List of Internet phenomena
Encyclopedia
This is a list of phenomena specific to the Internet
, such as popular themes and catchphrases, images, viral videos and more. Such fads and sensations grow rapidly on the Internet because its instant communication facilitates word of mouth
. In the early days of the Internet, phenomena were primarily spread via email
or Usenet
discussion communities. Today, many of these phenomena are also spread via popular, user-based or social networking web sites, including (but not limited to) 4chan
, Newgrounds
, Reddit
, Facebook
, Fark
, Flickr
, Myspace
, Slashdot
, Something Awful
, YouTube
, or YTMND
. Search engines, such as Google
, Yahoo, or Bing may also amplify the propagation of these phenomena.
E-mail
Dancing Banana – A banana dancing to the song "Peanut Butter Jelly Time" by the Buckwheat Boyz.
Internet personalities
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
, such as popular themes and catchphrases, images, viral videos and more. Such fads and sensations grow rapidly on the Internet because its instant communication facilitates word of mouth
Word of mouth
Word of mouth, or viva voce, is the passing of information from person to person by oral communication. Storytelling is the oldest form of word-of-mouth communication where one person tells others of something, whether a real event or something made up. Oral tradition is cultural material and...
. In the early days of the Internet, phenomena were primarily spread via email
Email
Electronic mail, commonly known as email or e-mail, is a method of exchanging digital messages from an author to one or more recipients. Modern email operates across the Internet or other computer networks. Some early email systems required that the author and the recipient both be online at the...
or Usenet
Usenet
Usenet is a worldwide distributed Internet discussion system. It developed from the general purpose UUCP architecture of the same name.Duke University graduate students Tom Truscott and Jim Ellis conceived the idea in 1979 and it was established in 1980...
discussion communities. Today, many of these phenomena are also spread via popular, user-based or social networking web sites, including (but not limited to) 4chan
4chan
4chan is an English-language imageboard website. Launched on October 1, 2003, its boards were originally used for the posting of pictures and discussion of manga and anime...
, Newgrounds
Newgrounds
Newgrounds is an American entertainment and social media website. Founded on July 6, 1995 by Tom Fulp, the site primarily hosts Adobe Flash animations and games, but also features a music-oriented page, along with an art portal...
Reddit
reddit is a social news website where the registered users submit content, in the form of either a link or a text "self" post. Other users then vote the submission "up" or "down," which is used to rank the post and determine its position on the site's pages and front page.Reddit was originally...
Facebook
Facebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
, Fark
Fark
Fark is a community website created by Drew Curtis that allows members to comment on a daily batch of news articles and other items from various websites. As of June 2009, the site boasts approximately four million unique visitors per month, which puts it among the top 100 English language websites...
, Flickr
Flickr
Flickr is an image hosting and video hosting website, web services suite, and online community that was created by Ludicorp in 2004 and acquired by Yahoo! in 2005. In addition to being a popular website for users to share and embed personal photographs, the service is widely used by bloggers to...
, Myspace
Myspace
Myspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
, Slashdot
Slashdot
Slashdot is a technology-related news website owned by Geeknet, Inc. The site, which bills itself as "News for Nerds. Stuff that Matters", features user-submitted and ‑evaluated current affairs news stories about science- and technology-related topics. Each story has a comments section...
, Something Awful
Something Awful
Something Awful, often abbreviated to SA, is a comedy website housing a variety of content, including blog entries, forums, feature articles, digitally edited pictures, and humorous media reviews. It was created by Richard "Lowtax" Kyanka in 1999 as a largely personal website, but as it grew, so...
, YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
, or YTMND
YTMND
YTMND, an initialism for "You're the Man Now, Dog", is an online community centered on the creation of hosted web pages featuring a juxtaposition of an image centered or tiled along with optional large zooming text and a looping sound file...
. Search engines, such as Google
Google
Google Inc. is an American multinational public corporation invested in Internet search, cloud computing, and advertising technologies. Google hosts and develops a number of Internet-based services and products, and generates profit primarily from advertising through its AdWords program...
, Yahoo, or Bing may also amplify the propagation of these phenomena.
Advertising
- BlendtecBlendtecBlendtec is a company that sells professional and home blenders, with their key product being the Total Blender. It is a division of K-Tec...
– The blenderBlenderA blender is a kitchen appliance for chopping or liquefying food.Blender may also refer to:Media:* Blender , a music-themed magazine* Blender , a free and open-source software program for 3D modeling, animation, and rendering...
product, claimed by its creator Tom DicksonTom DicksonTom Dickson is an American figure skater who currently works as a coach and choreographer.-Career:During his eligible career, Dickson won the U.S. Figure Skating Championships at junior level in 1980; at the senior level, he placed 5th at the 1984 Championships. He also won Nebelhorn Trophy in 1980...
to be the most powerful blender, is featured in a series of YouTubeYouTubeYouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
videos, "Will It Blend?Will It Blend?Will It Blend? is a viral marketing campaign consisting of a series of infomercials demonstrating the Blendtec line of blenders, especially the Total Blender. In the show, Tom Dickson, the Blendtec founder, attempts to blend various unusual items in order to show off the power of his blender...
" where numerous food and non-food items are used within the blender. - Cooks Source infringement controversyCooks Source infringement controversyThe Cooks Source copyright infringement controversy occurred in November 2010, when Cooks Source, a free, advertising-supported publication distributed in the New England region of the United States of America, became the center of a copyright infringement dispute after the magazine reprinted an...
– An advertising-supported publication's dismissive response to copyright infringementCopyright infringementCopyright infringement is the unauthorized or prohibited use of works under copyright, infringing the copyright holder's exclusive rights, such as the right to reproduce or perform the copyrighted work, or to make derivative works.- "Piracy" :...
complaint causes online backlash. - FreeCreditReport.comFreeCreditReport.comFreeCreditScore.com and FreeCreditReport.com are websites owned by Experian Consumer Direct, a subsidiary of the credit bureau Experian. The sites offer users their personal credit reports from Experian on the condition that they sign up for Experian's Triple Advantage credit monitoring program for...
– A series of TV commercials that were posted on the Internet; many spoofs of the commercials were made and posted on YouTube. - Embrace LifeEmbrace LifeEmbrace Life is an award winning short British public information film made for the Sussex Safer Roads Partnership about the importance of wearing seat belts...
– A public service announcementPublic service announcementA public service announcement or public service ad is a type of advertisement featured on television, radio, print or other media...
for seatbelt advocacy made for a local area of the United KingdomUnited KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
that achieved a million hits on its first two weeks on YouTube in 2010. - HeadOnHeadOnHeadOn is the brand name of a topical product claimed to relieve headaches. It achieved widespread notoriety in 2006 as a result of a repetitive commercial, consisting only of the tagline "HeadOn. Apply directly to the forehead," stated three times in succession. Originally sold as a homeopathic...
– A June 2006 advertisement for a homeopathicHomeopathyHomeopathy is a form of alternative medicine in which practitioners claim to treat patients using highly diluted preparations that are believed to cause healthy people to exhibit symptoms that are similar to those exhibited by the patient...
product claimed to relieve headacheHeadacheA headache or cephalalgia is pain anywhere in the region of the head or neck. It can be a symptom of a number of different conditions of the head and neck. The brain tissue itself is not sensitive to pain because it lacks pain receptors. Rather, the pain is caused by disturbance of the...
s. Ads featured the tagline, "HeadOn. Apply directly to the forehead", stated three times in succession, accompanied by a video of a model using the product without ever directly stating the product's purpose. The ads were successively parodied on sites such as YoutubeYouTubeYouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
and rapper Lil JonLil JonJonathan Mortimer Smith , better known by his stage name Lil Jon, is an American rapper, music producer, entrepreneur, and occasional disc jockey who was a member of the group Lil Jon & The East Side Boyz. Lil Jon formed the group in 1997, and the group released several albums between then and 2004...
even made fun of it. - Lowermybills.comLowerMyBills.comLowerMyBills.com is a consumer finance corporate Web site, owned by Experian, that connects prospective mortgage borrowers to lenders. It was founded by Matt Coffin in 1999. It is well-known for its banner ads, which generally include bizarre or nonsensical animations or soundless video clips...
– Banner ads from this mortgage company feature endless loops of cowboys, women, aliens, and office workers dancing. - Shake WeightShake WeightThe Shake Weight is a modified dumbbell that creates a vibrating effect to work out muscles. As a result of the perceived sexually suggestive nature of the product, infomercial clips of the exercise device have gone viral.-Product specifications:...
– Infomercial clips of the modified dumbbellDumbbellThe dumbbell, a type of free weight, is a piece of equipment used in weight training. It can be used individually or in pairs .-History:...
went viral as a result of the product's sexually suggestive nature. - The Man Your Man Could Smell LikeThe Man Your Man Could Smell LikeSmell Like a Man, Man is a television advertising campaign created by ad agency Wieden+Kennedy for Old Spice. The campaign is also commonly referred to as The Man Your Man Could Smell Like, being the title of the campaign's initial 30-second commercial...
– A television commercial starring Isaiah MustafaIsaiah MustafaIsaiah Mustafa is an American actor and former NFL practice squad wide receiver. Mustafa is widely known as the main character for a series of Old Spice TV commercials, The Man Your Man Could Smell Like.-Early life:...
reciting a quick, deadpanDeadpanDeadpan is a form of comic delivery in which humor is presented without a change in emotion or body language, usually speaking in a casual, monotone, solemn, blunt, disgusted or matter-of-fact voice and expressing an unflappably calm, archly insincere or artificially grave demeanor...
monologue while shirtless about how "anything is possible" if men use Old SpiceOld SpiceOld Spice is a prominent American brand of male grooming products. It is manufactured by Procter & Gamble, which acquired the brand in 1990 from the Shulton Company.-History:...
. It eventually led to a popular viral marketingViral marketingViral marketing, viral advertising, or marketing buzz are buzzwords referring to marketing techniques that use pre-existing social networks to produce increases in brand awareness or to achieve other marketing objectives through self-replicating viral processes, analogous to the spread of viruses...
campaign which had Mustafa responding to various Internet comments in short YouTube videos on Old Spice's YouTube channel. - Young Darth Vader – An advertisement by VolkswagenVolkswagenVolkswagen is a German automobile manufacturer and is the original and biggest-selling marque of the Volkswagen Group, which now also owns the Audi, Bentley, Bugatti, Lamborghini, SEAT, and Škoda marques and the truck manufacturer Scania.Volkswagen means "people's car" in German, where it is...
featuring young Max PageMax Page (actor)Max Page plays Reed Hellstrom on the American TV soap opera The Young and the Restless. At age six, he appeared in his first national commercial, a spot for Volkswagen which aired during The 2011 Super Bowl, in which he appeared as a boy in a Darth Vader costume.-Acting career:Max has appeared in...
dressed in a Darth VaderDarth VaderDarth Vader is a central character in the Star Wars saga, appearing as one of the main antagonists in the original trilogy and as the main protagonist in the prequel trilogy....
costume running around his house trying to use "The ForceForce (Star Wars)The Force is a binding, metaphysical and ubiquitous power in the fictional universe of the Star Wars galaxy created by George Lucas. Mentioned in the first film in the series, it is integral to all subsequent incarnations of Star Wars, including the expanded universe of comic books, novels, and...
". It was released on the Internet a few days prior to Super Bowl XLVSuper Bowl XLVSuper Bowl XLV was an American football game between the American Football Conference champion Pittsburgh Steelers and the National Football Conference champion Green Bay Packers to decide the National Football League champion for the 2010 season. The game was held at Cowboys Stadium in...
in 2011, and quickly became popular.
Animation
- "Caramelldansen" – A spoof from the Japanese visual novelVisual novelA is an interactive fiction game featuring mostly static graphics, usually with anime-style art, or occasionally live-action stills or video footage...
opening PopotanPopotanis a Japanese adult visual novel developed by Petit Ferret with character designs by Akio Watanabe under the alias Poyoyon Rock. It was originally released as a PC game for CD-ROM on December 13, 2002 and subsequently re-released on DVD-ROM and for the PlayStation 2 with certain scenes removed...
that shows the two main characters doing a hip swing dance with their hands over their heads imitating rabbit ears, while the background song plays the sped up version of the song Caramelldansen sung by the Swedish music group CaramellCaramellCaramell is a Swedish musical group, formed by singers Katia Löfgren and Malin Sundström and producers Jorge "Vasco" Vasconcelo and Juha "Millboy" Myllylä. All except Vasconcelo and Myllylä come from Sweden...
. Also known as Caramelldansen Speedycake Remix or Uma uma dance (ウマウマダンス) in Japan, the song was parodied by artists and fans who then copy the animation and include characters from other animeAnimeis the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
performing the dance. - Charlie the UnicornCharlie the UnicornCharlie the Unicorn is a Flash animated short film and viral video directed, produced, animated, and written by Jason Steele of independent film company FilmCow...
– A three-part series of videos involving a unicorn who is repeatedly hoodwinked by two other unnamed unicorns, colored blue and pink, who bring him on elaborate adventures in order to steal his belongings or cause him physical harm. - Dancing babyDancing babyThe "Dancing Baby," also called "Baby Cha-Cha," refers to an animated 3D model of a baby and 3D-rendered video animations of that baby dancing a sort of cha-cha style of dance for several seconds...
– A 3D-rendered dancing baby that first appeared in 1996 by the creators of Character StudioCharacter StudioCharacter Studio is a set of tools within Autodesk's 3DS Max.Character studio provides professional tools for animating 3D characters. It is an environment in which animators can quickly and easily build skeletons and then animate them, thus creating motion sequences. The animated skeletons are...
for 3D Studio MAX3D Studio MaxAutodesk 3ds Max, formerly 3D Studio MAX, is for making 3D animations. It was developed and produced by Autodesk Media and Entertainment. It has modeling capabilities, a flexible plugin architecture and can be used on the Microsoft Windows platform. It's frequently used by video game developers, TV...
