YouTube just turned 16 years old last week which now means we need to celebrate and have a Sweet Sixteen for YouTube. Since February 14th, 2005, YouTube has been a place where people can watch viral videos, music videos, movie trailers and anything stupid and funny. YouTube has evolved over the years as it now has its own TV promotion on the site and you can literally rent or buy any show or movie on the site. With this is mind it’s best I tell you what we are doing here today. Since YouTube is 16 years old I thought why not give YouTube a big list and talk about some of the most Iconic videos that has ever been uploaded onto YouTube. Now to be on this list the video had to been “viral” at some point and it has to have left a huge impact onto the world, just kidding it just needs to be iconic. Now there will be some stuff that will not count on this list. Number one I will not be counting movie trailers or scenes from certain films or TV shows. Also no music videos as videos like Baby, Friday, Gangnam Style and Despacito might be some of the biggest music videos of all time on YouTube and went viral, but then so are all of the big hit videos of the last 15 years would be on this list as well. Oh and usually we do a Top 10 on the website but because there are so many viral videos that became iconic, this list needs to be bigger. Since YouTube been around for 16 years it is best that we do a Top 16 list. Comment below what iconic YouTube video you love the most and let’s get this Sweet Sixteen underway, or in this case let’s countdown and rank the Top 16 Most Iconic YouTube Videos of All Time.
Top 16 Most Iconic YouTube Videos of All Time
16. Harlem Shake – 8 years ago a trend was born and everyone had to be a part of this trend. One of the most legendary memes became a viral sensation on YouTube and many YouTuber’s and celebrities would go on and continue the trend including The Backstreet Boys, the 2013 Miami Heat, Jimmy Fallon, the New Girl cast, Stephen Colbert and so much more. It all started with one viral video however and it since has become an iconic meme/YouTube video. The Harlem Shake 1st original video created by Joji on his DizastaMusic channel became a viral video overnight and it included the character “Pink Guy” from the Filthy Frank Show. The premise of this video is simple, 4 dudes in weird costumes dancing to Bauuer’s Harlem Shake. But then once the beat drops the dance becomes ridiculous and everyone begins to do the “Bernie Lean”. The video brought in so many spinoffs that at one point in 2013 you literally couldn’t go on YouTube or any social media platform without seeing someone doing their own Harlem Shake video. Talk about becoming “Iconic”. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8vJiSSAMNWw
15. Me at the Zoo – You might not remember this video as it came out in the early years of YouTube. Now if you do know what video this is then you know why it is on this list. Me at the Zoo was uploaded by “jawed” and it’s a 18 second video of him explaining something about elephants. Now you might be wondering to yourself, what makes this video so iconic and why it is on this list, and if you are asking that then well you are in for a shock. “Jawed” is actually one of the co-founders of YouTube, Jawed Karim and this video is the very 1st YouTube video ever. I think it’s safe to say that it’s best to put the co-founder on this list knowing that his video has been viewed over 152 million times and if that isn’t safe enough to call it a legendary iconic videos then I don’t know what will. History was made with this video and without it there would be no YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jNQXAC9IVRw
14. Ain’t Nobody Got Time for That – Admit it, you all said the iconic line when reading it just now. “Ain’t Nobody Got Time for That” might not had been the most viral video of all time but it sure left a huge impact on YouTube. The video is actually a clip from a news telecast of a fire that happened in an apartment complex. We then cut to the woman who apartment was on fire and then the words from her mouth became viral, but of course we all know the saying aka “Ain’t Nobody Got Time for That”. Kimberly “Sweet Brown” Wilkins, the woman being interviewed, became an iconic face on YouTube that her interview became auto toned on YouTube and it became a viral hit for a while. Since that interview Sweet Brown made a cameo appearance in Tyler Perry’s A Madea Christmas, has been featured on The View and was even featured on Jimmy Kimmel. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zGxwbhkDjZM
