Over two decades had passed since the question, ‘Do you know the ‘Muffin Man’?’ was uttered by Gingerbread Man, while under interrogation from Lord Farquad, in the classic original Shrek movie, but in 2024 the now iconic quote was digitally projected into modern day public consciousness by one man.
While he may not have made headlines for performances in the pool at the Paris Olympics, Henrik Christiansen still managed to depart the French capital with an enviable social media following after becoming arguably the most ‘viral’ sports star of the Games.
In a high-performance environment like an Olympic Village ‘treats’ are often in short supply, but the Norwegian swimmer certainly made the most of his ‘Olympic muffin’ experience, with his TikTok escapades fascinating millions.
“I was just having fun doing it,” says the 11-time World and European medallist with a smile.
“That was the main thing because in a way my performance in Paris (top 25 in the 800m and 1500m Freestyle and the 10k) was really bad, so it was a way for me to cope with everything and still enjoy the whole Olympic experience.”
Henriksen’s Olympic Muffin related posting began with simple storytelling, rating the Muffin “insane 11/10” but it began to evolve into wider creative mimics with scenes inspired by Love Island and other reality TV programmes.
As such, he became something of a ‘celebrity’ figure in the Olympic Village, but he was initially relatively unaware of his increased social following as he was “off TikTok for a couple of days while competing” and only discovered the rapidly rising numbers when he returned.
“I logged back in afterwards and I had 50,000 new followers overnight. The following night it was 80,000, then 140,000,” he recalls enthusiastically.
“It was surreal walking around the village and taking selfies with people, it's like only the biggest stars in the Olympic Village do that, so to be that guy was just unreal and something you will never forget.”
From Life As A Swimming Star To Social Media Sensation
Medals used to mean money, now social elevation leads to social experiences for athletes post Games and Henriksen certainly enjoyed plenty of the latter after the conclusion of the Games.
“I had a really long break after Paris, it was needed as I hadn't had a real break for like 12 years, so that was nice and it meant I was able to actually do some of the things that came with the whole social media stuff,” the Norwegian tells World Aquatics.
“One of the weirdest things? I mean, I went to a fashion show in Milan straight after the Olympics, which was so fun, but I felt so out of place!
“It was really cool to see what was happening behind-the-scenes and it’s probably not something I’ll ever get the chance to do it again, I'm so happy I did it.”
As a multi-major-medal-winning athlete, does he ever feel frustrations though that he is now better-known for his social performances, rather than those as a swimmer?
“You know, at this point, I just have to live with it,” he says while laughing.
"It's sort of become a part of the job, to be a swimmer, athlete and the social media comes with it and most people have just been so positive about what happened"
Henriksen continues; “I’ve had a lot of people say, like, ‘aren't you mad that you've spent so much time trying to be a swimmer and then now you're the ‘Muffin Man’?’ but I saw it’s like all part of a master plan, in a way.”
Advice For Aspiring Winter Olympic Social Media Stars
And what of his major learnings from the creativity he showed at Paris 2024? He had the following advice for fellow swimmers, or athletes heading to the Milano Cortina Olympic Winter Games in Italy next month, about how to grow their own social media presence.
"I think you just have to be to not be scared about what other people think"
“Obviously some people are gonna hate on you and they're gonna call you stupid, but if you enjoy what you're doing, then just post it and just have fun with it.
The swimmer continues; “That's what I've been doing and it seems genuine, like the ‘real me’ is showing and that’s what I love people seeing.”
‘Will There Be Muffins at LA 2028?’
And what of that master plan when it comes to life in the pool? The swimmer made his major event competitive comeback at the 2025 European Aquatics Short Course Swimming Championships in Lublin, Poland, last month where he reached the 800m Freestyle final.
“It’s not quite what I had hoped for coming into this meet, but I think you just have to look at it face value and see that I'm just not there yet as we just haven't been able to do enough of the work that's required to be at the highest level,” Henriksen admits.
“But it was inspiring to see that my old PBs (personal bests) would have given me a gold medal here and I know I can get back to that level.
“It’s also great to draw some attention to the sport, especially for Norway, so although I didn’t win a medal (in Lublin) and it’s not the Olympic stage, I still absolutely loved doing it.”
The European (Long Course) Championships in Paris (FRA) will be the swimmer’s next major target, with the 2027 World Aquatics Championships in Budapest (HUN) also a major stepping stone towards the 2028 Olympic Games.
“I've gotten so many silver and bronze medals over the years, so I'm missing the gold medal and it would be amazing to finally get one of these, but I’m at an age where I don’t have too many years left, so now it's all about just enjoying it,” he tells World Aquatics.
“There’s a long way to go before 2028, but I have the motivation and I just hope they have muffins in LA!”