make it appear longer," he explained, adding, "My doctor says it's abnormal but can't officially link it to any known medical conditions."
"When I posted my first video to TikTok, I had no clue I'd get this sort of attention from it. People have mixed reactions, like disgusted, freaked out, or curious," he said.
@jwpina Need to cool off ☀️👍🏼 ##foryou ##fyp ##longthumb ##Manifestation Snapchat: j_pina78
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He often questioned whether or not his thumb is real, he told The Boston Globe.
“No app. No photoshop, and it’s not a Snapchat filter. It’s real. It’s real, dude,” Pina told the Globe. “Everybody says, ‘That’s fake man, you’re using some sort of trick.’ Nope. I don’t photoshop. I don’t do anything like that.”
Pina asked his doctor about his unusual digit, who said his ability to extend his thumb is unusual, but does not appear to be caused by any medical problems.
@jwpina Thumb comparison 🤠👍🏼 ##foryou ##fyp ##longthumb ##FashionEssentials ##NobodyNeedsToKnow
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“My doctor says it’s abnormal but can’t officially link it to any known medical conditions,” he told Buzzfeed.