T w e n t y S i d e d
No time for anything substantive today. Instead, check out these exceptionally old memes, which may be so old they’re new again. All three five are strangely disturbing and compelling in their own way. A sort of, “how did this come to be?” Perhaps you missed one.
Monkey Vs. Robot:
THE TERRIBLE SECRET OF SPACE:
Numa Numa Guy:
PBJ Time:
As Phlux points out below, the list just doesn’t look right without good ‘ol AYBABTU:
All of these have millions upon millions of views, with the exception of Monkey vs. Robot and Terrible Secret of Space, both of which came and went years before YouTube appeared. Oh yeah – I probably should have mentioned up above, but any one of these is likely to infect you for days. These things were memes for a reason.
Anyway, people are strange.
Rage 2
The game was a dud, and I'm convinced a big part of that is due to the way the game leaned into its story. Its terrible, cringe-inducing story.
The Brilliance of Mass Effect
What is "Domino Worldbuilding" and how did it help to make Mass Effect one of the most interesting settings in modern RPGs?
Quakecon 2012 Annotated
An interesting but technically dense talk about gaming technology. I translate it for the non-coders.
Diablo III Retrospective
We were so upset by the server problems and real money auction that we overlooked just how terrible everything else is.
Fable II
The plot of this game isn't just dumb, it's actively hostile to the player. This game hates you and thinks you are stupid.
What, no AYBABTU?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FVsijmCFs50
Huh, apparently I haven’t been around the internet enough. The Monkey VS Robot one is new to me.
Cool though.
Do you have stairs in your house?
I got an entire department of non-geeky types at my former workplace hooked on TSOS when it came out. That was a hoot.
That’s not the best AYBABTU video.
Have you seen the Power Thirst Energy Drink spoof? That’s pretty hilarious. XD
Then there’s the utlimate showdown of ultimate destiny. I forget when it came out.
http://www.albinoblacksheep.com/flash/showdown
Honestly, I’ve seen all the AYBABTU videos and that is the best one, the voices match the best.
and you forgot Summoner Geeks!
http://www.haibane.info/2008/03/30/summoner-geeks/
Rebecca@4: WHAT YOU SAY!
I’ve never seen the video before, but I’m quite familiar with James Kolchaka Superstar’s Monkey vs. Robot. I loved the Terrible Secret of Space though; thanks for the catch up Shamus.
“that is incorrect. shoving will protect you. shoving will protect you from the terrible secret of space.”
Oh god that’s gonna be in my head for roughly a week minimum.
Oh those halcyon days of SA lore…
Ah, yes, it’s good to see the oldies ones in a while to remind you there was an internetz before 4chan.
Also, Star Wars kid…
I still think the best line from AYB is “Move Zig for Great Justice!”
Heh I was going to mention the Ultimate Showdown, but someone else did.
Here’s a link to the newgrounds video, where I believe it originated. It was topping the charts for months (much to the dismay of some of the newgrounds community)
http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/285267
Over 10 million views, on newgrounds alone.
I memorized the lyrics years ago, heh.
“Angels sang out,
in immaculate chorus…
Down from the heavens,
descended Chuck Norris.”
For good ol’ suck your eyes out of your head seizure bait – http://www.starterupsteve.com/seizurebots/
Shamus did you happen to see the new South Park last night. The episode, in part, was about internet Memes and how they make hypothetical money. The Numa numa guy was in it, along witha bunch others.
uh.. maybe there is a reason you get migrains? Dude!
@GreyDuck: I am protected.
Ah, nostalgia time :V
The first thing that popped into my head when seeing that title:
“WHAT YOU SAY!!”
No Badgerdance?
If we’re dredging up the past…
welcome to Zombo com!: http://zombo.com/
And who can forget Weebl’s Stuff with:
Magical Trevor: http://www.weebls-stuff.com/search/?q=trevor&x=0&y=0
Where can ya see lions? Only in Kenya!: http://www.weebls-stuff.com/toons/kenya/
And, of course… : http://www.weebls-stuff.com/toons/badgers/
mAd c0w!!!: http://www.funfreepages.com/flash/mad_cow.php
I Want a Fat Babe!: http://www.albinoblacksheep.com/flash/fatbabe
everyone else has had more sex then me: http://www.albinoblacksheep.com/flash/bunny
The insanity test: http://www.ratedo.com/articles/insanitytest/
and if you want to roll people with Numa Numa, use this link (I’m ashamed I remember its on the web… must bash brain with hammer.): http://img69.exs.cx/img69/2278/gojyone.swf
Badgerbadgerbadger definately deseves a mention.
Look up the David Blaine parody videos, too– though not if you have a low tolerance for swearing.
What’s all this movie stuff? If you’re going to pull out old memes, Joecartoon is still around with Frog in a Blender. Or you could go annoyingly old school and whip out the Hamsterdance.
