List of viral videos
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viral video A viral video is a video that becomes popular through a viral process of Internet sharing, typically through video sharing websites such as YouTube as well as social media and email.Lu Jiang, Yajie Miao, Yi Yang, ZhenZhong Lan, Alexander Haupt ...
s, including those that are
music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device ...
s, that gained rapid attention on the Internet. Like
Internet memes An Internet meme, commonly known simply as a meme ( ), is an idea, behavior, style, or image that is spread via the Internet, often through social media platforms. What is considered a meme may vary across different communities on the Internet ...
, viewership of such videos tend to grow rapidly and become more widespread because of instant communication facilitates and
word of mouth Word of mouth, or ''viva voce'', is the passing of information from person to person using oral communication, which could be as simple as telling someone the time of day. Storytelling is a common form of word-of-mouth communication where one pe ...
. This list documents videos known to have become viral; additional videos that have become Internet phenomena for other categories can be found at
list of Internet phenomena Social and cultural phenomena specific to the Internet include Internet memes, such as popular themes, catchphrases, images, viral videos, and jokes. When such fads and sensations occur online, they tend to grow rapidly and become more wides ...
.


General videos

*
2 Girls 1 Cup ''2 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 defecating into a cup, taking turns in what appears to be ...
– A video of two girls engaging in
coprophilia Coprophilia (from Greek κόπρος, ''kópros'' 'excrement' and φιλία, ''philía'' 'liking, fondness'), also called scatophilia or scat (Greek: σκατά, ''skatá'' 'feces'), is the paraphilia involving sexual arousal and pleasure from ...
. This video has also originated a series of amateur videos showing the reactions of people seeing the original video. * 2 Hours Doing Nothing – Video of Indonesian YouTuber Muhammad Didit staring in his camera and doing nothing for two hours, published on 10 July 2020. It achieved 1.7 million views on the day of release, and 3 million in one month. After receiving positive comments by the media and politician Sandiaga Uno, it was later adapted to a mobile game. * 300-page iPhone bill – A 300-page iPhone bill from AT&T Mobility mailed in a box was the subject of a
viral video A viral video is a video that becomes popular through a viral process of Internet sharing, typically through video sharing websites such as YouTube as well as social media and email.Lu Jiang, Yajie Miao, Yi Yang, ZhenZhong Lan, Alexander Haupt ...
made by
YouTube YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second mo ...
personality Justine Ezarik, best known as
iJustine Justine Ezarik ( ; born March 20, 1984) is an American YouTuber. She is best known as iJustine, with over one billion views on her YouTube channel. She gained attention as a lifecaster who communicated directly with her millions of viewers on ...
, which became an Internet meme in August 2007. Ezarik's video focused on the unnecessary waste of paper, as the detailed bill itemized all data transfers made during the billing period, including every email and text message. Stories of unexpected billing issues began to circulate in
blog A blog (a truncation of "weblog") is a discussion or informational website published on the World Wide Web consisting of discrete, often informal diary-style text entries (posts). Posts are typically displayed in reverse chronological order s ...
s and the technical press after the
Apple An apple is an edible fruit produced by an apple tree (''Malus domestica''). Apple trees are cultivated worldwide and are the most widely grown species in the genus ''Malus''. The tree originated in Central Asia, where its wild ancestor, ' ...
iPhone's heavily advertised and anticipated release, but this video clip brought the voluminous bills to the attention of the
mass media Mass media refers to a diverse array of media technologies that reach a large audience via mass communication. The technologies through which this communication takes place include a variety of outlets. Broadcast media transmit informati ...
. Ten days later, after the video had been viewed more than 3 million times on the Internet and had received international news coverage, AT&T sent iPhone users a
text message Text messaging, or texting, is the act of composing and sending electronic messages, typically consisting of alphabetic and numeric characters, between two or more users of mobile devices, desktops/laptops, or another type of compatible comput ...
outlining changes in its billing practices. The
information technology Information technology (IT) is the use of computers to create, process, store, retrieve, and exchange all kinds of Data (computing), data . and information. IT forms part of information and communications technology (ICT). An information te ...
magazine '' Computerworld'' included this incident in its list of "Technology's 10 Most Mortifying Moments". * 11B-X-1371 – An unsettling video filmed in an abandoned Polish
sanatorium A sanatorium (from Latin '' sānāre'' 'to heal, make healthy'), also sanitarium or sanitorium, are antiquated names for specialised hospitals, for the treatment of specific diseases, related ailments and convalescence. Sanatoriums are often ...