13. Potter Puppet Pals: The Mysterious Ticking Noise – Harry Potter is an iconic name in his own right but a certain YouTube video made him even more iconic but this time in puppet form. Potter Puppet Pals: The Mysterious Ticking Noise was one of the most viewed videos back in 2007. The video consists of Harry Potter characters in puppet form saying their names in synch with a ticking noise. Now back then this video alone was one of the most beloved videos on YouTube and it was so big that it even won an award in the 2008 YouTube Awards. The video was so popular that Daniel Radcliffe and Allan Rickman, Harry Potter and Snape, both mentioned in an interview how popular it was and that it was beautifully done. You know your video went places when the people who brought the characters to life are talking about their puppet characters and the video they were in. Since then the Potter Puppet Pals began their own YouTube channel. The video itself at this point has over 195 million views. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tx1XIm6q4r4&t=5s
12. JK Wedding Entrance Dance – You know your video is going to be iconic when it is parodied and featured on The Office. Jill Peterson and Kevin Heinz’s wedding day became infamous thanks to this amazing entrance. The dance included Chris Brown’s “Forever” and the whole dancing sequence became a surprise to all that attended the wedding. Within the first 48 hours of being uploaded, the video was viewed over 3.5 million times, making it a viral video. The video now has over 101 million views and has been parodied many times within YouTube and pop culture. It was parodied in The Office episode “Niagara” during Jim and Pam’s wedding ceremony and T-Mobile uploaded a parody video of the viral hit but this time it included Prince William and Kate Middleton, talk about a Royal Wedding Entrance Dance parody. The JK Wedding Dance is one of the most iconic videos for a reason as it was a fun moment that happened during a wedding ceremony and just put onto YouTube for all to see. I wonder how many people had their own Wedding Entrance Dance thanks to this video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-94JhLEiN0
11. Ultimate Dog Tease – There have been many viral animals on YouTube like Keyboard Cat, Grumpy Cat, the Dramatic Chipmunk and the sneezing Panda Bear, but a talking dog won my heart. Ultimate Dog Tease is a video that became a viral sensation overnight as it is a man talking to his dog and teasing him with food he ate from the fridge. The video dubs in a voice of the dog talking back and getting upset with his owner that he ate all the food in the fridge and didn’t give him any. It gained over 15 million views in just its 1st two weeks of being uploaded. The dog’s face in this video really makes it so much funnier as it really looks like the human and the dog are having a real conversation and the way the dog looks at the camera is priceless. The video is hitting its 10th anniversary soon and at this point it has over 203 million views. Now we have seen people make cute animals or any animal in general talk but by far this one is the cutest and the video itself is legendary. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nGeKSiCQkPw
10. Leave Britney Alone – Oh Chris Crocker, we can sure use a sequel to this video after the Framing Britney Spears documentary came out. While the original video itself is no longer on the site, the “Leave Britney Alone” video was at one point the most parodied and talked about video online. Chris Crocker made a video after the MTV Video Music Awards back in 2007 and he was pretty much telling people to leave Britney Spears alone after her very unusual performance at the award show. Within 2 days of being uploaded, the video gained 4.4 million views and later international media coverage, parodies and even some backlash from Crocker himself. Before the original video was deleted, it gained over 35 million views. It was also even nominated for the Commentary category in the 2007 YouTube Awards. Leave Britney Alone defiantly is a big part of YouTube’s history as it was one of the platform’s most viral videos during its 1st few years. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ElXi7yDHyWo
9. Star Wars Kid – This one video became the very 1st viral video in YouTube’s history. Star Wars Kid is a video where 15 year old Ghyslain Raza is wielding a golf ball retriever and pretending that it is a lightsaber from the popular film franchise, Star Wars. The video was not meant to come out to the public but when it did it was a viral sensation. Not only that but it was parodied hard in pop culture. Shows like American Dad, Family Guy, Ned’s Declassified School Survival Guide, The Venture Bros., The Office, Cory in the House, South Park and Arrested Development all parodied the video in their own way. The video was also spoofed in Weird Al Yankovic’s music video for the song “White and Nerdy”. Now while the video was a huge viral hit, Raza became victim of bullying/cyberbullying because of the video. He however has used the video to help speak on the effects of his bullying and harassment. At least there is a positive light for this legendary YouTube video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HPPj6viIBmU