“He’s gonna take you back to the past…”
Have you seen Zero Wing Rhapsody? Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen with AYBABTU lyrics.. :)
http://youtube.com/watch?v=qE6emvdmg-M
“Ultimate Showdown” may be what became the meme, but I find this one even better: http://www.albinoblacksheep.com/flash/geeks
How quickly they forget the Yodel of Life.
Yes, but what IS the terrible secret of space?? *eyes dart about frantically*
As much as I loved the badger meme… I can never truly forget The Llama Song.
Thanks for the stroll down internet memory lane Shamus.
Hey can anyone tell me where Sparta is?
What, no hamsterdance? I would link to it, but the site has been redone, and their “original song” link doesn’t point to the original song. WTC?
I had seen the other ones, but I just got exposed to “Numa Numa” a couple of months ago. I immediately had to go and buy “Dragostea Din Tei” on iTunes. My 7-year old son made me play it in the car for *weeks*.
After initially finding your site and becoming addicted through DMotR, I am surprised to not see “They’re taking the Hobbits to Isengard”
http://www.albinoblacksheep.com/flash/hobbits
ZOMG THE NUMA NUMA GUY!
I used to spend literally HOURS listening to that song when I was studying. It literally numbed your brain to the point that anything you read gets absorbed together with the fuzzy white noise.
Thanks Shamus for the nostalgic moment! :P
And I agree Tim, “Dragostea Din Tei” is addictive.
@24
I think hamsterdance was maybe the first internet meme. There were many before it that were just as worthy, but it was at the right time in the right place, just as the web was blossoming and it took the internet by storm.
I can’t think of one before it that was quite so big.
In a lot of ways, hamsterdance was also the first YTMND.
Hey, I remember one real popular animated one about a deadly roller-coaster, set to a They Might Be Giants song!! Wow, that one was awesome!! I wonder who did that one, it was totally popular for a while there!!
;)
OMG, Hamsterdance. That was HUGE back in like ’98 when internet was just getting widespread around here.
de da dee dot dee de doh doh
dee dot dee dee doh …
…yeeehaaw!…
@ BeckoningChasm:
That was pretty good. The funniest part was when some kid tried to “meme-jack” old Shamus.
Here’s a new (and very good) one:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I6IQ_FOCE6I
Can’t forget the father of our nation…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tQ8BCNj2oao
And yet, can any of these memes withstand the glorious searing light of Moskau?
What about banaphone… hamster… gah! Something!
So.
I find the Lemon Demon Ultimate Showdown song awesome and catchy…. but I find the video distasteful…. mostly because of the paedophiliac gay themes.
But why would Batman steal Indiana Jones’ gun?
It’s not in the same realm as Numa Numa, but this made me recall the extreme PvP of the Chip N’ Dales MMORPG: http://youtube.com/watch?v=mrqPhYJBoGs
The Great Dancing Grandbaby of Them All
This survives
Rather good:
The Spong Monkeys like the moon.
The Spongs also did some very entertaining ads for Quiznos. “Beware of Paper Cuts”
and
Independent
KittensWomanWhat is love?
This.
I particularly love the Empire Strikes Back Volkswagen.
Tokyo Plastic’s Drum Machine.
You may want to turn your volume down before starting each clip, since, annoyingly, most flash animations do not seem to provide volume controls.
For awhile, there was a small trend of music machines, where you were given several “instruments”. Click on one, and it would insert its sound into a continuously running loop. Eventually, you could built up very interesting little pieces.
Can’t find them now.
Oh, damn, and how can we possibly overlook
Orihime Leekspin Girl
and her strangely alluring cousin the
Loitume Girl…Moose…Dog…sort of…thingie, and her little sheeple backup dancers.
“Oboe Cop:
April 4th, 2008 at 7:59 am
Hey can anyone tell me where Sparta is?”
Yes.
The city of Sparta lies at the southern end of the central Laconian butts, on the right bank of the Eurotas River. It was a strategic site, guarded on three sides by mountains and controlling the routes by which invading armies could penetrate Laconia and the southern Peloponnesus via the Langhda Pass over Mt Taygetus. At the same time, its distance from the sea ““ Sparta was 27 miles from its seaport, Gythium ““ made it difficult to blockade.
Sparta (ΣπάÏτη, SpartÄ“) is a municipality of Laconia, Greece. It is situated on the location of ancient Sparta. Population in 2001 was 18,184, of which 14,817 lived in the town itself.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P27ZNx9ovds
My favorite meme of all time: YATTA!
http://www.albinoblacksheep.com/flash/yatta
IT’S PEANUT BUTTER JELLY TIME!!
My hometown’s baseball team (Tampa bay Rays) had a performance of that song being danced to by a man in an inflatable banana costume.