, in which someone wearing a
plague doctor costume The clothing worn by plague doctors was intended to protect them from airborne diseases during outbreaks of bubonic plague in Europe. * Pommerville (Body Systems), p. 15 * Bauer, p. 145 * Byfield, p. 26 * Glaser, pp. 33-34 It is often seen as a sy ...
gesticulates toward coded messages making threats against the U.S. President. Further less specific threats and disturbing images were found hidden in the
spectrogram A spectrogram is a visual representation of the spectrum of frequencies of a signal as it varies with time. When applied to an audio signal, spectrograms are sometimes called sonographs, voiceprints, or voicegrams. When the data are represen ...
of the video's soundtrack. * 2007 Miss Teen USA Pageant – A video of
Caitlin Upton Caitlin Upton or Caite Upton (born Lauren Caitlin Upton on born March 27, 1989 in Lexington, South Carolina) is an American fashion model and beauty queen. Career 2007 Miss Teen USA pageant Upton became Miss South Carolina Teen USA for 2007 in ...
's response to a question at the
Miss Teen USA 2007 Miss Teen USA 2007, the 25th Miss Teen USA pageant, was held on August 24, 2007 in Pasadena, California. At the conclusion of the final night of the competition Hilary Cruz of Colorado was crowned Miss Teen USA 2007 by outgoing titleholder Kat ...
received over 3.5 million views on
YouTube YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second mo ...
in three days. * Ain't Nobody Got Time for That – A news interview with Kimberly "Sweet Brown" Wilkins, of Oklahoma City, in April 2012. Wilkins was asked about her escape from her burning apartment complex; she concluded the conversation by remarking "I got bronchitis! Ain't nobody got time for that!" The phrase has been reprinted on various forms of merchandise, while Wilkins appeared on television programs.
Jimmy Kimmel James Christian Kimmel (born November 13, 1967) is an American television host, comedian, writer, and producer. He is the host and executive producer of ''Jimmy Kimmel Live!'', a late-night talk show that premiered on ABC on January 26, 2003, ...
later made a parody starring
Queen Latifah Dana Elaine Owens (born March 18, 1970), known professionally as Queen Latifah, is an American rapper, actress, and singer. Born in Newark, New Jersey, she signed with Tommy Boy Records in 1989 and released her debut album '' All Hail the Qu ...
as Wilkins inspiring people across history with phrases from the video. Wilkins herself appears in a cameo. *
Angry German Kid ''Angry German Kid'', ''Keyboard Crasher'', ''Unreal Tournament Kid'', or ''PC Spielen'' are the names of a viral web video from 2005 showing German teenager Norman Kochanowski (born May 29, 1991) trying to play ''Unreal Tournament'' on his P ...
– A video of a German teenager trying to play
Unreal Tournament ''Unreal Tournament'' is a first-person arena shooter video game developed by Epic Games and Digital Extremes. The second installment in the '' Unreal'' series, it was first published by GT Interactive in 1999 for Microsoft Windows, and late ...
on his PC, but he faces problems with it which causes him to get enraged and shout, as well as smashing his keyboard in some scenes. * Arrest of Vladimir Putin – The mock video shows Russian President (then Prime Minister)
Vladimir Putin Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin; (born 7 October 1952) is a Russian politician and former intelligence officer who holds the office of president of Russia. Putin has served continuously as president or prime minister since 1999: as prime min ...
facing a courtroom trial. The footage was taken from the real-life trial of Mikhail Khodorkovsky and then digitally altered to make a faux news report. As of April 2018, the viral video has over 12 million views. * asdfmovie – A series of short animated videos created by British YouTuber
TomSka Thomas James Ridgewell (born 27 June 1990), known online as TomSka, is a British filmmaker, actor, content creator, and vlogger. He is known for writing, directing, producing, and starring in his live-action sketch comedy YouTube videos and an ...
with a skit-type format. Each video is around 2 minutes long. As of July 2021, there are 13 videos in the collection. * Asians in the Library – A racist rant by Alexandra Wallace, an undergraduate student at the University of California, Los Angeles, in March 2011. * Bill O'Reilly Freaks Out – An outtake from Bill O'Reilly's tenure on ''
Inside Edition ''Inside Edition'' is an American news broadcasting newsmagazine program that is distributed in first-run syndication by CBS Media Ventures. Having premiered on January 9, 1989, it is the longest-running syndicated-newsmagazine program that is no ...
'', which depicted O'Reilly cursing at his co-workers while having issues with the closing lines on his
teleprompter A teleprompter, also known as an autocue, is a display device that prompts the person speaking with an electronic visual text of a speech or script. Using a teleprompter is similar to using cue cards. The screen is in front of, and usually be ...