, and became something of a late 1990s cultural iconPopular culturePopular culture is the totality of ideas, perspectives, attitudes, memes, images and other phenomena that are deemed preferred per an informal consensus within the mainstream of a given culture, especially Western culture of the early to mid 20th century and the emerging global mainstream of the...
in part due to its exposure on world wide commercials, editorials about Character Studio, and the popular television series Ally McBealAlly McBealAlly McBeal is an American legal comedy-drama series which aired on the Fox network from 1997 to 2002. The series was created by David E. Kelley, who also served as the executive producer, along with Bill D'Elia...
. - Happy Tree FriendsHappy Tree FriendsHappy Tree Friends is an American Flash cartoon and made by Mondo Mini Shows, created and developed by Aubrey Ankrum Rhode Montijo Kenn Navarro and Warren Graff. The show has become a popular Internet phenomenon and it's since debut and has also won a cult following.As indicated on the official...
– A series of flash cartoonFlash cartoonA Flash animation or Flash cartoon is an animated film which is created using Adobe Flash or similar animation software and often distributed in the .swf file format. The term Flash animation not only refers to the file format but to a certain kind of movement and visual style which, in many...
s featuring cute cartoon animals experiencing violent and gruesome accidents. - Homestar RunnerHomestar RunnerHomestar Runner is a Flash animated Internet cartoon. It mixes surreal humor with references to retro pop culture, notably video games, classic television, and popular music.The cartoons are nominally centered on the title character, Homestar Runner...
– A Flash animated Internet cartoon by Mike Chapman and Craig Zobel, created in 1996 and popularized in 2000, along with Matt Chapman. The cartoon contains many references to popular culturePopular culturePopular culture is the totality of ideas, perspectives, attitudes, memes, images and other phenomena that are deemed preferred per an informal consensus within the mainstream of a given culture, especially Western culture of the early to mid 20th century and the emerging global mainstream of the...
from the 1980s and 1990s, including video games, televisionTelevisionTelevision is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
, and popular musicPopular musicPopular music belongs to any of a number of musical genres "having wide appeal" and is typically distributed to large audiences through the music industry. It stands in contrast to both art music and traditional music, which are typically disseminated academically or orally to smaller, local...
. - Joe CartoonJoe CartoonJoe Cartoon is the name of a series of Flash-based online cartoons that was launched in 1998 by creator Joseph C. Shields, a comic artist, and t-shirt and toy designer from Michigan...
– Alias of online cartoonist Joe Shields. Best known for his interactive Flash animations Frog in a Blender and Gerbil in a Microwave, released in 1999. Two of the first Flash cartoons to receive fame on the Internet. - Loituma GirlLoituma GirlLoituma Girl is a Flash animation set to a scat singing section of the traditional Finnish folk song "Ievan Polkka," sung by the Finnish quartet Loituma on their 1996 debut album Things of Beauty. It appeared on the Internet in late April 2006 and quickly became popular...
(also known as Leekspin) – Loop of Orihime InoueOrihime Inoueis a fictional character in the anime and manga series Bleach created by Tite Kubo. She is a classmate and friend of Ichigo Kurosaki, the main character of the series. Like many other friends of Ichigo, she quickly develops spiritual powers of her own after Ichigo becomes a Soul Reaper...
from BleachBleach (manga)is a Japanese shōnen manga series written and illustrated by Noriaki "Tite" Kubo. Bleach follows the adventures of Ichigo Kurosaki after he obtains the powers of a —a death personification similar to the Grim Reaper—from another Soul Reaper, Rukia Kuchiki...
twirling a leek set to the music of LoitumaLoitumaLoituma is a Finnish quartet whose members combine the Finnish vocal tradition with the sounds of the kantele. Loituma were selected Ensemble of the Year at the 1997 Kaustinen Folk Music Festival.-History:...
. - My Little Pony: Friendship Is MagicMy Little Pony: Friendship is MagicMy Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic is an animated television series that premiered on October 10, 2010 on the United States cable network The Hub, and is based on Hasbro's My Little Pony line of toys and animated works. The series is produced by Hasbro Studios and DHX Media Vancouver...
– HasbroHasbroHasbro is a multinational toy and boardgame company from the United States of America. It is one of the largest toy makers in the world. The corporate headquarters is located in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, United States...
's 2010 animated television series developed by Lauren FaustLauren FaustLauren Faust is an American born animator of Polish and German descent. She grew up in Severna Park, a suburb of Annapolis, Maryland. She studied animation at the California Institute of the Arts....
for the relaunch of its toy line was discovered by members of the 4chan4chan4chan is an English-language imageboard website. Launched on October 1, 2003, its boards were originally used for the posting of pictures and discussion of manga and anime...
message board, leading to elements of the show becoming Internet memes and incorporated into video mashups, fan fiction, and other works; the older, predominately male fan base, far outside the target demographic of young girls and their parents, have come to call themselves "bronies". Hasbro, The Hub channel, and the show's production team of the show have in turn acknowledged the Internet fanbase, such as scripting the fan-named background character "Derpy Hooves" (so-named due to an animation error in the first episode) in background cameos in subsequent episodes. - Salad FingersSalad FingersSalad Fingers is a post-apocalyptic psychological horror Flash cartoon series originally created by British cartoonist David Firth in July 2004 which gained rapid internet popularity in 2005...
– A flash animation series surrounding a schizophrenic green man in a desolate world populated mostly by deformed, functionally mute people. - This Land is Your LandThis Land Is Your Land"This Land Is Your Land" is one of the United States' most famous folk songs. Its lyrics were written by Woody Guthrie in 1940 based on an existing melody, in response to Irving Berlin's "God Bless America", which Guthrie considered unrealistic and complacent. Tired of hearing Kate Smith sing it on...
– Flash animation produced by JibJabJibJabJibJab is a digital entertainment studio based in Venice, California. Founded in 1999 by Evan and Gregg Spiridellis, it was noticed during the 2004 US presidential election when their video of George W. Bush and John Kerry singing "This Land is Your Land" became a hit. The company creates,...
featuring cartoon faces of George W. BushGeorge W. BushGeorge Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
and John KerryJohn KerryJohn Forbes Kerry is the senior United States Senator from Massachusetts, the 10th most senior U.S. Senator and chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He was the presidential nominee of the Democratic Party in the 2004 presidential election, but lost to former President George W...
that parodies the United States presidential election, 2004United States presidential election, 2004The United States presidential election of 2004 was the United States' 55th quadrennial presidential election. It was held on Tuesday, November 2, 2004. Republican Party candidate and incumbent President George W. Bush defeated Democratic Party candidate John Kerry, the then-junior U.S. Senator...
. The video became a viral hit and viewed by over 100 million, leading to the production of other JibJab hits, including Good to be in D.C. and Big Box Mart. - Ultimate Showdown of Ultimate DestinyUltimate Showdown of Ultimate DestinyThe Ultimate Showdown of Ultimate Destiny, often shortened to The Ultimate Showdown, is a comical song and video released on December 7, 2005...
– A lethal battle royalBattle royal (professional wrestling)In professional wrestling, a battle royal is a multi-competitor match type in which wrestlers are eliminated until one is left and declared winner...
between many notable real and fictitious characters from popular culture. Set to a song of the same name, written and performed by Neil CicieregaNeil CicieregaNeil Stephen Cicierega , is an American comedian, filmmaker and musician. He is the creator of a genre of Flash animation known as "Animutation". He has also released several albums as a musician under the stage name "Lemon Demon"....
under his musician alias, "Lemon Demon." - Weebl and BobWeebl and BobThe Everyday Happenings of Weebl is a Flash cartoon series created by Jonti Picking and co-scripted by Chris Vick .-Main summary:...
– A series of flash cartoons created by Jonti PickingJonti PickingJonathan "Jonti" Picking , otherwise known as Weebl, is a British Internet personality and flash animator and is the creator of Weebl's Stuff....
featuring two egg-shaped characters that like pie and speak in a virtually incoherent manner.
- Bill GatesBill GatesWilliam Henry "Bill" Gates III is an American business magnate, investor, philanthropist, and author. Gates is the former CEO and current chairman of Microsoft, the software company he founded with Paul Allen...
E-mail Beta Test – An e-mail chain-letter that first appeared in 1997 and was still circulating as recently as 2007. The message claims that America Online and MicrosoftMicrosoftMicrosoft Corporation is an American public multinational corporation headquartered in Redmond, Washington, USA that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of products and services predominantly related to computing through its various product divisions...
are conducting a beta test and for each person you forward the e-mail to, you will receive a payment from Bill Gates of more than $200. Realistic contact information for a lawyer appears in the message. - Mouse Ball Replacement Memo – A memorandumMemorandumA memorandum is from the Latin verbal phrase memorandum est, the gerundive form of the verb memoro, "to mention, call to mind, recount, relate", which means "It must be remembered ..."...
circulated to IBMIBMInternational Business Machines Corporation or IBM is an American multinational technology and consulting corporation headquartered in Armonk, New York, United States. IBM manufactures and sells computer hardware and software, and it offers infrastructure, hosting and consulting services in areas...
field service technicians detailing the proper procedures for replacing mouse balls, yet filled with a number of sexual innuendosInnuendoAn innuendo is a baseless invention of thoughts or ideas. It can also be a remark or question, typically disparaging , that works obliquely by allusion...
. The memo actually was written by someone at IBM and distributed to technicians, but it was distributed as a corporate in-jokeIn-jokeAn in-joke, also known as an inside joke or in joke, is a joke whose humour is clear only to people who are in a particular social group, occupation, or other community of common understanding...
, and not as an actual policy or procedure. On the Internet, the memo can be traced as far back as 1989. - "I'm a lighthouse. Your callLighthouse and naval vessel urban legendThe lighthouse and naval vessel urban legend describes an encounter between a large naval ship and what at first appears to be another vessel, with which the ship is on a collision course. The naval vessel, usually identified as of the United States Navy and generally described as a battleship or...
". Purportedly an actual transcript of a increasingly heated radio conversation between a U.S. Navy ship and a Canadian who insists the naval vessel change a collision courseCollision courseA collision course, also known as a kamikaze run, is the deliberate maneuver by the operator of a moving object to collide with another object...
, ending in the punchline. This urban legendUrban legendAn urban legend, urban myth, urban tale, or contemporary legend, is a form of modern folklore consisting of stories that may or may not have been believed by their tellers to be true...
first appeared on the Internet in its commonly quoted format in 1995, although versions of the story predate it by several decades. It continues to circulate; the Military Officers Association of AmericaMilitary Officers Association of AmericaThe Military Officers Association of America, or MOAA, is an association of 370,000 military officers, including active duty, retired, National Guard, Reserve, and former officers and their families. It is an independent, nonprofit, and politically nonpartisan organization...
reports that it is forwarded to them an average of three times a day. The Navy has a page specifically devoted to pointing out that many of the ships named weren't even in service at the time. - Neiman Marcus Cookie recipe – An e-mail chain-letter dating back to the early 1990s, but originating as Xeroxlore, in which a person tells a story about being ripped off for over $200 for a cookie recipe from Neiman Marcus. The e-mail claims the person is attempting to exact revenge by passing the recipe out for free.
- Goodtimes virusGoodtimes virusThe Goodtimes Virus was a computer virus hoax that spread during the early years of the Internet's popularity. Warnings about a computer virus named "Good Times" began being passed around among Internet users in 1994...
– An infamous, fraudulent virus warningVirus hoaxA computer virus hoax is a message warning the recipient of a non-existent computer virus threat. The message is usually a chain e-mail that tells the recipient to forward it to everyone they know.-Identification:...
that first appeared in 1994. The e-mail claimed that an e-mail virus with the subject line "Good Times" was spreading, which would "send your CPU into an nth-complexity infinite binary loop", among other dire predictions.
Films
- The Blair Witch ProjectThe Blair Witch ProjectThe Blair Witch Project is a 1999 American horror film pieced together from amateur footage. The film was produced by the Haxan Films production company. The film relates the story of three student filmmakers The Blair Witch Project is a 1999 American horror film pieced together from amateur...
– The first film to use the Internet for astroturfingAstroturfingAstroturfing is a form of advocacy in support of a political, organizational, or corporate agenda, designed to give the appearance of a "grassroots" movement. The goal of such campaigns is to disguise the efforts of a political and/or commercial entity as an independent public reaction to some...
. Its makers spread rumors that the material they shot was authentic and that the three protagonists really disappeared in BurkittsvilleBurkittsville, MarylandBurkittsville is a town in Frederick County, Maryland, United States. The population was 171 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Burkittsville is located at ....
. - Brokeback MountainBrokeback MountainBrokeback Mountain is a 2005 romantic drama film directed by Ang Lee. It is a film adaptation of the 1997 short story of the same name by Annie Proulx with the screenplay written by Diana Ossana and Larry McMurtry...
— inspired many online parody trailers. - CloverfieldCloverfieldCloverfield is a 2008 American disaster-monster film directed by Matt Reeves, produced by J. J. Abrams and written by Drew Goddard.The film follows six young New Yorkers attending a going-away party on the night that a gigantic monster attacks the city...
– Paramount PicturesParamount PicturesParamount Pictures Corporation is an American film production and distribution company, located at 5555 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood. Founded in 1912 and currently owned by media conglomerate Viacom, it is America's oldest existing film studio; it is also the last major film studio still...
used a viral marketingViral marketingViral marketing, viral advertising, or marketing buzz are buzzwords referring to marketing techniques that use pre-existing social networks to produce increases in brand awareness or to achieve other marketing objectives through self-replicating viral processes, analogous to the spread of viruses...
campaign to promote this monster movie. - Mega Shark Versus Giant OctopusMega Shark Versus Giant OctopusMega Shark Versus Giant Octopus is a monster/disaster film by The Asylum, released on May 19, 2009, in the United States and on August 7, 2009, in the United Kingdom. It was directed by Ace Hannah and stars singer Debbie Gibson and actor Lorenzo Lamas...
