Wichita kid hopes you’ll mullet over then vote to crown his mullet the country’s best

He’s known as a prankster. A first baseman. A biscuits and gravy connoisseur.

But what 7-year-old Augie Munoz is really known for is his blond mullet — a 20-inch-long masterpiece he’s been growing for more than half is short life that is the very definition of “business in the front, party in the back.”

Now, Augie needs Wichita’s help to prove that his mullet is the mightiest of all.

With the help of his parents, Santiago and Kari Munoz, “Big Augie” has entered the 2023 USA Mullet Championship — a national online contest that aims to find “the most epic hairdo” in all of the country. The contest has categories for male, female, teen, 55+ and child mullets, and winners are partially determined by the number of online votes they receive.

Last year’s adult male mullet champion was crowned live on the “Today” show and also pocketed a $2,500 sponsorship package.

Santiago Munoz, Augie’s dad, says that mullets are a bit of a family tradition. His dad gave him a mullet when he was a kid, and his uncle had one, too. When he and his wife had Augie, they decided he should carry on the tradition.

“Kari and I have the same style, and we always wanted to give him a unique hairstyle,” Munoz said.

Over four years, Augie’s mullet grew and grew, finally stretching 20 inches down the back of his 53-inch frame. People everywhere admired it and commented on it, Santiago said, and in recent years, people started urging Augie’s parents to enter him in the mulletchamp.com contest.

Though he was a bit shy, Augie said in an interview that he loves his mullet and all the compliments he gets. His local barber keeps his mane meticulously maintained, and Augie’s mullet even has a nickname: Lightning.

Voting for best kid mullet started Wednesday — Augie’s 7th birthday — and even though the ages 5-8 division has 292 competitors, Santiago thinks his son has a chance.

“We were looking through the entries, and he has one of the better, longer ones,” he said.

A winner will be crowned after three rounds of voting. To vote for Augie, visit https://www.mulletchamp.com/kids.../augie-munoz-lighting/. To learn more about his mullet, visit his fan page at https://www.facebook.com/BigAugie

This story was originally published July 12, 2023 at 5:04 AM.

Denise Neil

The Wichita Eagle

316-268-6327

Denise Neil has covered restaurants and entertainment since 1997. Her Dining with Denise Facebook page is the go-to place for diners to get information about local restaurants. She’s a regular judge at local food competitions and speaks to groups all over Wichita about dining.