. After the video went viral in May 2008, O'Reilly acknowledged the video's existence, claiming that he was amusing his co-workers and said "I have plenty of much newer stuff...If you want to buy the tapes that I have, I'm happy to sell them to you." The rant was later parodied by
Stephen Colbert Stephen Tyrone Colbert ( ; born May 13, 1964) is an American comedian, writer, producer, political commentator, actor, and television host. He is best known for hosting the satirical Comedy Central program '' The Colbert Report'' from 2005 ...
on ''
The Colbert Report ''The Colbert Report'' ( ) is an American late-night talk and news satire television program hosted by Stephen Colbert that aired four days a week on Comedy Central from October 17, 2005, to December 18, 2014, for 1,447 episodes. The show fo ...
'' as well as '' Family Guy'' and by
Trevor Noah Trevor Noah (born 20 February 1984) is a South African-born comedian, writer, producer, political commentator, actor, and former television host. He was the host of ''The Daily Show'', an American late-night talk show and satirical news progra ...
on ''
The Daily Show ''The Daily Show'' is an American late-night talk and satirical news television program. It airs each Monday through Thursday on Comedy Central with release shortly after on Paramount+. ''The Daily Show'' draws its comedy and satire form from ...
'', and was named one of ''
Time Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, ...
's'' "Top 10 Celebrity Meltdowns". *
Bitchy Resting Face Resting bitch face, also known as RBF, or bitchy resting face (BRF), is a facial expression that unintentionally appears like a person is angry, annoyed, irritated, or contemptuous, particularly when the individual is relaxed, resting, or not expr ...
– a parody comedy public service announcement video by the
Funny Or Die Funny or Die is a comedy video website and film/television production company owned by Henry R. Muñoz III that was founded by Will Ferrell, Adam McKay, Mark Kvamme, and Chris Henchy in 2007. The website contained exclusive material from a re ...
comedy team that has since gone on to become a popular internet meme, and to become more commonly known as
resting bitch face Resting bitch face, also known as RBF, or bitchy resting face (BRF), is a facial expression that unintentionally appears like a person is angry, annoyed, irritated, or contemptuous, particularly when the individual is relaxed, resting, or not expr ...
(RBF). *
Boom goes the dynamite "Boom goes the dynamite!" is a catchphrase coined by Ball State University student Brian Collins, popularized after a video of him delivering an ill-fated sports broadcast that included the phrase was shared on YouTube in 2005. In the ensuing year ...
– Brian Collins, a nervous sports anchor, fumbles highlights, concluding with this infamous catchphrase. It's become commonly used in many things, including an episode of Family Guy and being quoted by
Will Smith Willard Carroll Smith II (born September 25, 1968), also known by his stage name The Fresh Prince, is an American actor and rapper. He began his acting career starring as a fictionalized version of himself on the NBC sitcom '' The Fresh ...
when he flubbed a line on stage during the
81st Academy Awards The 81st Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), honored the best films of 2008 and took place on February 22, 2009, at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles beginning at 5:30  ...
telecast. As of March 2009, Collins was a reporter for
KXXV KXXV (channel 25) is a television station in Waco, Texas, United States, serving Central Texas as an affiliate of ABC. Owned by the E. W. Scripps Company, the station maintains studios on South New Road in Waco, and its transmitter is located n ...
in Waco, Texas. * Bitconnect – A keynote speech by Carlos Matos. The video features Matos screaming "Bitconnect" and "I Love Bitconect". Due to the nature of the speech and Matos consistently promoting a fraud, the speech has been remixed and edited by various people. * Charlie Bit My Finger – It features two young brothers; the younger bites the finger of the older brother. * Chewbacca Mask Lady – A video of an enthusiastic woman, named Candace Payne, wearing a Chewbacca mask. Posted on 19 May 2016, it has become the most-viewed Facebook Live video of all time with over 140 million views. * The Crazy Nastyass Honey Badger – A YouTube video posted by the user Randall in 2011 featuring a comedic narration dubbed over pre-existing National Geographic footage. * Damn Daniel – A series of Snapchat videos depicting Joshua Holz complementing his friend Daniel Lara's
Vans Vans is an American manufacturer of skateboarding shoes and related apparel, established in Anaheim, California, and owned by VF Corporation. The company also sponsors surf, snowboarding, BMX, and motocross teams. From 1996 to 2019, the comp ...
. In 2016, ''
Time Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, ...
'' magazine listed Lara as one of "The 30 Most Influential People on the Internet". *
David After Dentist ''David After Dentist'' is an Internet phenomenon which started when David DeVore Jr.'s father posted a video on the Internet of his reaction to anesthesia after he had been given oral surgery. , it has been viewed 141 million times on YouTube. ...