– The theatrical trailer released in mid-May 2009 became a viral hit, scoring over one million hits on MTVMTVMTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
.com and another 300,000 hits on YouTubeYouTubeYouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
upon launch, prompting brisk pre-orders of the DVD. - Party GirlParty Girl (1995 film)Party Girl is a 1995 film directed by Daisy von Scherler Mayer. It is notable as being the first commercial comedy-drama feature film shown in its entirety on the Internet....
– First feature film shown in its entirety on the Internet (June 3, 1995). - Snakes on a PlaneSnakes on a PlaneSnakes on a Plane is a 2006 American horror-action-thriller film directed by David R. Ellis and starring Samuel L. Jackson. It was released by New Line Cinema on August 18, 2006 in North America...
– Attracted attention a year before its planned release, and before any promotional material was released, due to the film's working title and seemingly absurd premise. Producers of the film responded to the Internet buzz by adding several scenes and dialogue imagined by the fans.
Games
- "All your base are belong to usAll your base are belong to us"All your base are belong to us" is a broken English phrase that became an Internet phenomenon or meme in 2000–2002...
" – Badly-translated EnglishEngrishrefers to unusual forms of English language usage by native speakers of some East Asian languages. The term itself relates to Japanese speakers' tendency to inadvertently substitute the English phonemes "R" and "L" for one another, because the Japanese language has one alveolar consonant in place...
from the opening cutsceneCutsceneA cutscene is a sequence in a video game over which the player has no or only limited control, breaking up the gameplay and used to advance the plot, strengthen the main character's development, introduces enemy characters, and provide background information, atmosphere, dialogue, and clues...
of the European Sega Genesis/Mega DriveSega Mega DriveThe Sega Genesis is a fourth-generation video game console developed and produced by Sega. It was originally released in Japan in 1988 as , then in North America in 1989 as Sega Genesis, and in Europe, Australia and other PAL regions in 1990 as Mega Drive. The reason for the two names is that...
version of the 1989 arcade game Zero WingZero Wingis a 1989 side-scrolling shoot 'em up arcade game developed by Toaplan and published by Taito. The player is a lone hero who will save the universe from an evil force....
, which has become a catchphrase, inspiring videos and other derivative works. - Giant Enemy CrabGiant Enemy CrabGiant Enemy Crab is an Internet meme created in video game forums in 2006. It achieved notable popularity in the gaming press and was also referenced by video game developers.- History :...
– The embarrassing SonySony, commonly referred to as Sony, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan and the world's fifth largest media conglomerate measured by revenues....
conference from E3 2006 in their promotion of the PlayStation 3PlayStation 3The is the third home video game console produced by Sony Computer Entertainment and the successor to the PlayStation 2 as part of the PlayStation series. The PlayStation 3 competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
, particularly focusing on Kaz Hirai's presentation and the demonstration of Genji 2; the presentation coined such phrases as "Giant Enemy Crab", "599 US Dollars" and "Riiiiiidge Racerrrr!Ridge RacerRidge Racer may refer to:*Ridge Racer , an arcade game first released by Namco in 1993, later ported to the PlayStation*Ridge Racer , a series of sequels and spin-offs based on the arcade game...
" - Leeroy JenkinsLeeroy JenkinsLeeroy Jenkins, sometimes misspelled Leroy Jenkins and often elongated with numerous additional letters, is an Internet phenomenon named for a player character created by Ben Schulz in Blizzard Entertainment's MMORPG, World of Warcraft. The character became popular due to a video of the game that...
– A World of WarcraftWorld of WarcraftWorld of Warcraft is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game by Blizzard Entertainment. It is the fourth released game set in the fantasy Warcraft universe, which was first introduced by Warcraft: Orcs & Humans in 1994...
player charges into a high-level dungeon with a distinctive cry of "Leeeeeeeerooooy... Jeeenkins!", ruining the meticulous attack plans of his group and getting them all killed. - Line RiderLine RiderLine Rider is an internet game. Versions are available for Microsoft Silverlight and for Flash. It was originally created in September 2006 by Boštjan Čadež , a Slovenian student...
– A Flash game where the player draws lines that act as ramps and hills for a small rider on a sled. - I Love Bees – An alternate reality gameAlternate reality gameAn alternate reality game is an interactive narrative that uses the real world as a platform, often involving multiple media and game elements, to tell a story that may be affected by participants' ideas or actions....
that was spread virally after a 1 second mention inside a Halo 2Halo 2Halo 2 is a first-person shooter video game developed by Bungie Studios. Released for the Xbox video game console on November 9, 2004, the game is the second installment in the Halo franchise and the sequel to 2001's critically acclaimed Halo: Combat Evolved...
advertisement. Purported to be a website about Honey Bees that was infected and damaged by a strange Artificial IntelligenceArtificial intelligence in fictionArtificial intelligence is a common topic in science fiction, whether it is in literature, film, television or theatre. Science fiction sometimes focuses on the dangers of artificial intelligence, and sometimes on its positive potential.- Myths :...
, done in a disjointed, chaotic style resembling a crashing computer. At its height, over 500,000 people were checking the website every time it updated. - Vanishing Point – In what is claimed to be the largest Internet puzzle game, MicrosoftMicrosoftMicrosoft Corporation is an American public multinational corporation headquartered in Redmond, Washington, USA that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of products and services predominantly related to computing through its various product divisions...
created an online game in 2006 to promote the launch of Windows VistaWindows VistaWindows Vista is an operating system released in several variations developed by Microsoft for use on personal computers, including home and business desktops, laptops, tablet PCs, and media center PCs...
, with a grand prize of a trip to space. Originally advertised with cryptic messages, the game received much attention in online forums where people would work together to solve the challenges.
Images
- Ate my balls – An early example of an Internet meme. Created to depict a particular celebrity or fictional character eating testicles.
- Allison Stokke – A high school track athlete who in 2007 had a year-old picture of her adjusting her hair at a track meet in New York had made its way across the Internet. She had more than 1,000 new messages on her MySpace page. A three-minute video of Stokke standing against a wall and analyzing her performance at another meet had been posted on YouTube and viewed 150,000 times.
- Baidu 10 Mythical Creatures – A popular meme in the People's Republic of ChinaPeople's Republic of ChinaChina , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
regarding a series of mythical creatures, with names which referred to various Chinese profanities. Seen as a form of protest against increased Internet censorshipInternet censorshipInternet censorship is the control or suppression of the publishing of, or access to information on the Internet. It may be carried out by governments or by private organizations either at the behest of government or on their own initiative...
in China introduced in early 2009. - Bert is EvilBert is EvilBert is Evil is the name of a widely mirrored web site, founded by Dino Ignacio, which featured Bert, a character on the American children's television program Sesame Street...
– A satirical website stated that Bert of Sesame StreetSesame StreetSesame Street has undergone significant changes in its history. According to writer Michael Davis, by the mid-1970s the show had become "an American institution". The cast and crew expanded during this time, including the hiring of women in the crew and additional minorities in the cast. The...
is the root of many evils. A juxtaposition of Bert and Osama Bin LadenOsama bin LadenOsama bin Mohammed bin Awad bin Laden was the founder of the militant Islamist organization Al-Qaeda, the jihadist organization responsible for the September 11 attacks on the United States and numerous other mass-casualty attacks against civilian and military targets...
subsequently appeared in a real poster in a Bangladesh protest. - Cigar guy – An October 2010 photograph of Tiger WoodsTiger WoodsEldrick Tont "Tiger" Woods is an American professional golfer whose achievements to date rank him among the most successful golfers of all time. Formerly the World No...
at the 2010 Ryder cup included a costumed man with a wig and cigar, which spread widely and was photoshopped. - Crasher SquirrelCrasher SquirrelCrasher Squirrel is the name given to a squirrel seen in a photograph originally intended to be a self-portrait of a Minnesota couple; it can also refer to the resulting internet meme.-Photograph:...
– A photograph by Melissa Brandts of a squirrel which popped up into a timer-delayed shot of Brandts and her husband while vacationing in Banff National ParkBanff National ParkBanff National Park is Canada's oldest national park, established in 1885 in the Rocky Mountains. The park, located 110–180 kilometres west of Calgary in the province of Alberta, encompasses of mountainous terrain, with numerous glaciers and ice fields, dense coniferous forest, and alpine...
, Canada, just as the camera went off. The image of the squirrel has since been added into numerous images on the Internet. - Goatse.cxGoatse.cxGoatse.cx , often referred to simply as "Goatse", was originally an Internet shock site. Its front page featured a picture, entitled hello.jpg, showing a naked man stretching his anus with both hands, to approximately the width of his hand. The inside of his rectum is also clearly visible...
– A shock imageShock siteA shock site is a website that is intended to be offensive, disgusting and/or disturbing to its viewers, containing materials of high shock value which is also considered distasteful and crude, and is generally of a pornographic, scatological, extremely violent, insulting, painful, profane, or...
of a distended anusAnusThe anus is an opening at the opposite end of an animal's digestive tract from the mouth. Its function is to control the expulsion of feces, unwanted semi-solid matter produced during digestion, which, depending on the type of animal, may be one or more of: matter which the animal cannot digest,...
. - Heineken Looter Guy – An Associated PressAssociated PressThe Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
photo taken in the aftermath of Hurricane KatrinaHurricane KatrinaHurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was a powerful Atlantic hurricane. It is the costliest natural disaster, as well as one of the five deadliest hurricanes, in the history of the United States. Among recorded Atlantic hurricanes, it was the sixth strongest overall...
, under the caption, "A looter carries a bucket of beer out of a grocery store in New Orleans." – the original photo shows a black man in waist-deep waters carrying a tub full of bottles of beer. This image and the man's face were incorporated into a parody of a HeinekenHeinekenHeineken is a Dutch beer which has been brewed by Heineken International since 1873. It is available in a 4.6% alcohol variety in countries such as Ireland. It is the flagship product of the Heineken company and is made of purified water, malted barley, hops, and yeast. In 1886 H...
magazine advertisement.
- Islamic Rage Boy – A series of photos of Shakeel Bhat, a Muslim activist whose face became a personification of angry IslamismIslamismIslamism also , lit., "Political Islam" is set of ideologies holding that Islam is not only a religion but also a political system. Islamism is a controversial term, and definitions of it sometimes vary...
in the western media. The first photo dates back to his appearance in 2007 at a rally in Srinigar, the capital of Indian-administeredIndiaIndia , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
KashmirKashmirKashmir is the northwestern region of the Indian subcontinent. Until the mid-19th century, the term Kashmir geographically denoted only the valley between the Great Himalayas and the Pir Panjal mountain range...
. Several other photos in other media outlets followed, and by November 2007, there were over one million hits for "Islamic Rage Boy" on Google and his face appeared on boxer shortsBoxer shortsBoxer shorts are a type of undergarment worn by men. The term has been used in English since 1944 for all-around-elastic shorts, so named after the shorts worn by boxers, for whom unhindered leg movement is very important.Reasons for a preference for boxers can be attributed to their variety of...
and bumper stickerBumper stickerA bumper sticker is an adhesive label or sticker with a message, intended to be attached to the bumper of an automobile and to be read by the occupants of other vehicles - although they are often stuck onto other objects...
s. - Kermit Bale – An internet memeInternet memeThe term Internet meme is used to describe a concept that spreads via the Internet. The term is a reference to the concept of memes, although the latter concept refers to a much broader category of cultural information.-Description:...
from the LivejournalLiveJournalLiveJournal is a virtual community where Internet users can keep a blog, journal or diary. LiveJournal is also the name of the free and open source server software that was designed to run the LiveJournal virtual community....
gossip blog Oh No They Didn'tOh No They Didn'tOh No They Didn't, also known as ONTD, is the largest community on LiveJournal, with over 100,000 members. The community focuses on celebrity gossip and pop culture, with most of its posts aggregated from other gossip blogs. The site formed a partnership with pop culture blog network Buzz Media in...
in which the original poster constructed a detailed post pointing out the similarities between Kermit the FrogKermit the FrogKermit the Frog is puppeteer Jim Henson's most famous Muppet creation, first introduced in 1955. He is the protagonist of many Muppet projects, most notably as the host of The Muppet Show, and has appeared in various sketches on Sesame Street, in commercials and in public service announcements over...
and actor Christian BaleChristian BaleChristian Charles Philip Bale is an English actor. Best known for his roles in American films, Bale has starred in both big budget Hollywood films and the smaller projects from independent producers and art houses....
. In a mock interview with Netscape, Kermit "commented" on the phenomenon, saying: "I had absolutely no idea. But, now that I look at the internet, there sure are a lot of similarities between us. Christian and I haven't met, but I'm really looking forward to talking to him about this. As for the rumors that we're related: well, it's pretty unlikely, but since I'm one of 2,353 brothers and sisters, anything is a possibility." - Little FattyLittle FattyLittle Fatty is an internet meme involving superimposing the face of a boy on various photographs. Because of the internet meme and the resulting sudden fame, the boy, Qian Zhijun, decided to become a public figure, and he became a major celebrity and an actor in China.-History:In 2003 a teacher...
– Starting in 2003, the face of Qian ZhijunQian ZhijunQian Zhijun is a Chinese actor and entertainer. His fame began during the "Little Fatty" internet meme, and since then he has appeared in films and hosted a festival for people with alternative body types....
, a student from ShanghaiShanghaiShanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...
, was superimposedSuperimpositionIn graphics, superimposition is the placement of an image or video on top of an already-existing image or video, usually to add to the overall image effect, but also sometimes to conceal something .This technique is used in cartography to produce photomaps by superimposing grid lines, contour lines...
onto various other images. - LOLcatLolcatA lolcat is an image combining a photograph of a cat with text intended to contribute humour. The text is often idiosyncratic and grammatically incorrect, and its use in this way is known as "lolspeak" or "kitty pidgin"....
