K Is for Kidding Around: #10YearsofYouTube

May 12, 2015

Eight years ago this month, Charlie bit his brother Harry’s finger... again. Little did their parents know what would happen when they showed the world their son’s voracious appetite for his brother’s digit. Not only did the clip of Charlie’s chomping go viral, it’s now been watched nearly 820 million times. That’s roughly equivalent to every person in Brazil watching it four times a piece. It’s also a total view count that makes it the 11th most viewed video in YouTube’s history, and the most-viewed non-music video of all time.

And so began the viral sensation that is kidding around on YouTube.

Whether it’s David wondering “Is this real life?” after his dental visit in 2009 or twin babies conversing in their own secret language in 2011, viewers around the world can’t get enough of the cuteness, even several years later. (Together, these videos received nearly 2 million views just last month.)

And while most of these silly, smile-inducing clips come courtesy of random, candid moments at home, some creators are taking kidding around to the next level. A couple years ago, Soul Pancake introduced the world to the pint-sized, infectiously optimistic Kid President, who told us, “I think we all need a pep talk.” That three-and-a-half minute inspirational video has now been viewed more than 35 million times and led to an invitation for the Kid Prez (aka Robby Novak) to meet another president -- Barack Obama. To date, Soul Pancake’s Kid President videos have amassed more than 100 million views.

Needless to say, be it Apparently Kid somehow managing to take over a local newscast or a dad turning his kid into his own superhero, the spirit of kidding around is alive and well on YouTube and keeps us all feeling young at heart.



-- Marc Hertz

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