– A video of 7-year old David DeVore Jr's reaction to anesthesia. * Dancing Matt – Video game designer Matt Harding filmed himself in 2003, dancing in front of various world landmarks. Eventually, a chewing gum company sent him off to dance on seven continents, and by October 2006 the video had over 5 million views. Harding compiled two similar videos in 2008 and 2012. * Diet Coke and Mentos – Geysers of carbonated drink mixed with
Mentos Mentos are a brand of packaged scotch mints or mint flavored candies sold in stores and vending machines. First produced in 1932, they are currently sold in more than 130 countries worldwide by the Italian-Dutch corporation Perfetti Van Melle. T ...
. *
Double Rainbow Double Rainbow may refer to: * Double rainbow, a variation of the meteorological phenomenon * Double Rainbow (ice cream), a brand of premium ice cream, sorbets, and frozen desserts Media * ''Double Rainbow'' (album), Aya Matsuura's sixth album ...
– a video posted to YouTube by Paul Vasquez of him filming a double rainbow
Yosemite National Park Yosemite National Park ( ) is an American national park in California, surrounded on the southeast by Sierra National Forest and on the northwest by Stanislaus National Forest. The park is managed by the National Park Service and covers an ...
. Vasquez's amazed and overwhelmed response includes philosophical questions about the rainbows, such as "what do they mean?". Subsequently, the video went viral, and an
auto-tune Auto-Tune (or autotune) is an audio processor introduced in 1996 by American company Antares Audio Technologies. Auto-Tune uses a proprietary device to measure and alter pitch in vocal and instrumental music recording and performances. Auto-Tu ...
d remix named the "Double Rainbow Song" using the video's audio track was later released by
the Gregory Brothers The Gregory Brothers are an American musical quartet, specializing in comedy music and pitch correction through their YouTube channel Schmoyoho (). After the success of their songs 'Chrissy Wake Up' and ' It's Corn' in the summer of 2022, NPR r ...
, receiving more than 30 million views and becoming another meme. * Dramatic Chipmunk – A video featuring a prairie dog (almost always inaccurately called a
chipmunk Chipmunks are small, striped rodents of the family Sciuridae. Chipmunks are found in North America, with the exception of the Siberian chipmunk which is found primarily in Asia. Taxonomy and systematics Chipmunks may be classified either as ...
) turning its head suddenly toward the camera, with a zoom-in on its face while suspenseful music plays. * Drinking Out of Cups – A video of Dan Deacon's 2003 spoken-word song of the same name. The video features an anthropomorphized lizard describing various scenes in an exaggerated Long Island accent. * Edgar's fall – A video in which a Mexican boy tries to cross a stream using a branch, which gets lifted by his cousin causing him to fall into the stream. * 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 staged video was uploaded to the YouTube channel of Cara Hartmann, a resident of
Lower Merion Township, Pennsylvania Lower Merion Township is a township in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. It is part of the Philadelphia Main Line. The township's name originates with the county of Merioneth in north Wales. Merioneth is an English-language transcription of the ...
. In 2013, she was featured in a
Volkswagen Volkswagen (),English: , . abbreviated as VW (), is a German motor vehicle manufacturer headquartered in Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony, Germany. Founded in 1937 by the German Labour Front under the Nazi Party and revived into a global brand post-W ...
commercial for the
Super Bowl XLVII Super Bowl XLVII was an American football game between the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Baltimore Ravens and the National Football Conference (NFC) champion San Francisco 49ers to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion ...
. * Epic Beard Man – Video of a bus fight in
Oakland, California Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast of the United States, West Coast port, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the third ...
in which 67-year-old Thomas Bruso physically defends himself against an African-American man after being accused of
racial prejudice Racism is the belief that groups of humans possess different behavioral traits corresponding to inherited attributes and can be divided based on the superiority of one race over another. It may also mean prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism ...
then punched by him. * Evolution of Dance – A video of a six-minute live performance of motivational speaker Judson Laipply's routine consisting of several recognizable dance movies to respective songs. The video was one of the earliest examples of a viral video posted on YouTube, having received 23 million hits within 2 weeks of posting in mid-2006, and was marked as an example of low budget, user-generated content achieving broadcast television-sized audiences. * Gallon smashing – The act of smashing a gallon of liquid in a manner that appears to be accidental. The prank often involves throwing a gallon of milk onto a grocery store aisle, then falling and sometimes having difficulty returning to a standing position. * Heroine of HackneyA video showing a local woman from Hackney berating looters during the
2011 England riots The 2011 England riots, more widely known as the London riots, were a series of riots between 6 and 11 August 2011. Thousands of people rioted in cities and towns across England, which saw looting, arson, as well as mass deployment of police ...