– A collection of humorous image macroImage macroIn Internet culture, an image macro is a picture captioned with superimposed text for humorous effect.-Internet forums:On Internet forums and imageboards, image macros are used to emphasize a certain phrase by superimposing it over a related picture.-Formats:Although they come in many forms, the...
s featuring catCatThe cat , also known as the domestic cat or housecat to distinguish it from other felids and felines, is a small, usually furry, domesticated, carnivorous mammal that is valued by humans for its companionship and for its ability to hunt vermin and household pests...
s with misspelled phrases, such as, "I Can Has Cheezburger?I Can Has Cheezburger?I Can Has Cheezburger? is the name of a weblog featuring lolcats, which are pictures of cats or other animals with captions, paired for humor value. It was created in 2007 by Eric Nakagawa , a blogger from Hawaii and his girlfriend, Kari Unebasami...
". The earliest versions of LOLcats appeared on 4chan4chan4chan is an English-language imageboard website. Launched on October 1, 2003, its boards were originally used for the posting of pictures and discussion of manga and anime...
, usually on Saturdays, which were designated "Caturday", as a day to post photos of cats. - O RLY?O RLY?O RLY? is an Internet phenomenon, typically presented as an image macro featuring a Snowy Owl. The phrase "O RLY?", an abbreviated form of "Oh, really?", is popularly used in Internet forums in a sarcastic manner, often in response to an obvious, predictable, or blatantly false statement...
– Originally a text phrase on Something AwfulSomething AwfulSomething Awful, often abbreviated to SA, is a comedy website housing a variety of content, including blog entries, forums, feature articles, digitally edited pictures, and humorous media reviews. It was created by Richard "Lowtax" Kyanka in 1999 as a largely personal website, but as it grew, so...
, and then an image macro done for 4chan4chan4chan is an English-language imageboard website. Launched on October 1, 2003, its boards were originally used for the posting of pictures and discussion of manga and anime...
. Based around a picture of a snowy owl. - OolongOolong (rabbit), named after the oolong variety of tea, was a domestic rabbit owned by photographer Hironori Akutagawa. The rabbit was famous for his ability to balance a variety of objects on his head.-Biography:...
– Photos featured on a popular Japanese website of a rabbit that is famous for its ability to balance a variety of objects on its head. - The Saugeen Stripper – A female student at the University of Western OntarioUniversity of Western OntarioThe University of Western Ontario is a public research university located in London, Ontario, Canada. The university's main campus covers of land, with the Thames River cutting through the eastern portion of the main campus. Western administers its programs through 12 different faculties and...
performed a striptease at a birthday party and dozens of digital images of the party ended up on the Internet. - "Seriously McDonaldsSeriously McDonalds"Seriously McDonalds" is the name under which a viral photograph was spread in June 2011. The photograph shows a sign, which is in fact a hoax, claiming that McDonald's has implemented a new policy charging African-Americans more, as "an insurance measure"...
" – A photograph apparently showing racist policies introduced by McDonald'sMcDonald'sMcDonald's Corporation is the world's largest chain of hamburger fast food restaurants, serving around 64 million customers daily in 119 countries. Headquartered in the United States, the company began in 1940 as a barbecue restaurant operated by the eponymous Richard and Maurice McDonald; in 1948...
. The photograph, which is a hoax, went viral, especially on Twitter, in June 2011. - Tron Guy – A husky, 48-year-old computer consultant, Jay MaynardJay MaynardJay Maynard is a computer programmer and system administrator and the volunteer project maintainer for Hercules, an emulator of IBM mainframe hardware...
, designed a TronTron (franchise)The Tron franchise began in 1982 with the Walt Disney Pictures film Tron. It was followed by various film tie-ins, a comic series and the 2010 sequel Tron: Legacy...
costume, complete with skin-tight spandexSpandexSpandex or elastane is a synthetic fibre known for its exceptional elasticity. It is strong, but less durable than natural Latex, its major non-synthetic competitor. It is a polyurethane-polyurea copolymer that was co-invented in 1959 by chemists C. L. Sandquist and Joseph Shivers at DuPont's...
and light-up plastic armor, in 2003 for Penguicon 1.0 in Detroit, MichiganDetroit, MichiganDetroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...
. The Internet phenomenon began when an article was posted to SlashdotSlashdotSlashdot is a technology-related news website owned by Geeknet, Inc. The site, which bills itself as "News for Nerds. Stuff that Matters", features user-submitted and ‑evaluated current affairs news stories about science- and technology-related topics. Each story has a comments section...
, followed by FarkFarkFark is a community website created by Drew Curtis that allows members to comment on a daily batch of news articles and other items from various websites. As of June 2009, the site boasts approximately four million unique visitors per month, which puts it among the top 100 English language websites...
, including images of this costume. - Vancouver Riot Kiss2011 Vancouver Stanley Cup riotThe 2011 Vancouver Stanley Cup riot was a public disturbance that broke out in the downtown core of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada on Wednesday, June 15, 2011. The riots happened immediately after the conclusion of the Boston Bruins' win over the Vancouver Canucks in game seven of the Stanley...
– An image of a young couple lying on the ground kissing each other behind a group of rioters during the riots following the Vancouver CanucksVancouver CanucksThe Vancouver Canucks are a professional ice hockey team based in Vancouver, :British Columbia, Canada. They are members of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . The Canucks play their home games at Rogers Arena, formerly known as General Motors Place,...
' Stanley CupStanley CupThe Stanley Cup is an ice hockey club trophy, awarded annually to the National Hockey League playoffs champion after the conclusion of the Stanley Cup Finals. It has been referred to as The Cup, Lord Stanley's Cup, The Holy Grail, or facetiously as Lord Stanley's Mug...
loss to the Boston BruinsBoston BruinsThe Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The team has been in existence since 1924, and is the league's third-oldest team and its oldest in the...
on June 15, 2011. The couple, later identified as Australian Scott Jones and local resident Alexandra Thomas, actually were not kissing but Jones was consoling Thomas after being knocked down by a police charge.
Music
- "Canon Rock" – A rock arrangement of the Canon in DCanon in DPachelbel's Canon is the most famous piece of music by German Baroque composer Johann Pachelbel. It was originally scored for three violins and basso continuo and paired with a gigue in the same key. Like most other works by Pachelbel and other pre-1700 composers, the Canon remained forgotten for...
by JerryCJerryCJerryC , also known by his English name Jerry Chang, is a Taiwanese guitarist and composer. He is best known for his song "Canon Rock", a rock arrangement of Johann Pachelbel's Canon in D. He began playing the guitar at the age of 17, and the piano before age 15...
which became famous when covered by funtwoJeong-Hyun LimLim Jeong-hyun , also known by the online alias funtwo, is a South Korean guitarist known for his cover of the piece Canon Rock. The YouTube user with the alias "guitar90" is not Lim Jeong-hyun, but an unknown person who uploaded Lim's video. This has been cleared up in his latest interviews...
and others. - "Chocolate RainChocolate Rain"Chocolate Rain" is a song and music video performed by American Internet personality Tay Zonday. After being posted on YouTube on April 22, 2007, the song quickly became popular. , the video has over 74,000,000 views. The music video portrays a bespectacled Zonday in a recording studio wearing a...
" – A song and music video written and performed by Tay ZondayTay ZondayAdam Nyerere Bahner , better known by the pseudonym Tay Zonday, is an American musician, YouTube personality and voice actor. He is well known by listeners for his deep baritone voice whilst singing. He garnered mainstream exposure when his song "Chocolate Rain", and accompanying video on YouTube,...
(also known as Adam Nyerere Bahner). After being posted on YouTubeYouTubeYouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
on April 22, 2007, the song quickly became a popular viral video. By December 2009, the video had received over 40 million views. - "FridayFriday (Rebecca Black song)"Friday" is a song by American recording artist Rebecca Black, written and produced by Clarence Jey and Patrice Wilson. It was released as a single on March 14, 2011, by Ark Music Factory as Black's debut single. The music video for the song became a viral hit due to criticism of the song's lyrics,...
" – A music video sung by 13-year-old Rebecca Black, partially funded by her mother, which received over 200 million views on YouTube and spread in popularity through social media services. - Hampster Dance – A page filled with hamsters dancing, linking to other animated pages. It spawned a fictional band complete with its own CD album release.
- Hurra TorpedoHurra TorpedoHurra Torpedo is a band from Norway that plays songs using kitchen appliances alongside more traditional instruments. They were formed in the early nineties, are part of the artistic collective Duplex Records, and all members of the band also play in a variety of other bands in Norway.During...
– A Norwegian band whose coast-to-coast tour was a viral campaign to promote the Ford Fusion car. - JK Wedding Entrance DanceJK Wedding Entrance DanceOn July 19, 2009 a viral video called JK Wedding Entrance Dance was uploaded to YouTube that received significant media attention, using "Forever" by Chris Brown as the song for the wedding march. The wedding was between Jill Peterson and Kevin Heinz.....
– The wedding procession for Jill Peterson and Kevin Heinz of St. Paul, MinnesotaSaint Paul, MinnesotaSaint Paul is the capital and second-most populous city of the U.S. state of Minnesota. The city lies mostly on the east bank of the Mississippi River in the area surrounding its point of confluence with the Minnesota River, and adjoins Minneapolis, the state's largest city...
, choreographed to the song ForeverForever (Chris Brown song)"Forever" is a song by American R&B singer Chris Brown. It is produced by Polow da Don. It is the first single from the repackaged Exclusive: Forever Edition, and is the fifth overall single by Brown from his second studio album, Exclusive with uncredited backing vocals from Keri Hilson...
by Chris Brown. Popularized on YouTube with 1.75 million views in less than five days in 2009. The video was later imitated in an episodeNiagara (The Office)"Niagara" is an hour-long episode of the sixth season of the U.S. comedy series The Office. It is the 4th and 5th episodes in the season's episode count and the 104th and 105th episode of the series overall. The episode was written by executive producer Greg Daniels and Mindy Kaling, and was...
of The Office on NBCNBCThe National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
. - Literal music videoLiteral music videoA literal music video, also called a literal video version, is a parody of an official music video clip in which the lyrics have been replaced with lyrics that describe the visuals in the video....
– Covers of music videoMusic videoA music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
s where the original lyrics have been replaced with ones that literally describe the events that occur in the video, typically disconnected with the original lyrics of the song. - Little SuperstarLittle SuperstarLittle Superstar is a video uploaded on YouTube, which is a clip from the 1990 Indian film Adhisaya Piravi, starring Rajinikanth. The clip features the dwarf South Indian actor Thavakalai breakdancing to MC Miker G & DJ Sven's "Holiday Rap"...
– A video of Thavakalai, a short Indian actorCinema of IndiaThe cinema of India consists of films produced across India, which includes the cinematic culture of Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Gujarat, Haryana, Jammu and Kashmir, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Orissa, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, and West Bengal. Indian films came to be followed throughout South Asia and...
, break-dancing to MC Miker G & DJ SvenMC Miker G & DJ SvenMC Miker G & Deejay Sven were a hip hop duo from the Netherlands. The duo consisted of Lucien Witteveen and Sven van Veen...
's remix of the MadonnaMadonna (entertainer)Madonna is an American singer-songwriter, actress and entrepreneur. Born in Bay City, Michigan, she moved to New York City in 1977 to pursue a career in modern dance. After performing in the music groups Breakfast Club and Emmy, she released her debut album in 1983...
song "HolidayHoliday (Madonna song)"Holiday" is a song by American singer Madonna from her self-titled debut album. Released on September 7, 1983 by Sire Records, it later appeared remixed on the 1987 remix compilation You Can Dance and the 1990 greatest hits compilation The Immaculate Collection, and in its original form on the...
", in a clip from a 1990 Tamil filmTamil cinemaTamil cinema is the film industry based in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India, dedicated to the production of films in the Tamil language. It is based in Chennai's Kodambakkam district, where several South Indian film production companies are headquartered...
Adhisaya Piravi, featuring actor RajnikanthRajnikanthRajinikanth is an Indian film actor, media personality, and cultural icon. He made his debut as an actor in the National Film Award-winning motion picture Apoorva Raagangal , directed by K. Balachander, whom the actor considers his mentor....
. - Lucian PianeLucian PianeLucian Piane , also known by the Internet nickname RevoLucian, is an American composer and music producer. He has composed music for several films, television shows, theater productions and singers, and received a Recording Industry Association of America Platinum Album Award for his production...
, aka RevoLucian – Created several popular celebrity technoTechnoTechno is a form of electronic dance music that emerged in Detroit, Michigan in the United States during the mid to late 1980s. The first recorded use of the word techno, in reference to a genre of music, was in 1988...
remixRemixA remix is an alternative version of a recorded song, made from an original version. This term is also used for any alterations of media other than song ....
es, including a spoof on actor Christian BaleChristian BaleChristian Charles Philip Bale is an English actor. Best known for his roles in American films, Bale has starred in both big budget Hollywood films and the smaller projects from independent producers and art houses....
titled "Bale OutBale Out"Bale Out: RevoLucian's Christian Bale Remix!" is a satirical dance remix by American composer Lucian Piane, also known as RevoLucian, released on February 2, 2009, to YouTube and MySpace. The piece utilizes audio from a July 2008 rant made by actor Christian Bale on the set of Terminator Salvation...
" - McDonald's rap – Two amateur MCs from IndianaIndianaIndiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
who rapped their order into a McDonald'sMcDonald'sMcDonald's Corporation is the world's largest chain of hamburger fast food restaurants, serving around 64 million customers daily in 119 countries. Headquartered in the United States, the company began in 1940 as a barbecue restaurant operated by the eponymous Richard and Maurice McDonald; in 1948...
drive-through speaker - Numa NumaNuma NumaNuma Numa is an Internet phenomenon based on amateur videos, most notably Numa Numa Song by Gary Brolsma, made for the song "Dragostea din tei" as performed by O-Zone. Brolsma's video, released in December 2004 on the website Newgrounds.com, was the first Numa Numa–themed video to gain widespread...