8. Chocolate Rain – While I did say earlier that I will not be including any music videos on this list, this kind of can get away with being on here as it technically isn’t a music video but it is at the same time. Chocolate Rain by Tay Zonday is by far the most iconic “YouTube” music video of all time. The song and the video itself has become legendary overtime and even brought fame to the young YouTuber. At this point the video itself has over 129 million views and is considered by many as the greatest YouTube video ever. The video has been parodied by thousands of people including John Mayer and Darth Vader. The song and Tay Zonday found its way in a Dr. Pepper commercial in which Tay Zonday spoofs his own song and sings “Cherry Chocolate Rain”. Now apparently the song is a metaphor for racism against African Americans in the United States and if you look deep into the song’s lyrics you can defiantly see that metaphor. Chocolate Rain has gone down to be one of YouTube’s most famous videos of all time and one of the most iconic videos of all time. Quick shout out to Tay Zonday for following me at one point on Twitter. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EwTZ2xpQwpA
7. David After Dentist – Anything can be viral on YouTube and back then filming your kid after getting oral surgery while on anesthesia was something that will bring in so much media attention. David After Dentist shows a 7 year old boy who is just waking up from anesthesia and he is asking his father questions as he is trying to figure out what is wrong with him. What comes next is a minute and a half of pure comedy banter between David and his father. The video became an internet phenomenon and either appeared in multiple talk shows or was parodied or mentioned in multiple television shows. The video has over 139 million views and has become a legendary video on YouTube. The video found some criticism from people who were angry with the fact that the father filmed his 7 year old son high on drugs but that didn’t stop the video from becoming a viral sensation and become one of the most iconic videos of all time. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=txqiwrbYGrs
6. Charlie the Unicorn – There have been many weird videos uploaded onto YouTube but Charlie the Unicorn is by far the weirdest, although Don’t Hug Me I’m Scared is a close 2nd. Charlie the Unicorn is a animated comedy short film created by Jason Steele where Charlie, a lazy unicorn, follows two other unicorns on an adventure to a mythical land called Candy Mountain. The short film became a viral sensation on YouTube and it would later gain multiple sequels that also became viral, not as viral as the original but still they gained millions of views. The original Charlie the Unicorn video however has since reached over 68 million views and many YouTube fans from YouTube’s glory days praise this video for its randomness. To think this video was only created for Steele’s mother for her birthday and yet it would later become a legendary video in YouTube’s history. I remember watching this video constantly with my sister and to this day we quote the video from time to time. It’s also worth noting that while Charlie the Unicorn has lost some popularity overtime, it is still one of the most iconic YouTube videos to come out of the site and to this day it will be remembered as one of the weirdest videos of all time. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q5im0Ssyyus
5. The Screaming Sheep – We all know about this video thanks to Vine but its original origins came from YouTube. The Screaming Sheep video is only 7 seconds long but what followed after this video is an internet sensation that not only became viral, but literally became an iconic meme. This little video was everywhere from internet memes, vines, to even being parodied in some films including most recently Ralph Breaks the Internet. What makes this video so iconic is the simple thing about it; it’s just a sheep that has a human like scream. Now many know about this video thanks to the Taylor Swift parody where in the chorus of Taylor Swift’s song, I Knew You Were Trouble, the sheep scream comes in and another internet viral video was born. The original Screaming Sheep video has over 35 million views and while it’s not the most views for a viral video, it is the simple fact that this little sheep that would constantly get mistaken for a goat became an icon over night just by having a very weird scream. There nothing more to mention about this icon as the sheep says it best when it screams. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SIaFtAKnqBU