. * Impossible Is Nothing – An exaggerated and falsehood-filled
video résumé Video résumé or video resume is a recording promoting a job seeker. History Video resumes, sometimes called Visumé or Video CV, were first introduced in the 1980s for use and distribution via VHS tape, but the idea never took off beyond the v ...
by Yale student Aleksey Vayner. It was spoofed by actor
Michael Cera Michael Austin Cera (; ; born June 7, 1988) is a Canadian actor and musician. He started his career as a child actor, voicing the character of Brother Bear on the children's television show ''The Berenstain Bears'' and portraying a young Chuck B ...
in a video called "Impossible is the Opposite of Possible." *
Keyboard Cat Keyboard Cat is a video-based internet meme. Its original form was a video made in 1984 by Charlie Schmidt of his cat Fatso seemingly playing a musical keyboard (though manipulated by Schmidt off-camera) to a cheery tune. While Schmidt had uplo ...
– Footage of a cat playing an
electric keyboard An electronic keyboard, portable keyboard, or digital keyboard is an electronic musical instrument, an electronic derivative of keyboard instruments. Electronic keyboards include synthesizers, digital pianos, stage pianos, electronic organs a ...
that is appended to the end of blooper or other video as if to play the participants off stage after a mistake or gaffe. *
Kony 2012 ''Kony 2012'' is a 2012 American short documentary film produced by '' Invisible Children'' creators Invisible Children, Inc. The film's purpose was to make Ugandan cult leader, war criminal, and ICC fugitive Joseph Kony globally known so as ...
– An online video created by
Invisible Children, Inc. Invisible Children, Inc., founded in 2004, is an organization to increase awareness of the activities of the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) in Central Africa, and its leader, Joseph Kony. Specifically, the group seeks to put an end to the practices ...
to highlight the criminal acts of
Joseph Kony Joseph Rao Kony (likely born 1961) is a Ugandan militant who founded the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), a Christian fundamentalist organization, designated as a terrorist group by the United Nations Peacekeepers, the European Union and variou ...
to an international spotlight as part of a campaign to seek his capture and arrest, quickly gained tens of millions of viewers within a week, becoming, according to
CNN CNN (Cable News Network) is a multinational cable news channel headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable news channel, and presently owned by ...
, "the most viral YouTube video of all time". * The Last LectureCarnegie Mellon University professor Randy Pausch, dying of pancreatic cancer, delivers an upbeat lecture on ''Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams''. *
Leave Britney Alone! Cara Cunningham (formerly Chris Crocker; born December 7, 1987), is an American transgender Internet personality, songwriter, recording artist, YouTuber, and former pornographic film actor. , Cunningham's videos had received a combined 50 m ...
– A viral video of Chris Crocker lashing out against critics of celebrity Britney Spears. *
Lonelygirl15 ''Lonelygirl15'' is an American science fiction thriller web series created by Miles Beckett, Mesh Flinders, Greg Goodfried, and Amanda Goodfried. It was independently released on YouTube from June 16, 2006 to August 1, 2008, and was also briefl ...
– A popular
viral video A viral video is a video that becomes popular through a viral process of Internet sharing, typically through video sharing websites such as YouTube as well as social media and email.Lu Jiang, Yajie Miao, Yi Yang, ZhenZhong Lan, Alexander Haupt ...
spread via
YouTube YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second mo ...
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 Flinders in
Beverly Hills Beverly Hills is a city located in Los Angeles County, California. A notable and historic suburb of Greater Los Angeles, it is in a wealthy area immediately southwest of the Hollywood Hills, approximately northwest of downtown Los Angeles. ...
and starring
Jessica Lee Rose Jessica Lee Rose (born April 26, 1987) is an American-New Zealand actress who first gained popularity after playing the role of ''lonelygirl15'', a fictional teenage homeschooled character named Bree who appeared in YouTube video blogs, beginn ...
. *
MacGyver the Lizard MacGyver the Lizard (hatched July 4, 2012) is an Argentine red tegu lizard and Internet celebrity known for his intelligence, friendly personality, and large jowls. MacGyver has been described as "a good ambassador of the giant lizard world" f ...
– Videos of a large, dog-like lizard, who comes when his name is called. *
Michelle Jenneke Michelle "Shelly" Jenneke (; born 23 June 1993) is an Australian hurdler and model. She won a silver medal for the 100 m hurdles at the 2010 Summer Youth Olympics and the 100 m hurdles at the 2016 Australian Athletics Championships to qual ...