– Gary BrolsmaGary BrolsmaGary William Brolsma , also known as simply The Numa Numa Guy, is an American singer who gained worldwide attention after posting onto the Internet, near the end of 2004, a webcam video of himself miming to the song "Dragostea din tei" by Moldovan pop band O-Zone...
lip-syncs the RomanianRomanian languageRomanian Romanian Romanian (or Daco-Romanian; obsolete spellings Rumanian, Roumanian; self-designation: română, limba română ("the Romanian language") or românește (lit. "in Romanian") is a Romance language spoken by around 24 to 28 million people, primarily in Romania and Moldova...
song "Dragostea din teiDragostea din tei"Dragostea din tei" , also informally known as "The Numa Numa Song" , is the most successful single by the Moldovan pop group O-Zone, sung in Romanian. It shot to the number one spot on the Eurochart Hot 100, where it remained for 12 weeks between June and early September 2004...
" by O-ZoneO-ZoneO-Zone was a Romania/Moldovan pop music trio that was active from 1998 to 2005 and consisted of Dan Bălan, Radu Sîrbu, and Arsenie Todiraş. The group gained global popularity with their song "Dragostea din tei" and their subsequent album DiscO-Zone....
. - OK GoOK GoOK Go is a rock band originally from Chicago, Illinois, USA, now residing in Los Angeles, California, USA. The band is composed of Damian Kulash , Tim Nordwind , Dan Konopka and Andy Ross , who joined them in 2005, replacing Andy Duncan...
music videos – Several of the band's award-winning videos incorporate unique concepts, such as dancing on treadmills in "Here It Goes AgainHere It Goes Again"Here It Goes Again" is an alternative rock/power pop song by OK Go, and is the third released single from the album Oh No. It also appears on the compilation album Now 23. It remains the band's only single to chart on the Billboard Hot 100, where it entered the Top 40 at #38, mostly due to the...
", a giant Rube GoldbergRube GoldbergReuben Garrett Lucius Goldberg was an American cartoonist, sculptor, author, engineer and inventor.He is best known for a series of popular cartoons depicting complex gadgets that perform simple tasks in indirect, convoluted ways. These devices, now known as Rube Goldberg machines, are similar to...
machine in "This Too Shall PassThis Too Shall Pass (song)"This Too Shall Pass" is an alternative rock song by OK Go from the album Of the Blue Colour of the Sky. The single was released in January 2010. The band took the unorthodox route of creating two official music videos for the song, both of which premiered on YouTube. The first features a live...
", or a choreographed one-shot routine using over a dozen trained dogs in "White KnucklesWhite Knuckles"White Knuckles" is an alternative rock song by OK Go from the album Of the Blue Colour of the Sky.-Song:Fans of the song were given the opportunity to create a remix of "White Knuckles" for inclusion in the Rock Band music video game series through the Rock Band Network...
". - Pants on the GroundPants on the Ground"Pants on the Ground" is the first single by civil rights activist "General" Larry Platt. The song is meant to protest the practice of sagging. It was released on American King Music on February 4, 2010...
– First sung by "General" Larry Platt during the season 9American Idol (season 9)The ninth season of American Idol premiered on January 12, 2010 and concluded on May 26, 2010 on Fox. Simon Cowell, Randy Jackson and Kara DioGuardi all returned as judges, and Ellen DeGeneres permanently replaced Paula Abdul as the fourth judge. Idol Gives Back also returned for the season and was...
auditions of American IdolAmerican IdolAmerican Idol, titled American Idol: The Search for a Superstar for the first season, is a reality television singing competition created by Simon Fuller and produced by FremantleMedia North America and 19 Entertainment...
in Atlanta, GeorgiaAtlanta, GeorgiaAtlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
, on January 13, 2010. Within one week, the video was seen by approximately 5 million on YoutubeYouTubeYouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
, had over 1 million fans on FacebookFacebookFacebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
, and was repeated on television by Jimmy FallonJimmy FallonJames Thomas "Jimmy" Fallon, Jr. is an American actor, comedian, singer, musician and television host. He currently hosts Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, a late-night talk show that airs Monday through Friday on NBC...
and Brett FavreBrett FavreBrett Lorenzo Favre is a former American football quarterback who spent the majority of his career with the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League . He was a 20-year veteran of the NFL, having played quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons , Green Bay Packers , New York Jets and Minnesota...
. - Take U to da Movies – The official music video to a song by SudanSudanSudan , officially the Republic of the Sudan , is a country in North Africa, sometimes considered part of the Middle East politically. It is bordered by Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the northeast, Eritrea and Ethiopia to the east, South Sudan to the south, the Central African Republic to the...
ese/AustraliaAustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n rapper Bangs; has gotten him offers from several major labels and over 2 million views on his YouTube page. - Techno VikingTechno VikingTechno Viking is an internet phenomenon or meme based on a video from the 2000 Fuckparade in Berlin.The 4-minute video shot by experimental video artist Matthias Fritsch at the Fuckparade on 8 July 2000 begins with the title "Kneecam No...
– A Nordic raveRaveRave, rave dance, and rave party are parties that originated mostly from acid house parties, which featured fast-paced electronic music and light shows. At these parties people dance and socialize to dance music played by disc jockeys and occasionally live performers...
r dancing in a procession in Berlin. - Prison ThrillerThriller (viral video)Thriller is a viral video featuring the dancing inmates of a high-security penitentiary. In 2007, the inmates of Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center , a maximum security prison in Cebu, Cebu, the Philippines, imitated the zombie dance featured in the music video of Michael Jackson's...
– A recreation of Michael JacksonMichael JacksonMichael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...
's hit performed by prisoners Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center (CPDRC) in the PhilippinesPhilippinesThe Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
. As of January 2010, it is among the ten most popular videos on YoutubeYouTubeYouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
with over 20 million hits. - Trololo – A 1976 televised performance of RussianRussiansThe Russian people are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Russia, speaking the Russian language and primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries....
singer Eduard KhilEduard KhilEduard Anatolyevich Khil , sometimes anglicised as Edward Hill, is a Russian baritone singer and a recipient of the People's Artist Award of the RSFSR.- Early life :...
lip-syncing the song I Am Glad To Finally Be Home (Я очень рад, ведь я, наконец, возвращаюсь домой). The video's first mainstream appearance was on The Colbert Report, on March 3, 2010; since then, its popularity has escalated, occasionally being used as part of a bait and switchBait and switchBait-and-switch is a form of fraud, most commonly used in retail sales but also applicable to other contexts. First, customers are "baited" by advertising for a product or service at a low price; second, the customers discover that the advertised good is not available and are "switched" to a...
prank, similar to RickrollingRickrollingRickrolling is an Internet meme involving the music video for the 1987 Rick Astley song "Never Gonna Give You Up". The meme is a bait and switch; a person provides a hyperlink seemingly relevant to the topic at hand, but actually leads to Astley's video...
. - "Twelve Days of ChristmasThe Twelve Days of Christmas (song)"The Twelve Days of Christmas" is an English Christmas carol that enumerates a series of increasingly grand gifts given on each of the twelve days of Christmas. Although first published in England in 1780, textual evidence may indicate the song is French in origin...
" – By a cappella group Straight No Chaser went viral in 2007 and led to the group being signed by Atlantic Records. - Dear Sister – a reference to a Saturday Night LiveSaturday Night LiveSaturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...
skit which has repeated shootings with the refrain from Imogen HeapImogen HeapImogen Jennifer Jane Heap is a Grammy Award-winning English singer, composer and songwriter from Havering, Essex. She is known for her work as part of the musical duo Frou Frou and her solo albums, which she writes, produces, and mixes...
's "Hide and Seek" playing as each character dies in slow motion. - Ekrem JevrićEkrem JevrićEkrem Jevrić, nicknamed Gospoda, is a popular Montenegrin singer and musician, based in Yonkers, New York. His YouTube video "Kuća poso" earned him instant popularity across former Yugoslavia, mostly because it was "so bad that it's good". The internet phenomenon was noted by BBC and The...
, immigrant construction worker and cab driver from New York, in 2010 recorded video spot "Kuća poso" (House, work) on hard life of immigrants, which became an instant hit across former YugoslaviaFormer YugoslaviaThe former Yugoslavia is a term used to describe the present day states which succeeded the collapse of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia....
. - "Average Homeboy" – A music videoMusic videoA music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
, performed by Denny BlazeDenny BlazeDenny Hazen, commonly known by his stage name Denny Blaze, The Average Homeboy and Blazin' Hazen, is an American rapper made famous for a demo tape produced in the late 1980s featuring his single "The Average Homeboy"...
. The Average Homeboy, ""Blazin Hazen"", is an American rapper made famous for a demo tape produced in the late 1980s featuring his single "The Average Homeboy". - "We Gon Rock" a music videoMusic videoA music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
showing a 17 year old Canadian rapper by the name of Boostalk. The video gained popularity when it was shown on G4TV during the Around the Net segment of Attack of the Show. The music video is often mocked on the internet due to its lack of production value and claims that Boostalk is the "Worst Rapper Ever".
Trading
- FreecyclingFreecyclingFreecycling, also known as Free Recycling, is the act of giving away usable unwanted items to others instead of disposing of them in landfills. This term is most often associated with online groups who run mailing lists which offer items to members at no cost....
– The exchange of unwanted goods via the Internet. - One red paperclipOne red paperclipThe website One red paperclip was created by Kyle MacDonald, a Canadian blogger who bartered his way from a single red paperclip to a house in a series of online trades over the course of a year. MacDonald was inspired by the childhood game Bigger, Better, and the site received a considerable...
– The story of a Canadian blogger who bartered his way from a red paperclip to a house in a year's time. - Secret LondonSecret LondonSecret London is a Facebook group started by 21-year-old Bristol University graduate, Tiffany Philippou, on 19 January 2010 in response to a Saatchi & Saatchi competition . The group grew rapidly and is composed mostly of Londoners who use the site to share suggestions and photos of London...
– a Facebook Group for trading information about the city’s secrets which attracted 150,000 members within 2 weeks and was crowdsourced into a website. - Three Wolf MoonThree Wolf MoonThree Wolf Moon is a T-shirt featuring three wolves howling at the moon printed by the company The Mountain. The numerous false and misleading reviews for this on Amazon.com have become an Internet phenomenon...
– A t-shirtT-shirtA T-shirt is a style of shirt. A T-shirt is buttonless and collarless, with short sleeves and frequently a round neck line....
with many ironic reviews on AmazonAmazon.comAmazon.com, Inc. is a multinational electronic commerce company headquartered in Seattle, Washington, United States. It is the world's largest online retailer. Amazon has separate websites for the following countries: United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Japan, and...
.
Videos
- 2 Girls 1 Cup2 Girls 1 Cup2 Girls 1 Cup is the unofficial nickname of the trailer for Hungry Bitches, a 2007 Brazilian scat-fetish pornographic film produced by MFX Media. The trailer features two women conducting themselves in fetishistic intimate relations, including defecating into a cup, taking turns ostensibly...
– Videos of two girls engaging in coprophiliaCoprophiliaCoprophilia , also called scatophilia or scat, is the paraphilia involving sexual pleasure from feces...
. This video has also originated a series of amateur videos showing the reactions of people seeing the original video. - The Annoying Orange – A series of comedy sketches featuring a talking orangeOrange (fruit)An orange—specifically, the sweet orange—is the citrus Citrus × sinensis and its fruit. It is the most commonly grown tree fruit in the world....
annoying other fruits and vegetables, as well as some appliances, with his one-liners and puns. - Ask a NinjaAsk a NinjaAsk A Ninja is a series of comedy videos about the image of ninja in popular culture available in podcast and vodcast form, as well as in mov and wmv file formats...
– Popular podcastPodcastA podcast is a series of digital media files that are released episodically and often downloaded through web syndication...
featuring a ninjaNinjaA or was a covert agent or mercenary of feudal Japan specializing in unorthodox arts of war. The functions of the ninja included espionage, sabotage, infiltration, and assassination, as well as open combat in certain situations...
who answers viewers' questions. - Badger Badger BadgerBadger Badger Badger"Badger Badger Badger" or "The Badger Song" is a Flash cartoon by British animator Jonti Picking. It consists of images of badgers doing calisthenics, a toadstool in front of a tree, and a snake in the desert...
– A hypnotic loop of animal calisthenics set to the chant of "badger, badger, badger", created by Jonti "Weebl" PickingJonti PickingJonathan "Jonti" Picking , otherwise known as Weebl, is a British Internet personality and flash animator and is the creator of Weebl's Stuff....
.
- Benny Lava – A video created as a soramimiSoramimior ; is a Japanese term for homophonic translation of song lyrics, that is, interpreting lyrics in one language as similar-sounding lyrics in another language...
to Kalluri Vaanil by Indian dancer Prabhu Deva. - Bed Intruder SongBed Intruder Song"Bed Intruder Song" is a song by The Gregory Brothers and Antoine Dodson , featuring Kelly Dodson. The song by the Auto-Tune the News creators features processed vocals of Antoine Dodson, who was talking to a news reporter about the attempted rape of his sister Kelly...
– A remix of Antoine Dodson, a rape victim's brother which has turned viral. - Boom goes the dynamite – Brian CollinsBrian Collins (reporter)Boom goes the dynamite is the nickname given to a college sportscast at Ball State University in March of 2005 that became an internet sensation...
