Topic summary
Dick in a Box

"Dick in a Box" (censored as "D*** in a Box") is a song by the American comedy trio the Lonely Island featuring American singer Justin Timberlake. The trio—Andy Samberg, Akiva Schaffer, and Jorma Taccone—co-wrote the song with Timberlake, Katreese Barnes, and Asa Taccone. Barnes and Asa Taccone co-produced it with Jorma Taccone. Saturday Night Live (SNL) creator and producer Lorne Michaels asked Samberg to write a musical sketch for the 2006 Christmas episode with Timberlake, who was returning as both a host and musical guest. Samberg developed the concept with other members of the group before working with Timberlake on December 14. They recorded the track around midnight and spent the next day and a half filming the corresponding music video.
The sketch depicts two early-1990s R&B singers, played by Samberg and Timberlake, singing a holiday song about making a Christmas gift for their girlfriends: their penises in boxes. The sketch premiered on SNL as a Digital Short, a series of comedic short films created for the show, on December 16, 2006. The word "dick" was bleeped 16 times following an agreement with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). SNL producers published an uncensored version of the sketch online right after its broadcast debut, making them the first scripted comedy show on a broadcast network to use the internet to avoid FCC control over its explicit content.
On January 27, 2009, the song was released digitally as a single through Universal Republic Records and included on the Lonely Island's debut studio album, Incredibad, released on February 10. "Dick in a Box" went viral on the internet and received praise from television and music critics for its raunchy humor and Timberlake's performance. "Dick in a Box" has been recognized retrospectively as the Lonely Island's signature song and one of the best Christmas-themed SNL sketches. The track won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics in 2007, and appeared on the Australian and Canadian song charts in 2009. Samberg and Timberlake reprised their roles in two Digital Shorts sequels, "Motherlover" (2009) and "3-Way (The Golden Rule)" (2011).