– "Michelle Jenneke dancing sexy as hell at junior world championships in Barcelona 2012" is a video of a 19-year-old hurdler
Michelle Jenneke Michelle "Shelly" Jenneke (; born 23 June 1993) is an Australian hurdler and model. She won a silver medal for the 100 m hurdles at the 2010 Summer Youth Olympics and the 100 m hurdles at the 2016 Australian Athletics Championships to qual ...
during her pre-race warm-up at the IAAF World Junior Championships in Barcelona. The video of Jenneke dancing pre-race was uploaded on 25 July on YouTube and had more than 13 million views in less than a week. The video made Jenneke an instant online celebrity. * Nek Minnit – A 10-second YouTube video from New Zealand featuring skater Levi Hawkin. This video inspired the term Nek Minnit, which is used at the end of a sentence in place of the words Next Minute. The video has received over two million views and has been parodied several times on YouTube; the TV3 show '' The Jono Project'' ran a series of clips titled ''Food in a Nek Minnit'' which parodied a nightly advertisement called ''Food in a Minute''. As a result of the video, the term Nek Minnit was the most searched for word on Google in New Zealand for 2011. * My Story: Struggling, bullying, suicide and self-harm – On 7 September 2012, Amanda Todd posted a 9-minute
YouTube YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second mo ...
video entitled ''My Story: Struggling, bullying, suicide and self-harm'', which showed her using a series of
flashcards A flashcard or flash card (also known as an index card) is a card bearing information on both sides, which is intended to be used as an aid in memorization. Each flashcard bears a question on one side and an answer on the other. Flashcards are ...
to tell of her experiences being bullied., 7 September 2012, Retrieved 18 April 2014. The video post went viral after her death on 10 October 2012, receiving over 1,600,000 views by 13 October 2012. *
Potter Puppet Pals ''Potter Puppet Pals'' is a puppet show web series parodying the ''Harry Potter'' novel series by J. K. Rowling, created by Neil Cicierega. The first two episodes were animated, both released in 2003 on Newgrounds. On September 26, 2006, the ...
– a
live action Live action (or live-action) is a form of cinematography or videography that uses photography instead of animation. Some works combine live-action with animation to create a live-action animated film. Live-action is used to define film, video ...
puppet show Puppetry is a form of theatre or performance that involves the manipulation of puppets – inanimate objects, often resembling some type of human or animal figure, that are animated or manipulated by a human called a puppeteer. Such a performan ...
web series A web series (also known as a web show) is a series of scripted or non-scripted online videos, generally in episodic form, released on the Internet, which first emerged in the late 1990s and became more prominent in the early 2000s. A single in ...
created by Neil Cicierega parodying the ''Harry Potter'' novel/film series by
J. K. Rowling Joanne Rowling ( "rolling"; born 31 July 1965), also known by her pen name J. K. Rowling, is a British author and philanthropist. She wrote ''Harry Potter'', a seven-volume children's fantasy series published from 1997 to 2007. The ser ...
. Its video titled "The Mysterious Ticking Noise" has received more than 184 million views , making it the most famous video of the series. * Shia LaBeouf's Motivational Speech – A video of actor
Shia LaBeouf Shia Saide LaBeouf (; born June 11, 1986) is an American actor, performance artist, and filmmaker. He played Louis Stevens in the Disney Channel series ''Even Stevens'', a role for which he received Young Artist Award nominations in 2001 and ...
giving a motivational speech. The video, a sequence from
LaBeouf, Rönkkö & Turner LaBeouf, Rönkkö & Turner is an artist trio consisting of American actor and artist Shia LaBeouf, Finnish artist Nastja Säde Rönkkö, and British artist Luke Turner. Their performance art explores connection, emotion, and collaboration across d ...
's '' #INTRODUCTIONS'' project, was filmed against a green background and could be easily chroma keyed. Due to this, the video was used in various memes and the phrase "Just Do It" became associated with the video. *Ricardo Milos – A 2011 short video of the then-model Milos surfaced on Nico Nico Douga in 2010. The video contains Milos dancing in nothing but a jock strap and a red bandana. * The Spirit of Christmas – Consists of two different
animated Animation is a method by which still figures are manipulated to appear as moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on transparent celluloid sheets to be photographed and exhibited on film. Today, most ani ...
short films made by
Trey Parker Randolph Severn "Trey" Parker III (born October 19, 1969) is an American actor, animator, filmmaker, and composer. He is known for co-creating ''South Park'' (since 1997) and '' The Book of Mormon'' (2011) with his creative partner Matt Stone. ...
and
Matt Stone Matthew Richard Stone (born May 26, 1971) is an American actor, animator, filmmaker, and composer. He is known for co-creating ''South Park'' (since 1997) and ''The Book of Mormon'' (2011) with his creative partner Trey Parker. Stone was interes ...