, a nervous sports anchor, fumbles highlights, concluding with this infamous catch phrase. Popularly used in an episode of Family GuyLove Blactually"Love, Blactually" is the first episode of the seventh season of the animated comedy series Family Guy. It originally aired on Fox in the United States on September 28, 2008. The episode features anthropomorphic dog Brian, after he meets a fellow atheist named Carolyn at a book store, and the two...
among numerous other popular references, and made popular by Will SmithWill SmithWillard Christopher "Will" Smith, Jr. , also known by his stage name The Fresh Prince, is an American actor, producer, and rapper. He has enjoyed success in television, film and music. In April 2007, Newsweek called him the most powerful actor in Hollywood...
when he flubbed a line on stage during the 81st Academy Awards81st Academy AwardsThe 81st Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences , honored the best films of 2008 and took place February 22, 2009, at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles beginning at 5:30 p.m. PST / 8:30 p.m. EST...
telecast. As of March 2009, Collins was a reporter for KXXVKXXVKXXV ' is a full-power television station in Waco, Texas, serving Central Texas as an ABC affiliate. It is currently owned by the Drewry Communications Group . A planned late 2008 sale of the Drewry stations to London Broadcasting fell through due to the late 2000s credit crisis...
in Waco, Texas. - Charlie Bit My FingerCharlie Bit My Finger"Charlie Bit My Finger – Again!", more simply known as Charlie Bit My Finger or Charlie Bit Me , is an 2007 Internet viral video famous for formerly being the most viewed YouTube video of all time. As of November 2011 it has more than 389 million views, and remains the most viewed YouTube video...
– It features two young brothers; the younger bites the finger of the older brother. - Charlie Chaplin Time Travel Video – A YouTube video posted in October 2010 by Irish filmmaker George Clarke in which he suggested that additional footage contained in a DVD release of the Charlie ChaplinCharlie ChaplinSir Charles Spencer "Charlie" Chaplin, KBE was an English comic actor, film director and composer best known for his work during the silent film era. He became the most famous film star in the world before the end of World War I...
film The Circus depicted a time travelTime travelTime travel is the concept of moving between different points in time in a manner analogous to moving between different points in space. Time travel could hypothetically involve moving backward in time to a moment earlier than the starting point, or forward to the future of that point without the...
er talking on a cell phone received millions of hits and became the subject of widespread internet discussion. - Come after me! I'm a man! I'm 40! – The most famous quote in an extended tirade by Oklahoma State UniversityOklahoma State Cowboys footballThe Oklahoma State Cowboys football program represents Oklahoma State University–Stillwater in college football. The team is a member of the Big 12 Conference and completes at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision level. The Cowboys are led by Mike Gundy, who is in his seventh year as...
head footballCollege footballCollege football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
coach Mike GundyMike GundyMike Gundy is an American football coach and former player He is currently the head football coach at Oklahoma State University–Stillwater. Gundy played college football Oklahoma State, where he was the Cowboys quarterback from 1986 to 1989. Gundy became Oklahoma State's coach on January 3, 2005...
on November 22, 2007. After OSU defeated Texas Tech University2007 Texas Tech Red Raiders football teamThe 2007 Texas Tech Red Raiders football team represented Texas Tech University in the college football season of 2007–2008. The team was coached by Mike Leach...
that day, he refused to comment on the game or answer any questions about it, instead spending over 3 minutes angrily commenting on what he believed to be an inaccurate news article. Oklahoma CityOklahoma cityOklahoma City is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma.Oklahoma City may also refer to:*Oklahoma City metropolitan area*Downtown Oklahoma City*Uptown Oklahoma City*Oklahoma City bombing*Oklahoma City National Memorial...
TV station KOCOKOCO-TVKOCO-TV, virtual channel 5 , is the ABC affiliate in the Oklahoma City television market. The station is owned by Hearst Television, Inc., but uses "Ohio/Oklahoma Hearst Television, Inc." as their end tag during their newscasts, the same licensing purpose corporation as sister Cincinnati, Ohio...
posted its coverage of the rant on YouTube, where it has received more than 2 million hits to date. The "come after me" quote has taken on a life of its own; at least two TV commercials have used or parodied the quote, DJ and producer Steve PorterSteve Porter (producer)Steve Porter is a music video producer, remixer and DJ originally from Amherst, Massachusetts. Porter, who began producing music at the age of sixteen while attending The Williston Northampton School, was discovered by Chris Fortier in 1999 and was signed to Fortier's Fade Records label...
included it in his 2009 mash-up "Press Hop", and Justin BieberJustin BieberJustin Drew Bieber is a Canadian pop/R&B singer, songwriter and actor. Bieber was discovered in 2008 by Scooter Braun, who came across Bieber's videos on YouTube and later became his manager...
told Radio DisneyRadio DisneyRadio Disney is a radio network based in Burbank, California and headquartered out of the Disney Channel headquarters on West Alameda Ave., from where it has been based since November 2008. Prior to that, the network was based in Dallas, Texas...
in February 2011 that he had made it his regular ringtone. - Dancing Matt – Video game designer Matt HardingMatt HardingMatthew "Matt" Harding , is an American traveler, video game designer, and Internet celebrity known as Dancing Matt for his viral videos that show him dancing in front of landmarks and street scenes in various international locations...
became famous in 2003 when he filmed himself dancing in front of various world landmarks. Eventually, a chewing gumChewing gumChewing gum is a type of gum traditionally made of chicle, a natural latex product, or synthetic rubber known as polyisobutylene. For economical and quality reasons, many modern chewing gums use rubber instead of chicle...
company sent him off to dance on seven continents, and by October 2006, five million viewers have seen his videos. - Diet Coke and Mentos – Geysers of carbonated drink mixed with MentosMentosMentos is a brand of mints, of the "scotch mint" type, sold in many markets across the world by the Perfetti Van Melle corporation. Mentos was first produced in the Netherlands during the 1950s. The mints are small oblate spheroids, with a slightly hard exterior and a soft, chewy interior...
. - Double RainbowDouble Rainbow (viral video)Double Rainbow refers to a viral video posted by Paul "Bear" Vasquez. The clip, filmed in his front yard just outside Yosemite National Park, in the U.S. state of California, chronicles his sighting of and Stendhal syndrome-like reaction to a double rainbow...
– Video posted to YouTube by Paul Vasquez of him filming a rainbow with a secondary bow at Yosemite National Park. Vasquez, possibly intoxicated during the filming by the tone of his voice, is heard to say amazing and philosophical questions about the rainbows, such as "what do they mean?". Subsequently, the video went viral, furthered by an auto-tuned song using the video's audio track. - Don't Tase Me, Bro!University of Florida Taser incidentOn September 17, 2007, U.S. Senator John Kerry addressed a Constitution Day forum at the University of Florida in Gainesville, which was organized by the ACCENT Speakers Bureau, an agency of the university's student government...
– An incident at a campus talk by Senator John KerryJohn KerryJohn Forbes Kerry is the senior United States Senator from Massachusetts, the 10th most senior U.S. Senator and chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He was the presidential nominee of the Democratic Party in the 2004 presidential election, but lost to former President George W...
. - Dramatic ChipmunkDramatic ChipmunkDramatic Chipmunk, also known by the more accurate title Dramatic Prairie Dog, is a popular Internet comedy viral video. The video is a five-second clip of the "chipmunk" turning its head while the camera zooms in and dramatic music is played.-Origins:The clip became widely known through uploads...
– Viral videoViral videoA viral video is one that becomes popular through the process of Internet sharing, typically through video sharing websites, social media and email...
featuring a prairie dogPrairie dogPrairie dogs are burrowing rodents native to the grasslands of North America. There are five different species of prairie dogs: black-tailed, white-tailed, Gunnison's, Utah and Mexican prairie dogs. They are a type of ground squirrel, found in the United States, Canada and Mexico...
(almost always inaccurately called a chipmunkChipmunkChipmunks are small striped squirrels native to North America and Asia. They are usually classed either as a single genus with three subgenera, or as three genera.-Etymology and taxonomy:...
in the video title) turning its head suddenly toward the camera, with a zoom-in on its face while suspense music is playing. - Edgar's fallEdgar's fallEdgar's fall is a video that was uploaded to YouTube in March 2006 from Mexico. This internet meme has been one of the most popular videos in YouTube, with 21,872,668 viewings as of December 24, 2010.- History :...
– A video in which a MexicanMexican peopleMexican people refers to all persons from Mexico, a multiethnic country in North America, and/or who identify with the Mexican cultural and/or national identity....
boy tries to cross a river over a branch, which gets thrown off by his cousin. - eHarmony Video Bio – Video of a woman calling herself "Debbie" in an online dating video who ends up getting very emotional over her affection for cats. The video, which received over 3 million hits on YouTubeYouTubeYouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
between June 3 and June 12, 2011, was later attributed to Cara Hartmann, a 23-year-old entertainer and a resident of the United States. - Epic Beard ManAC Transit Bus fightThe AC Transit Bus fight was an altercation between two men aboard a transit bus in Oakland, California, in the United States, which took place on February 15, 2010, at approximately 3:00 p.m EST. The fight, featuring 67 years old Thomas A...
– Video of a bus fight in Oakland, CaliforniaOakland, CaliforniaOakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724...
in which 67-year-old Thomas Bruso physically defends himself against an African-American man after being accused of racial prejudice then punched by him. Within a week of the video's posting on YouTubeYouTubeYouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
, there were over 700,000 hits. - Fred Figglehorn – Video series featuring a fictional six-year-old named Fred with "anger-management issues", who lives with his alcoholic mother and whose father is doing jail time. Fred is portrayed by 14-year-old actor Lucas Cruikshank, and his YouTubeYouTubeYouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
channel had over 250,000 subscribers and was the fourth most subscribed channel in 2008. - Heroine of Hackneyshowing a local woman from Hackney berating looters during the 2011 England riots2011 England riotsBetween 6 and 10 August 2011, several London boroughs and districts of cities and towns across England suffered widespread rioting, looting and arson....
. - Hitler Rage Videos – A series of viral videoViral videoA viral video is one that becomes popular through the process of Internet sharing, typically through video sharing websites, social media and email...
s featuring a scene of Adolf HitlerAdolf HitlerAdolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
ranting in German, from the 2004 movie DownfallDownfall (film)Downfall is a 2004 German/Italian/Austrian epic war film directed by Oliver Hirschbiegel, depicting the final ten days of Adolf Hitler's life in his Berlin bunker and Nazi Germany in 1945....
. The original English subtitles have been removed and mock subtitles added to give the appearance that Hitler is ranting about a number of modern topics, such as the negative reaction to the 2009 movie Star Trek, iPadIPadThe iPad is a line of tablet computers designed, developed and marketed by Apple Inc., primarily as a platform for audio-visual media including books, periodicals, movies, music, games, and web content. The iPad was introduced on January 27, 2010 by Apple's then-CEO Steve Jobs. Its size and...
, FacebookFacebookFacebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
, why Chicago lost the bid for the 2016 Summer Olympic Games, the US bailout, the 2009 rift within Formula One and FIFAFIFAThe Fédération Internationale de Football Association , commonly known by the acronym FIFA , is the international governing body of :association football, futsal and beach football. Its headquarters are located in Zurich, Switzerland, and its president is Sepp Blatter, who is in his fourth...
's refusal to ban the vuvuzelaVuvuzelaThe vuvuzela , also known as lepatata Mambu , colloquially known in South Africa as "Moerstripper", is a plastic horn, about long, which produces a loud monotone note, typically around B3 . Some models are made in two parts to facilitate storage, and this design also allows pitch variation...
. While the clips are frequently removed for copyrightCopyrightCopyright is a legal concept, enacted by most governments, giving the creator of an original work exclusive rights to it, usually for a limited time...
violations, the film's director, Oliver HirschbiegelOliver HirschbiegelOliver Hirschbiegel is a German film director. His works include Das Experiment and the Oscar nominated Der Untergang.- Career :...
, has stated that he enjoys them, and claims to have seen about 145 of them. - How Is Babby Formed? – This video, created by the website SomethingAwful.com in 2007, featured two animated cavemen reading two very badly worded questions from Yahoo! AnswersYahoo! AnswersYahoo! Answers is a community-driven question-and-answer site or a knowledge market launched by Yahoo! on June 28, 2005 that allows users to both submit questions to be answered and answer questions asked by other users...
word for word, including spelling errors, and has itself since become parodied on various websites. - I Like Turtles – A video news clip of 10-year-old Jonathon Ware at the Portland Rose FestivalPortland Rose FestivalThe Portland Rose Festival is an annual civic festival held during the month of June in Portland, Oregon. It is organized by the volunteer non-profit Portland Rose Festival Association with the purpose of promoting the Portland region...
on May 31, 2007. His face was painted like a zombieZombieZombie is a term used to denote an animated corpse brought back to life by mystical means such as witchcraft. The term is often figuratively applied to describe a hypnotized person bereft of consciousness and self-awareness, yet ambulant and able to respond to surrounding stimuli...
, and when asked for comment by a news reporter, responded with the non sequiturNon sequiturNon sequitur is Latin for "it does not follow." It is most often used as a noun to describe illogical statements.Non sequitur may refer to:* Non sequitur , an irrelevant, often humorous comment to a preceding topic or statement....
"I like turtles!" The video was viewed more than 500,000 times by July 30. - Impossible Is NothingImpossible Is Nothing (video résumé)Impossible is Nothing is a 2006 video résumé by Aleksey Vayner which became an Internet meme.- History of job application :...
