Rhett and Link Reveal How Embracing the 'Silly' as Parents Inspired Their Children's Book — See the Cover! (Exclusive)
- - Rhett and Link Reveal How Embracing the 'Silly' as Parents Inspired Their Children's Book — See the Cover! (Exclusive)
Sarah JonesJanuary 10, 2026 at 1:00 AM
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Isabelle Roy
Rhett and Link's First Children's Book 'Spaghetti Head & Chicken Fingers'. -
Good Mythical Morning hosts Rhett McLaughlin and Link Neal's are publishing their first-ever children's book, Spaghetti Head & Chicken Fingers
PEOPLE can exclusively reveal the cover of the book, illustrated by Erica Salcedo, which will debut June 16
Rhett and Link speak from their own experience as they share advice for other parents dealing with picky eaters
Rhett McLaughlin and Link Neal are bringing their signature humor to a whole new audience.
PEOPLE can exclusively reveal the cover of Spaghetti Head & Chicken Fingers, the first-ever children’s book from the longtime creative partners and hosts of Good Mythical Morning, available in June and illustrated by Erica Salcedo.
For Rhett, 48, and Link, 47, picky eating isn’t just a childhood phase; it’s a reality that plays out at dinner tables everywhere. And it’s exactly why the longtime friends decided to tackle the topic so many families face.
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Rhett and Link's First Kids' Book 'Spaghetti Head & Chicken Fingers' Cover Reveal.
“We knew we wanted to do something food-related because food is such a big part of our brand, and this particular challenge is something that so many parents face,” McLaughlin tells PEOPLE. “So, the idea of doing something fun and surreal that kids would love to read was intriguing to us.”
The whimsical cover introduces readers to Saffy and Lumo, two best friends whose devotion to their favorite foods leads to an unexpected, and very literal, transformation. The story centers on picky eating and the proverbial phrase “you are what you eat,” turning it into a playful adventure for kids and parents alike.
Spaghetti Head & Chicken Fingers follows Saffy, who will eat nothing but buttered pasta, and Lumo, whose diet is limited to chicken fingers. It’s the only thing either of them will eat until one morning, Saffy wakes up with spaghetti for hair, and Lumo discovers his hands have turned into chicken fingers. Suddenly, their favorite saying takes on an entirely new meaning.
Isabelle Roy
Rhett and Link.
Rather than pushing kids to suddenly love new foods, the story focuses on lowering pressure and opening conversation, something McLaughlin says parents often need to hear. “They realize that, 'You know what, it wasn't that bad,'” he explains of the characters’ journey. “It doesn’t have to be like, ‘Oh, it’s great. I love this other food,’ but, you know, 'It wasn’t as bad as I thought it was going to be.'”
Neal adds, "We understand why parents... they resort to bribery and ultimatums and even telling preposterous lies in order to get their kids to try to eat things. But what we're hoping to do is inspire more adventurous eating because what we've discovered is that it can be an adventure to try something new."
"There's even success in discovering that you don't like it as opposed to just being closed-minded, you know? So, inspiring kids to try things for the adventure of it, even if the answer is, 'Been there, done that, don't need to try that again.' That's what we're hoping for," says Neal.
That spirit of playfulness extends beyond the story itself and into the book’s visual world. “We became big fans of Erica just by looking at her previous work,” Neal says. “So we said, ‘Keep doing what you do and be inspired by the story that we’ve told, bringing it to life in your fantastical style.’”
The pair quickly realized they didn’t want to over-direct the illustrator, trusting her instincts to interpret their surreal premise. “We were really excited about how wild the story got and how inventive and playful her illustrations have been,” Neal adds. “So we knew it was a good match and we just trusted her a lot and didn’t end up giving many notes at all.”
McLaughlin recalls that freedom was especially important when it came to translating the book’s imagery. “In terms of her style and the way she brought these situations to life, we left that up to her because that’s the skill and the talent that she brings to it.”
When they finally saw the finished cover for the first time, the reaction was immediate. “We loved it,” McLaughlin says.
For the comedic pair, the project is a natural extension of their decades-long creative partnership. The duo met in first grade and have since built a massive digital media empire together. Known for their self-aware “internet dad” humor, the two have spent years connecting with audiences across generations.
The Good Mythical Morning hosts, who are approaching 20 years of their show, are also the authors of the New York Times bestselling novel, The Lost Causes of Bleak Creek, plus The Mythical Cookbook and Rhett & Link's Book of Mythicality.
When asked how becoming parents themselves has influenced the content they create, Rhett admits, "In some ways, we haven't changed."
"We have always been pretty silly," Rhett continues. "We were silly when we were kids, and we were silly with our own kids, and we're silly now that our kids are growing up."
"Kids can bring out the silliness in a lot of parents," he adds. "Thankfully, we've had the opportunity to be silly for a living for a long time, which has been very helpful for us. Obviously, [kids'] imagination is a little more unhinged. We've tried to keep that alive in our families. [The book is] kind of an expression of just how silly we were with our kids and how we just think that otherwise non-silly people, sometimes, their kids will bring that out in them. We think that the book will facilitate that."
"We pride ourselves on never taking ourselves too seriously, and I think kids can see right through that, you know?" Link adds. "We discovered early on, to much benefit, the power of an apology. As a parent, you don't need to try to preserve this facade of being perfect, you know? Instead, [embrace] the fact [that] we don't take ourselves too seriously. Instead, we embrace the silly and the camaraderie that is created with our kids, and now with the kids of our fans."
Spaghetti Head & Chicken Fingers will debut June 16 and is available for preorder now, wherever books are sold.
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