. To differentiate the two, they are often referred to as ''Jesus vs. Frosty'' (1992) and ''Jesus vs. Santa'' (1995). Brian Graden sent copies of ''Jesus vs. Santa'' to several of his friends, and from there it was copied and distributed, including on the internet, where it became one of the first
viral video A viral video is a video that becomes popular through a viral process of Internet sharing, typically through video sharing websites such as YouTube as well as social media and email.Lu Jiang, Yajie Miao, Yi Yang, ZhenZhong Lan, Alexander Haupt ...
s. They were created by animating construction paper cutouts with
stop motion Stop motion is an animated filmmaking technique in which objects are physically manipulated in small increments between individually photographed frames so that they will appear to exhibit independent motion or change when the series of frames i ...
, and features prototypes of the main characters of '' South Park''. * Star Wars Kid – A Québécois teenager became known as the "Star Wars Kid" after a video appeared on the Internet showing him swinging a golf ball retriever as if it were a
lightsaber A lightsaber is a fictional energy sword featured throughout the '' Star Wars'' franchise. A typical lightsaber is depicted as a luminescent plasma blade about in length emitted from a metal hilt around in length. First introduced in the o ...
. Many parodies of the video were also made and circulated. * This is my story – A two-part video of 18-year-old American Internet personality
Ben Breedlove Benjamin Daniel Breedlove (August 8, 1993 – December 25, 2011) was an American Internet personality from Austin, Texas, known for his vlogs on YouTube. On the night of December 25, 2011, he died from complications of hypertrophic cardiomyopat ...
explaining about his heart condition using note cards as a visual aid. The YouTube video was released on 18 December 2011, a week prior to Breedlove's death, and received world-wide attention. * Too Many Cooks – A 2014 short produced by
Adult Swim Adult Swim (AS; stylized as dult swim'' and often abbreviated as s'') is an American adult-oriented night-time cable television channel that shares channel space with the basic cable network Cartoon Network and is programmed by its in-house ...
that parodies the openings of many 1980s and 1990s American television shows with both meta and dark humor. Originally only played on Cartoon Network in place of early morning infomercials, the short soon gained attraction via social media. * Ty kto takoy? Davay, do svidaniya! ("Who are you? Come on, goodbye!" in Russian) – A video of Azerbaijani
meykhana Meykhana ( az, Meyxana) is a distinctive Azerbaijani literary and folk rap tradition, consisting of an unaccompanied song performed by one or more people improvising on a particular subject. Meykhana is distinct from spoken word poetry in that ...
performers, that gained over 2 million views on
YouTube YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second mo ...
. The jingle "Ty kto takoy? Davay, do svidaniya!" started trending on
Twitter Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...
with the Russian hashtag #путинтыктотакойдавайдосвидания and a number of songs sampled the jingle since then. *
Unexpected John Cena Unexpected John Cena, also known as simply Unexpected Cena or And His Name is John Cena, refers to an Internet meme and a form of Internet troll, trolling involving videos that first garnered popularity on video-sharing services such as Vine (ser ...
– Similar to
Rickrolling Rickrolling or a Rickroll is an internet meme involving the unexpected appearance of the music video for the 1987 song "Never Gonna Give You Up", performed by the English singer Rick Astley. The video has over 1 billion views on YouTube. The m ...
, videos which seem to progress normally but then are interrupted using the video of wrestler
John Cena John Felix Anthony Cena ( ; born April 23, 1977) is an American part-time professional wrestler, actor, and former rapper. He is currently signed to WWE. Widely regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time, he is tied ...
's entrance song " The Time is Now" and performance, as if Cena were a
scene stealer A breakout character is a character in serial fiction, especially a member of an ensemble cast, who becomes much more prominent, popular, discussed, or imitated than expected by the creators. A breakout character may equal or overtake the oth ...
. * Wealdstone Raider – A video of Wealdstone FC supporter Gordon Hill shouting at fans of opposing Whitehawk FC, including the phrases "You want some?", "I'll give it ya '' ic'", and "You've got no fans". Uploaded to
YouTube YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second mo ...
in March 2013, the video went viral towards the end of 2014, culminating in a campaign by the ''
Daily Mirror The ''Daily Mirror'' is a British national daily tabloid. Founded in 1903, it is owned by parent company Reach plc. From 1985 to 1987, and from 1997 to 2002, the title on its masthead was simply ''The Mirror''. It had an average daily print c ...
'' newspaper to get Hill to
Christmas number one In the United Kingdom, Christmas number ones are singles that top the UK Singles Chart in the week in which Christmas Day falls. The singles have often been novelty songs, charity songs or songs with a Christmas theme. Historically, the volume ...
; his resultant charity single, " Got No Fans", reached number 5 in the
UK Singles Charts The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top- ...
. *
Wombo combo Professional ''Super Smash Bros.'' competition involves professional gamers competing in the '' Super Smash Bros.'' series of crossover fighting games published by Nintendo. Organized tournament competition began in 2002 with ''Super Smash Bro ...