– An exaggerated and falsehood-filled video résuméVideo résuméA video resume is a way for job seekers to showcase their abilities beyond the capabilities of a traditional paper resume. The video resume allows prospective employers to see, hear and get a feel for how the applicant presents themselves.-History:...
by YaleYALERapidMiner, formerly YALE , is an environment for machine learning, data mining, text mining, predictive analytics, and business analytics. It is used for research, education, training, rapid prototyping, application development, and industrial applications...
student Aleksey Vayner. It was spoofed by actor Michael CeraMichael CeraMichael Austin Cera is a Canadian actor best known for his roles in Arrested Development, Youth in Revolt, Superbad, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist and Juno. Cera received the 2008 Canadian Comedy Award for best male performance for his work in Superbad.-Early...
in a video called "Impossible is the Opposite of Possible." - Jag har mensvärk! (SwedishSwedish languageSwedish is a North Germanic language, spoken by approximately 10 million people, predominantly in Sweden and parts of Finland, especially along its coast and on the Åland islands. It is largely mutually intelligible with Norwegian and Danish...
for I have period pains!) – Nattliv quiz show hostess Eva NazemsonEva NazemsonEva Nazemson is a Swedish gameshow television host of Full pott on Kanal 5 and earlier Nattliv on TV4. Nazemson became world news on 23 September 2007 when she vomited live on national television...
, suffering from menstruationMenstruationMenstruation is the shedding of the uterine lining . It occurs on a regular basis in sexually reproductive-age females of certain mammal species. This article focuses on human menstruation.-Overview:...
-related nausea, vomits on-air while taking a call from a viewer. She later went on to discuss the incident on The Tyra Banks ShowThe Tyra Banks ShowThe Tyra Banks Show, also known as and shortened to Tyra or The Tyra Show, is an American talk show hosted by Tyra Banks. The last new episode aired on Friday, May 28, 2010.-2005-2009: Syndication:...
and The Graham Norton ShowThe Graham Norton ShowThe Graham Norton Show is a British comedy chat show that is broadcast on BBC One in the United Kingdom. It was originally shown on BBC Two from February 2007 to May 2009 until it moved to BBC One from October 2009...
after the video was posted on YouTube. The original video received 4.8 million views by mid-2010. - "Ken Lee" – Badly garbled song sung by Bulgarian Music IdolMusic IdolMusic Idol is the Bulgarian version of the British television hit show Pop Idol. It is a talent contest to determine the superior pop performer and its first season was aired on bTV from February 26 until June 7, 2007. During its third season, the show went international and auditions took place in...
hopeful Valentina Hasan. The name "Ken Lee" was misunderstoodMondegreenA mondegreen is the mishearing or misinterpretation of a phrase as a result of near homophony, in a way that gives it a new meaning. It most commonly is applied to a line in a poem or a lyric in a song...
from the English lyric "Can't live," as in "Can't live, if living is without you" from the song "Without You" by Mariah Carey - Kersal Massive — Three young chavs, apparently from KersalKersalKersal is an inner city area of Salford, in Greater Manchester, England. The centre of Kersal is northwest of Manchester city centre, and north-northwest of Salford's conventional centre at Greengate....
(near ManchesterManchesterManchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
, UK), attempting to perform a gangsta rapGangsta rapGangsta Rap is a subgenre of hip hop music that evolved from hardcore hip hop and purports to reflect urban crime and the violent lifestyles of inner-city youths. Lyrics in gangsta rap have varied from accurate reflections to fictionalized accounts. Gangsta is a non-rhotic pronunciation of the word...
and expressing their dislike for the nearby suburb of LevenshulmeLevenshulmeLevenshulme is an urban area of the City of Manchester, in North West England. It borders Longsight, Gorton, Burnage, Heaton Chapel and Reddish, and is approximately halfway between Stockport and Manchester City Centre on the A6 road. The A6 bisects Levenshulme. The Manchester to London railway...
. - Keyboard CatKeyboard CatKeyboard Cat is an Internet meme. It consists of footage from 1984 of "Fatso", a cat owned by Charlie Schmidt of Spokane, Washington, wearing a blue shirt and "playing" an upbeat rhythm on an electronic keyboard. In reality, Fatso was manipulated by Schmidt...
– Footage of a cat playing an electric keyboard that is appended to the end of blooper or other video as if to play the participants off stage after a mistake or gaffe. - The Last LectureReally Achieving Your Childhood DreamsReally Achieving Your Childhood Dreams was a lecture given by Carnegie Mellon University computer science professor Randy Pausch on September 18, 2007 that received a large amount of media coverage, and was the base for The Last Lecture, a New York Times best-selling book co-authored with Wall...
– Carnegie Mellon UniversityCarnegie Mellon UniversityCarnegie Mellon University is a private research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States....
professor Randy PauschRandy PauschRandolph Frederick "Randy" Pausch was an American professor of computer science and human-computer interaction and design at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania....
, dying of pancreatic cancerPancreatic cancerPancreatic cancer refers to a malignant neoplasm of the pancreas. The most common type of pancreatic cancer, accounting for 95% of these tumors is adenocarcinoma, which arises within the exocrine component of the pancreas. A minority arises from the islet cells and is classified as a...
, delivers an upbeat lecture on Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams. - League of Ireland fan – An interview clip with a possibly intoxicated man claiming to be a supporter of Irish soccer team St Patrick's AthleticSt Patrick's Athletic F.C.St Patrick's Athletic Football Club is a football club from Dublin, Ireland. They compete in the League of Ireland Premier Division. Founded in 1929, they are based in the Dublin suburb of Inchicore and play their home matches at Richmond Park. They have won the League of Ireland title 7 times and...
. - "Leave Britney Alone!" – A video posted on YoutubeYouTubeYouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
by Chris CrockerChris Crocker (Internet celebrity)Chris Crocker is an American Internet celebrity, songwriter, blogger, and recording artist...
in response to the media's harsh treatment of Britney SpearsBritney SpearsBritney Jean Spears is an American recording artist and entertainer. Born in McComb, Mississippi, and raised in Kentwood, Louisiana, Spears began performing as a child, landing acting roles in stage productions and television shows. She signed with Jive Records in 1997 and released her debut album...
. The video was seen by 8 million by September 2007 and saw many repeat versions and parodies.
- Lonelygirl15Lonelygirl15lonelygirl15 was an interactive web-based video series which began in June 2006 and ran through to August 1, 2008. Developed under the working title The Children of Anchor Cove, the show gained worldwide media attention when it was outed as fictional in September 2006.-Overview:lonelygirl15...
– A popular viral videoViral videoA viral video is one that becomes popular through the process of Internet sharing, typically through video sharing websites, social media and email...
spread via YoutubeYouTubeYouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
featuring a teenage girl named, "Bree", who would post video updates about a variety of issues dealing with the life of a typical teenager. It was later found to be a professionally made, fictional work, produced by Mesh FlindersMesh FlindersRamesh "Mesh" Flinders is a screenwriter who, along with Miles Beckett and Greg Goodfried, is best known for creating the groundbreaking lonelygirl15 video series which received international attention during the summer months of 2006....
in Beverly Hills and starring Jessica Lee RoseJessica Lee RoseJessica Lee Rose is an American-New Zealand actress who first gained popularity after playing the role of lonelygirl15....
. - Maru the cat – A running series of videos of a Scottish FoldScottish FoldThe Scottish Fold is a breed of cat with a natural dominant-gene mutation that makes its ear cartilage contain a fold, causing the ears to bend forward and down towards the front of their head, which gives the cat what is often described as an "owl-like" appearanceOriginally called lop-eared or...
cat taken by his Japanese owner that has a propensity to dive or jump into and out of boxes. - Mélissa TheuriauMélissa TheuriauMélissa Theuriau is a French journalist and news anchor for M6. She studied Journalism and became a newscaster on TV. She became an internet phenomenon when a compilation of her reading news was uploaded and newspapers voted her the world's most beautiful news reporter...
– A FrenchFranceThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
journalistJournalistA journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
and news anchor for M6. She became an internet phenomenon after a compilation video, entitled "Beautiful News Reporter", was posted online. She was voted by MaximMaxim (magazine)Maxim is an international men's magazine based in the United Kingdom and known for its pictorials featuring popular actresses, singers, and female models, sometimes pictured dressed, often pictured scantily dressed but not fully nude....
readers as "TV's sexiest news anchor" in 2007. - Music Is My Hot Hot Sex – Used in advertising then reached the top of YouTube's most watched list, due perhaps to a hack.
- Nyan CatNyan catNyan Cat is an Internet meme which started as an animated GIF of a cat with the body of a cherry Pop-Tart flying through space, leaving a rainbow trail behind it...
– A YouTube video of an animated flying cat, set to a UTAU song. - Obama Girl – A series of videos on YouTube featuring Amber Lee EttingerAmber Lee EttingerAmber Lee Ettinger is an American actress, internet celebrity, and model. She first rose to fame as Obama Girl in her Internet video "I Got a Crush... on Obama", in which she expressed her admiration of then-U.S. Senator Barack Obama...
that circulated during the 2008 US Presidential ElectionUnited States presidential election, 2008The United States presidential election of 2008 was the 56th quadrennial presidential election. It was held on November 4, 2008. Democrat Barack Obama, then the junior United States Senator from Illinois, defeated Republican John McCain, the senior U.S. Senator from Arizona. Obama received 365...
, starting with her singing, I Got a Crush... on ObamaI Got a Crush... on Obama"I Got a Crush... on Obama" is an internet viral video, first posted on YouTube in June 2007 featuring a young woman seductively singing of her love for then-U.S. Senator Barack Obama...
. It caught the attention of blogBlogA blog is a type of website or part of a website supposed to be updated with new content from time to time. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in...
gers, mainstream media, other candidates, and achieved 12.5 million views on YouTube by January 1, 2009. - Over 9000 – A line from the Ocean Dub of the anime Dragon Ball Z spoken by the character VegetaVegetais a fictional character and antihero in the Dragon Ball franchise created by Akira Toriyama. Vegeta first appeared in the manga chapter #204 first published in Weekly Shōnen Jump magazine on December 19, 1988, and in episode 5 of its anime adaptation Dragon Ball Z...
. It became a famous internet memeInternet memeThe term Internet meme is used to describe a concept that spreads via the Internet. The term is a reference to the concept of memes, although the latter concept refers to a much broader category of cultural information.-Description:...
and the subject of many pranks after becoming popular on YTMNDYTMNDYTMND, an initialism for "You're the Man Now, Dog", is an online community centered on the creation of hosted web pages featuring a juxtaposition of an image centered or tiled along with optional large zooming text and a looping sound file...
and YoutubeYouTubeYouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
. - The Peckham Terminator – A video filmed by two youths on August 1, 2010 of a man in his twenties screaming abuse at fellow passengers on the 37 busLondon Buses route 37London Buses route 37 is a Transport for London contracted bus route in London, United Kingdom. The service is currently contracted to Go-Ahead London.-History:...
at Rye LanePeckhamPeckham is a district in south London, England, located in the London Borough of Southwark. It is situated south-east of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London...
. The man uses racial abuseRacismRacism is the belief that inherent different traits in human racial groups justify discrimination. In the modern English language, the term "racism" is used predominantly as a pejorative epithet. It is applied especially to the practice or advocacy of racial discrimination of a pernicious nature...
and tries to pick a fight with one passenger. The man finally smashes through the glass of the rear doors (after making a few attempts beforehand) and walks off unscathed. The youths filming the incident dub him the "Peckham Terminator", after the Arnold Schwarzenegger characterThe TerminatorThe Terminator is a 1984 science fiction action film directed by James Cameron, co-written by Cameron and William Wisher Jr., and starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Michael Biehn, and Linda Hamilton. The film was produced by Hemdale Film Corporation and distributed by Orion Pictures, and filmed in Los...
. - Puppy-throwing Marine viral videoPuppy-throwing marine viral videoIn early March 2008, major media outlets ran the story about a viral video of a United States Marine throwing a puppy off a cliff while on patrol in Iraq. The video soon became the subject of media self-scrutiny, with reports citing its spread as a viral internet phenomenon.The video shows two...
– A viral videoViral videoA viral video is one that becomes popular through the process of Internet sharing, typically through video sharing websites, social media and email...
from March 2008 of a US MarineUnited States Marine CorpsThe United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
on patrol in IraqIraqIraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
throwing a puppy off of a cliff. The video sparked outrage from numerous animal rightsAnimal rightsAnimal rights, also known as animal liberation, is the idea that the most basic interests of non-human animals should be afforded the same consideration as the similar interests of human beings...
groups and was later removed from YouTube. The Marine was later identified as Lance Corporal David Motari, who was removed from the Marine Corps and received a non-judicial punishment. His accomplice, Sergeant Crismarvin Banez Encarnacion, received a non-judicial punishment as well.
- RickrollingRickrollingRickrolling is an Internet meme involving the music video for the 1987 Rick Astley song "Never Gonna Give You Up". The meme is a bait and switch; a person provides a hyperlink seemingly relevant to the topic at hand, but actually leads to Astley's video...
– A phenomenon involving posting a URL in an Internet forumInternet forumAn Internet forum, or message board, is an online discussion site where people can hold conversations in the form of posted messages. They differ from chat rooms in that messages are at least temporarily archived...
that appears to be relevant to the topic at hand, but is, in fact, a link to a video of Rick AstleyRick AstleyRichard Paul "Rick" Astley is an English singer-songwriter, musician, and radio personality. He is known for his 1987 song, "Never Gonna Give You Up", which was a #1 hit single in 25 countries...
's Never Gonna Give You UpNever Gonna Give You UpA group of London dance producers, called The Rickrollerz made a house music cover version of "Never Gonna Give You Up" on that day, and in honor of that event....
. The practice originated on 4chan4chan4chan is an English-language imageboard website. Launched on October 1, 2003, its boards were originally used for the posting of pictures and discussion of manga and anime...
as a "Duckroll", in which an image of a duckDuckDuck is the common name for a large number of species in the Anatidae family of birds, which also includes swans and geese. The ducks are divided among several subfamilies in the Anatidae family; they do not represent a monophyletic group but a form taxon, since swans and geese are not considered...
on wheels was what was linked to. The practice of Rickrolling became popular after April Fools' DayApril Fools' DayApril Fools' Day is celebrated in different countries around the world on April 1 every year. Sometimes referred to as All Fools' Day, April 1 is not a national holiday, but is widely recognized and celebrated as a day when many people play all kinds of jokes and foolishness...
in 2008 when YouTube rigged every feature video on its home page to Rick Astley's song. - Shreds – A series of mock videos made by Santeri Ojala a.k.a. StSanders. The videos show footage of famous rock guitarists and/or bands in their "shreddingShred guitarShred guitar or shredding is lead electric guitar playing that relies heavily on fast guitar solos. While some critics argue that shred guitar is associated with "... sweep-picked arpeggios, diminished and harmonic minor scales, finger-tapping and ... whammy-bar abuse", several guitar...
