Meet 'Banana Man,' the silent middle schooler in a banana suit who has a small Indiana town smiling

For a few months, people in Linton, Indiana, have been reporting sightings of a superhero of sorts: a boy of about middle school age biking all over town in a banana costume, CBS News reports.

"Just boom, like a yellow streak goes by," one resident said. "And everybody is like, 'It's the Banana Man.'" Banana Man's other trademark is that he never talks. By all accounts he had never spoken a word in public until CBS News' Steve Hartman sat down with him, with his voice disguised to protect his identity.

"So my mom bought a banana costume from Goodwill, and I put it on and rode my bike as a joke," he said. "And I saw that it made a lot of people smile, and I like making people smile." He said he dreamed of being a superhero when he was younger, "but I didn't expect to be a banana."

The town has embraced him. Many residents dressed as Banana Man for Halloween, a local girls cross country team ran in his honor, and people wear Banana Man T-shirts. "People honk and yell and wave," one resident said. He hands out autographed cards that have become collector's items around town.

"Yeah, feels good. I feel proud," Banana Man said. "And I'm just going to keep doing the same thing that I've been doing."