– footage from a '' Super Smash Bros. Melee'' tournament known for its exceptionally loud
commentary Commentary or commentaries may refer to: Publications * ''Commentary'' (magazine), a U.S. public affairs journal, founded in 1945 and formerly published by the American Jewish Committee * Caesar's Commentaries (disambiguation), a number of works ...
. The most famous line, "wombo combo", is spoken by Brandon "HomeMadeWaffles" Collier. Wombo Combo has been used in many MLG parodies and is one of the memes seen in the
Wii U The Wii U ( ) is a home video game console developed by Nintendo as the successor to the Wii. Released in late 2012, it is the first eighth-generation video game console and competed with Microsoft's Xbox One and Sony's PlayStation 4. Th ...
eShop game ''
Meme Run ''Meme Run'' is an endless running video game created by American indie developer Ninja Pig Studios (Jordan Schuetz and his brother) for the Wii U console's eShop service. The game features extensive use of Internet memes; for example, the play ...
''. * Will Smith Slap – A clip from the 94th Academy Awards where the actor
Will Smith Willard Carroll Smith II (born September 25, 1968), also known by his stage name The Fresh Prince, is an American actor and rapper. He began his acting career starring as a fictionalized version of himself on the NBC sitcom '' The Fresh ...
slaps comedian Chris Rock in the face after he told a joke about Will's wife shaved hair. It has been shared a lot of times by users.


Music videos


Public service announcements

* ''
Cow Cattle (''Bos taurus'') are large, domesticated, cloven-hooved, herbivores. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae and the most widespread species of the genus ''Bos''. Adult females are referred to as cows and adult ma ...
'' (2009) – A
public service announcement A public service announcement (PSA) is a message in the public interest disseminated by the media without charge to raise public awareness and change behavior. In the UK, they are generally called a public information film (PIF); in Hong Kong, ...
graphically depicting the dangers of joy-riding. A clip from the video received over one million views on YouTube by 25 August 2009. * ''
Dumb Ways to Die ''Dumb Ways To Die'' is an Australian public campaign made by Metro Trains in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, to promote railway safety. On 1 October 2021, PlaySide Studios () acquired the Dumb Ways to Die franchise for A$2.25 million from Met ...
'' (2012) – A music video featuring "a variety of cute characters killing themselves in increasingly idiotic ways" that went viral through sharing and
social media Social media are interactive media technologies that facilitate the creation and sharing of information, ideas, interests, and other forms of expression through virtual communities and networks. While challenges to the definition of ''social medi ...
. It was part of a
public service announcement A public service announcement (PSA) is a message in the public interest disseminated by the media without charge to raise public awareness and change behavior. In the UK, they are generally called a public information film (PIF); in Hong Kong, ...
advertisement campaign by
Metro Trains Metro Trains Melbourne, often known simply as Metro, is the franchise operator of the electrified suburban passenger service on the Melbourne rail network. Metro Trains Melbourne is a joint venture between Hong Kong-based MTR Corporation (6 ...
in
Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...
, Australia to promote rail safety. * '' Embrace Life'' (2010) – A public service announcement for seatbelt advocacy made for a local area of the United Kingdom that achieved a million hits on its first two weeks on YouTube in 2010. * '' Set Yourself Free'' (2014) – A fictitious public service announcement that discouraged
truancy Truancy is any intentional, unjustified, unauthorised, or illegal absence from compulsory education. It is a deliberate absence by a student's own free will (though sometimes adults or parents will allow and/or ignore it) and usually does not refe ...
in schools. As of 2017, the video has over 20 million views on YouTube.


See also

* Internet meme * Index of Internet-related articles *
List of Internet phenomena Social and cultural phenomena specific to the Internet include Internet memes, such as popular themes, catchphrases, images, viral videos, and jokes. When such fads and sensations occur online, they tend to grow rapidly and become more wides ...
* List of YouTubers *
List of most-viewed YouTube videos YouTube is an American video-sharing website headquartered in San Bruno, California. Although the most-viewed videos were initially viral videos, such as "Evolution of Dance" and "Charlie Bit My Finger", the most-viewed videos were increasin ...
*
List of most viewed online videos in the first 24 hours This list contains the online videos, music videos, and film trailers that have received the most views within 24 hours of release. Video views are generated from different online platforms such as Facebook, iQIYI and YouTube. Top videos Fil ...
* Outline of the Internet


References


External links


YouTube 'Rewind'
YouTube YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second mo ...
's page covering their top-viewed videos by year and brief information on their spread {{DEFAULTSORT:Viral videos, list of History of the Internet Internet-related lists * *1 viral