" moments, but feature Ojala's own purposely warped, yet precisely synchronized, guitar playing in place of the original audio. - Star Wars KidStar Wars Kid"Star Wars Kid" is an Internet meme involving a video of a high school student from Trois-Rivières, Quebec, Canada, wielding a golf ball retriever in imitation of Darth Maul's lightsaber moves from the Star Wars films....
– A QuébécoisFrench-speaking QuebecerFrench-speaking Quebecers are francophone residents of the Canadian province of Quebec....
teenager who became known as the "Star Wars Kid" after a video appeared on the Internet showing him swinging a golf ball retrieverGolf ball retrieverA golf ball retriever is used by golfers in order to retrieve lost or misplaced balls. They allow one to retrieve balls from water hazards, deep rough or even the occasional sand trap, where they would not otherwise be able to reach them....
as if it were a lightsaberLightsaberA lightsaber is a fictional weapon in the Star Wars universe, a "laser sword." It consists of a polished metal hilt which projects a blade of light about 1.33 metres long. The lightsaber is the signature weapon of the Jedi order and their Sith counterparts, both of whom can use them for close...
. Many parodies of the video were also made and circulated. - Twin Baby Boys Having a Conversation – A video of two 17-month-old twin boys, Sam and Ren, having a "conversation" in their own special "language" was posted to YouTube by their mother and viewed by thousands of people in the next 24 hours.
- TysonTyson (dog)Tyson is a bulldog that is famous for his ability to skateboard. He has appeared on numerous TV shows, including The Oprah Winfrey Show and Rob & Big , and has been featured on Internet video sites such as YouTube. His owner, Jim Blauvelt says that the dog was self-taught, starting in Huntington...
– Viral videoViral videoA viral video is one that becomes popular through the process of Internet sharing, typically through video sharing websites, social media and email...
s featuring a skateboarding bulldogBulldogBulldog is the name for a breed of dog commonly referred to as the English Bulldog. Other Bulldog breeds include the American Bulldog, Olde English Bulldogge and the French Bulldog. The Bulldog is a muscular heavy dog with a wrinkled face and a distinctive pushed-in nose...
. - UFO PhilUFO PhilUFO Phil, also known as Phil Hill, is an American comedic songwriter and reportedly a native of Roswell, New Mexico. UFO Phil writes novelty songs about extraterrestrials and science fiction. According to his official website, he is also a multi-instrumentalist, playing every instrument heard on...
– A series of music videos and short films featuring cult celebrity UFO Phil, whose real name is Phil Hill. Phil is an American novelty songwriter most notable for appearing with George NooryGeorge NooryGeorge Ralph Noory is a Lebanese-American radio talk show host.As of 2010, he is the weekday host of the late-night radio talk show Coast to Coast AM. He is heard across the United States and Canada on many AM and FM stations as well as on XM Satellite Radio. His show is one of the most listened...
on the radio program Coast to Coast AMCoast to Coast AMCoast to Coast AM is a North American late-night syndicated radio talk show that deals with a variety of topics, but most frequently ones that relate to either the paranormal or conspiracy theories. It was created by Art Bell and is distributed by Premiere Radio Networks. The program currently...
. - Very erotic very violentVery erotic very violentVery erotic very violent is a Chinese internet meme that originated from a news report on China Central Television's flagship Xinwen Lianbo program allegedly quoting a schoolgirl describing a web page...
– An Internet catchphrase in the People's Republic of ChinaPeople's Republic of ChinaChina , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
, after a report by Xinwen LianboXinwen LianboXinwen Lianbo is a daily news programme produced by China Central Television . It is shown simultaneously by most terrestrial television channels in mainland China, making it one of the world's most watched television programmes...
, the most viewed of China's state-sponsored news programs, where a young girl was reported to have come across content on the Internet which was "Very erotic, very violent". This incident sparked wide forms of parody on the Internet, and also questioned the credibility of the state broadcaster's newscasts.
- "We Are the World 25 for Haiti (YouTube Edition)We Are The World 25 for Haiti (YouTube Edition)"We Are The World 25 for Haiti " is a massively collaborative charity song and music video produced by Canadian singer-songwriter Lisa Lavie and posted to the YouTube video sharing website to raise money for victims of the January 12, 2010 Haiti earthquake."We Are The World 25 for Haiti " is the...
" is a massively collaborativeCollaborationCollaboration is working together to achieve a goal. It is a recursive process where two or more people or organizations work together to realize shared goals, — for example, an intriguing endeavor that is creative in nature—by sharing...
charityCharity recordA charity record is a release of a song for a specific charitable cause. Some of the earliest charity records came from the Music for UNICEF Concert, with ABBA's Chiquitita and the Bee Gees' Too Much Heaven among them released as singles, with all the royalties going to UNICEF...
video, involving 57 geographically distributed unsignedUnsigned artistThe term "unsigned artist" or "independent artist" is used in the music industry as a marketing technique.-History and current scene:Many unsigned artists used to sell their music and music-related merchandise without the financial support of a record label, while often seeking a recording contract...
or independentIndependent record labelAn independent record label is a record label operating without the funding of or outside the organizations of the major record labels. A great number of bands and musical acts begin on independent labels.-Overview:...
contributors, that was produced by CanadianCanadaCanada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
singer-songwriterSinger-songwriterSinger-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
and YouTube personality Lisa LavieLisa LavieLisa Lavie is a Canadian singer and songwriter originally from LaSalle, Québec, Canada.Lavie is known for using the Internet to independently promote her own music and concerts...
to raise money for victims of the January 12, 2010 Haiti earthquake2010 Haiti earthquakeThe 2010 Haiti earthquake was a catastrophic magnitude 7.0 Mw earthquake, with an epicentre near the town of Léogâne, approximately west of Port-au-Prince, Haiti's capital. The earthquake occurred at 16:53 local time on Tuesday, 12 January 2010.By 24 January, at least 52 aftershocks...
. The video's participants were collectively named ABC NewsABC NewsABC News is the news gathering and broadcasting division of American broadcast television network ABC, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company...
"Persons of the Week" on U.S. national television by television journalist Diane SawyerDiane SawyerLila Diane Sawyer is the current anchor of ABC News' flagship program, ABC World News. Previously, Sawyer had been co-anchor of ABC Newss morning news program, Good Morning America ....
in March 2010. - What What (In the Butt)What What (In the Butt)"What What " is a viral video created by Andrew Swant and Bobby Ciraldo for the song of the same name by Samwell. It is known for its numerous camp references to homosexuality and anal sex. The lyrics of the song, a production of Mike Stasny, mostly revolve around the title...
– A viral music video set to a song about anal sex by gay recording artist SamwellSamwell (entertainer)Sam Norman, better known by his stage name Samwell is an entertainer whose hit video "What What " made him an Internet celebrity.-Early years:Samwell was born in Greenville, South Carolina...
. The video was posted on Valentine's DayValentine's DaySaint Valentine's Day, commonly shortened to Valentine's Day, is an annual commemoration held on February 14 celebrating love and affection between intimate companions. The day is named after one or more early Christian martyrs named Saint Valentine, and was established by Pope Gelasius I in 496...
2007, and two weeks later had already been viewed 500,000 times. - Wii Fit Girl – A video entitled "Why every guy should buy their girlfriend a Wii FitWii Fitis a video game developed by Nintendo for the company's home video game console, Wii, designed by Hiroshi Matsunaga. It is an exercise game consisting of activities using the Wii Balance Board peripheral...
" showing 25-year-old Lauren Bernat hula hooping with the fitness video game in only her t-shirt and panties. The video was viewed more than 10 million times on YouTubeYouTubeYouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
by September 2010, and was suspected as being a viral marketing plot because both Bernat, and her boyfriend Giovanny Gutierrez, who filmed the footage, work in advertising. NintendoNintendois a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....
has since denied the claim that it was a marketing plot. - Winnebago Man – A series of profane video outtakes first circulated underground on VHS tape before YouTube videos turned them into an online sensation. The reclusive Rebney is the subject of a feature film, Winnebago ManWinnebago ManWinnebago Man is a 2009 American documentary feature film directed by Ben Steinbauer that follows the Internet phenomenon created by a series of twenty-year-old outtakes from a Winnebago sales video featuring profane outbursts from the salesperson, Jack Rebney...
. - YoutubeYouTubeYouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
Poop – Video mashupMashup (video)A video mashup is the combination of multiple sources of video—which usually have no relation with each other—into a derivative work, often lampooning its component sources or another text. Many mashup videos are humorous movie trailer parodies, a later genre of mashups gaining much popularity...
s in which users deconstruct and piece together video for psychedelic or absurdistAbsurdismIn philosophy, "The Absurd" refers to the conflict between the human tendency to seek value and meaning in life and the human inability to find any...
effect - Zangief Kid (a.k.a "Little Zangief") – A video clip first seen on YouTube depicting a fight in school between two students, which begins with the smaller pupil punching the taller sixteen year old boy Casey Heynes, who in turn retaliates by lifting the boy upside down and slamming him on the ground. Casey has been nicknamed "The Zangief Kid" by many Internet users as the grappling move used closely resembles the Spinning Piledriver, the signature special move of the character Zangief from the Street Fighter video game series.
Other
- Creepypasta – Urban legends or scary stories circulating on the internet, many times revolving around specific videos or pictures. A notable example being Smile Dog, a picture of a husky with large human teeth and a mysterious hand in the background said to cause viewers to become suicidal.
- FigwitFigwitFigwit is a fan-created name for an unnamed elf extra in Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings film trilogy, played by actor and musician Bret McKenzie of Flight of the Conchords fame...
(abbreviated from "Frodo is great...who is that?") – a background elf character with only seconds of screen time and one line of dialog from The Lord of the Rings film trilogyThe Lord of the Rings film trilogyThe Lord of the Rings is an epic film trilogy consisting of three fantasy adventure films based on the three-volume book of the same name by English author J. R. R. Tolkien. The films are The Fellowship of the Ring , The Two Towers and The Return of the King .The films were directed by Peter...
played by Bret McKenzieBret McKenzieBret Peter Tarrant McKenzie is a comedian, actor, musician and producer, best known for being one half of the Grammy Award winning musical comedy duo Flight of the Conchords along with Jemaine Clement....
, which became a fascination with a large number of fans. This ultimately led to McKenzie being brought back to play an elf in The Hobbit. - I am lonely will anyone speak to meI am lonely will anyone speak to me"I am lonely will anyone speak to me" is the title of a thread which was posted on the internet forum of the video codec downloads site Moviecodec.com, and had become "the web's top hangout for lonely folk." The thread began July 14, 2004...
– A thread created on MovieCodec.com's forums, which has been described as the "Web's Top Hangout for Lonely Folk" by Wired Magazine. - VuvuzelaVuvuzelaThe vuvuzela , also known as lepatata Mambu , colloquially known in South Africa as "Moerstripper", is a plastic horn, about long, which produces a loud monotone note, typically around B3 . Some models are made in two parts to facilitate storage, and this design also allows pitch variation...
s – The near-constant playing of the buzz-sounding vuvuzela instrument during games of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa led to numerous vuvuzela-based memesInternet memeThe term Internet meme is used to describe a concept that spreads via the Internet. The term is a reference to the concept of memes, although the latter concept refers to a much broader category of cultural information.-Description:...
, including YouTube temporarily adding a vuvuzela effect that could be added to any video during the World Cup. - Zombie Jesus is reference that attempts to draw a humorous comparison between the ChristianChristianA Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
belief in the Resurrection of Jesus Christ and stories of zombies by suggesting that Jesus Christ was undeadUndeadUndead is a collective name for fictional, mythological, or legendary beings that are deceased and yet behave as if alive. Undead may be incorporeal, such as ghosts, or corporeal, such as vampires and zombies...
. Zombie Jesus Day is, by extension, a reference to EasterEasterEaster is the central feast in the Christian liturgical year. According to the Canonical gospels, Jesus rose from the dead on the third day after his crucifixion. His resurrection is celebrated on Easter Day or Easter Sunday...
.
See also
- Timeline of popular Internet servicesTimeline of popular Internet services-2011:*Google+, a social networking system by Google, integrating several of the company's existing services, such as Google Buzz and Picasa Web Albums.-2010:...
- List of virtual communities with more than 100 million users
- BlogBlogA blog is a type of website or part of a website supposed to be updated with new content from time to time. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in...
Internet personalities
- List of YouTube personalities
- Internet MemeInternet memeThe term Internet meme is used to describe a concept that spreads via the Internet. The term is a reference to the concept of memes, although the latter concept refers to a much broader category of cultural information.-Description:...
- PhishingPhishingPhishing is a way of attempting to acquire information such as usernames, passwords, and credit card details by masquerading as a trustworthy entity in an electronic communication. Communications purporting to be from popular social web sites, auction sites, online payment processors or IT...
- Urban legendUrban legendAn urban legend, urban myth, urban tale, or contemporary legend, is a form of modern folklore consisting of stories that may or may not have been believed by their tellers to be true...
- Usenet celebrity
- Web 2.0Web 2.0The term Web 2.0 is associated with web applications that facilitate participatory information sharing, interoperability, user-centered design, and collaboration on the World Wide Web...
External links
- Memes on the Internet. Article regarding the spread of Internet memes.
- Know Your Meme research into Internet phenomena.
- Snopes page on Urban legends
- WhatPort80 pages on Internet memes, their development and history.