4. Evolution of Dance – An internet sensation and icon of YouTube was created in 2006 as Evolution of Dance was at one point the most viewed video of all time on YouTube. The video shows Judson Laipply dancing to some very popular songs with popular dances. Within its first 8 months on the website, the video gained 70 million views, making it the most viewed video at the time and since 2007 the video has been viewed over 308 million times. Evolution of Dance would find a couple more sequels that weren’t as viral and popular as the original but Judson Laipply got his name out there by doing something fun and cool. Now the video itself has been parodied in multiple shows, most notably The Office when Andy performed the video, but the video has found multiple parodies on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon in which he made up a few Evolution of Dances including Mom Dancing and Hip Hop Dancing. Ironically those videos would go viral but no one will ever touch how extremely popular the original Evolution of Dance was. Judson Laipply is a motivational speaker and recently during the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, Laipply uploaded a video teaching us how to do the Evolution of Dance. You know you are still relevant and cool when people to this day are still talking about your video and how iconic it is. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dMH0bHeiRNg&t=7s
3. Antoine Dodson (Hide Your Kids, Hide You Wife) aka The Bed Intruder Song – You couldn’t go onto social media without seeing not only this interview but the auto toned version that would later become a song. While the circumstances behind the video is a very serious situation, it’s the fact that the interview Dodson had became viral and later auto toned into a song that somehow managed to make its way onto the Billboard Hot 100 list, talk about being legendary. The Bed Intruder Song has been viewed by over 149 million times and the interview itself has been viewed at least over 100 million times. Antoine Dodson has since become a YouTube icon and has even started a singing career. Since the video first came out, it has found its way into pop culture as it was featured on Tosh.O, Lopez Tonight, The Cleveland Show and Dodosn himself found himself in a cameo appearance in A Madea Christmas where he utter the famous lines of “Hide Your Kids, Hide Your Wives”. If you don’t know who Antoine Dodson is or if you don’t know the famous interview that later became a viral hit song then you really need to do some research and check out this video right now. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hMtZfW2z9dw
2. Numa Numa – 2006 had a lot of viral videos as you can see but none of them are as iconic as Gary Brolsma Numa Numa dance video. The video titled “Numa Numa” has gone down to become one of the most recognizable videos of all time and one of the most popular. In fact the video was viewed worldwide in many different platforms for almost more than 700 million times. The video is just Gary lip singing O-Zone’s “Dragostea Din Tei” and doing a dance that later would be parodied so many times. Hell even Brolsma created a contest called the “New Numa Contest” in which he would give $45,000 to anyone with a great Numa Numa dance parody. Now while I can’t back up this fact I believe that this video spawned the creation of Lip Singing videos as soon after there were many YouTubers lip singing popular songs including Nigahiga, Smosh, Keenan Cahill and much more. If that fact is true and if anyone can back me up on it then Gary created a new type of video that would later become viral, so great job Numa Numa guy. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KmtzQCSh6xk
1. Charlie Bit My Finger – There is no question on what the most “Iconic” YouTube video of all time is as we all should have guessed Charlie Bit My Finger. The video is 56 seconds long where a father films his two sons and one of his sons is putting his finger in his little brother’s mouth and bites it. It is one of the cutest videos ever and the most well known video on YouTube. There are so many things I could say about this video. For instance it was at one point the most viewed video of all time on YouTube and at this point has over 879 million views. This video popped up everywhere as at one point it was even one of the most watched videos on the internet. The kids are so famous that they have even been asked for autographs. That right there puts them in legendary status. The video was referenced almost everywhere from Jimmy Kimmel Live to The Office, this video was legit everywhere. I looked up the video on Wikipedia and I am not even kidding but it said that Osama Bin Laden had the video in his computer’s visual/audio collection, like the most wanted man of all time liked the video so much that he kept the audio and visuals on his computer!!! I don’t need to say anything else about this iconic, legendary video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_OBlgSz8sSM
Thank you so much for checking out this list and if you have the time then please check out the video form in which we celebrate and put on a Sweet Sixteen for YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BrgQiDCUL7k&feature=youtu.be
Honorable Mentions
Keyboard Cat Daft Hands Double Rainbow Dramatic Chipmunk I Like Turtles
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