Peter Campion's father Kevin first met Walter in December at the annual GiGi's Playhouse holiday party.
Like many of the parents who attended with their children, Peter was impressed by the Vikings rookie's presence and expected he'd likely hang out for 30 minutes or so.
"Walter danced for hours. _Hours_!" Kevin said, laughing.
"We could tell he was an athlete," Kevin's wife Brenda quipped. "But it was just so obviously how genuine Walter was. His interaction with the little ones, picking them up and dancing with them, and then his interaction with the adults, it was just so real."
Walter has built a special connection with Peter, who's become "a bit of a broken record," chuckles Brenda, about his new buddy.
"I have a lot of pictures of them together in my phone," Brenda said. "And it's not 'Walter the Vikings player.' It's just, 'Walter.' "
Added Kevin: "He's all-in. You can tell he grew up with someone with Down syndrome, because he's got empathy. He's got all those attributes he identified in his aunt and kind of brought with him. It's just so good."