It’s so easy to share things online that it was really only a matter of time before videos became one of them. Almost anyone can say they’ve visited Youtube.com before. All of us have seen at least one viral video, whether it be a dancing baby, a celebrity making a fool of themselves, or just some kids being silly. Some videos have, for one reason or another, become insanely popular. Some have even inspired parodies or remixes. Here are my top 3 viral videos.
1) David After Dentist
In 2008 a dad took his 7 year old son David to the dentist to so he could get a tooth removed. Not wanting his wife to miss his son’s big day, he filmed his son before the procedure and planned on filming after to show how David was handling it. After the procedure David was still heavily under the influence of the gasses used to knock him out and his dad caught all of it on video. David asks questions such as “Why is this happening to me?” and makes observations like “I have two fingers.” At one point he just opens his mouth and yells. David was fine after a couple of hours and the family laughed at the footage his dad had taken. In 2009 he decided to put it on Youtube and the rest is history. The video had 3 million views in about a week.
The video inspired everything from musical remixes to a spoof featuring Darth Vader impersonator Chad Vader. There are t-shirts featuring David. The family was even invited to The Today Show, the Tyra Banks Show, and numerous other TV shows or radio programs.
As I write this, the original video has close to 58 million views.
2) The Evolution of Dance
Judson Laipply was a fairly popular motivational speaker. He spoke in schools all across the nation and was known for his lively, humorous, and extremely entertaining programs. Most of us didn’t know just how entertaining he was.
In 2006 a video of him performing The Evolution of Dance was posted on youtube. It quickly became the most watched video of all time. The 6 minute skit has Laipply performing a number of iconic dances to a wide variety of songs. The skit begins with Elvis and continues on from there. Songs include everything from “Love Shack” by the B-52’s to the “YMCA” and “Macarena” (with the appropriate dances thrown in). He does the twist, he moonwalks, and he even breakdances. There’s literally something for everyone in here and the transition between each segment is done so smoothly.
The video currently has over 142 million views. There are currently only 2 other videos with more views than it on Youtube.
3) Numa Numa
Before Youtube was even created, a man named Gary Brolsma achieved internet fame by posting a video of him dancing and lip synching to the song “Dragostea Din Tei” by the band O-Zone. Released in December of 2004, it quickly became known as the “Numa Numa” and Brolsma became known as the “Numa Numa” guy. This was one of the first viral videos, coming out even before Youtube was created.
It was originally posted on the website Newgrounds.com and 2 years later had over 13 million views on Newgrounds alone. To this day it remains one of the most recognizable and influential viral videos. Just think of how many lip synch/dance videos are out there today. In some ways we have Brolsma to thank.
Sources:
“How It Happened: The Story of David After Dentist.” David After Dentist.
“Evolution of Dance – With Jud Laipply.” The Evolution of Dance.
“About Youtube.” – Youtube.
“Gary Brolsma & The Numa Story.” New Numa.
