QUEENS, N.Y. — Marcello Brucculeri has been telling stories about toys most of his young life.

What You Need To Know

  • Dozens of children auditioned to be toy brand Schleich’s Chief Story Telling Officer

  • Marcello Brucculeri, 8, from Queens won the contest to appear in Schleich’s holiday commercials

  • He recovered from three separate infections, including COVID-19, in time to win coveted prize

“He would have full blown conversations with these toys at two and three years old,” said his mother, Tiffany Brucculeri.

Tiffany always knew her son's imagination would take him places, so when she found out that the toy brand Schleich was looking for a new chief storytelling officer she signed him up.

Dozens of kids lined up for the audition at the FAO Schwartz store in Manhattan.

Ultimately, the stories Marcello made up about the dinosaur, giraffe and horse wowed the judges. A few days later, he got the call that he would star in all of the holiday commercials for the toy company.

It's a happy turn of events for the third grader from Queens, who just a few months ago was in the hospital. At first, doctors couldn’t find out what was wrong with Marcello, but his mom knew something was off.

“I would compare it to someone who had Alzheimer’s or maybe dementia," said Tiffany Brucculeri. "He was not coherent. He would be hallucinating, telling me there was a red light on the ceiling, things that didn’t make sense for a child. Somebody who was always on, always smiling, seemed like he was depressed."

Eventually, the family found a doctor who performed extensive testing and found he had three separate infections at the same time: Strep, COVID-19 and Rock Mountain Spotted fever, which is typically caused by a tick bite. After months of uncertainty and treatment, to see Marcello back on his feet coming up with new tales about his toys was extra special for the family.

“Not knowing if we’d ever get him back, this amazing bright personality. So seeing him in September speaking and doing that. It was awesome,” said Tiffany Brucculeri.

And it's rewarding in other ways. Marcello won a $10,000 prize and a peek into what stardom is like.

"I wanted to be like famous and my wish came true,” said Marcello Brucculeri.

So whether you catch him in a commercial this holiday season or find his YouTube channel "Play, Live, Repeat," just know that what started it all is his love for toys and make believe.