This blog post was updated on August 3, 2023.
Our relationship with the internet and the content that we post has changed and developed drastically over the years. And in the last few decades, we’ve seen our fair share of internet videos that went viral, bringing in thousands of views from audiences all over the world.
Let’s take a walk down memory lane and reminisce on the videos that made the internet what it is today.
1. Peanut Butter Jelly Time – 2002
To start, let’s note the famous Peanut Butter Jelly Time song. In the video, we see an animated banana singing and dancing to his own tune in the background. This video was seminal because it was one of the first times that the internet audience was introduced to bizarre and funny content which would foreshadow the use of the internet memes and GIFs that we see today.
2. Charlie the Unicorn – 2005
Coming in next on the list is YouTube sensation Charlie the Unicorn. This video follows the lives of three animated unicorns, two of which are filled with happiness and the other which seems more melancholy. The two unicorns try to encourage Charlie, the miserable unicorn, into embarking on a trip to Candy Mountain with them.
The trip doesn’t go as planned and Charlie is left more annoyed than he was before.
3. Everyday – 2006
In this video, Noah decides to take a picture of himself every single day for six years straight. The viewers get to see just how much he changed within those six years.
Shortly after this video caught on, many other consumers decided to make their own videos to track their change physically. It even led to a Simpsons parody!
4. Panda Sneezing – 2006
This adorable video shows an older panda and a baby panda nearby. Out of nowhere the baby panda sneezes so loudly that it scares the older panda. The video is so cute and caught plenty of attention at the time. It still remains popular, though, as a current video boasts 1.7 million views!
5. Harry Potter Puppet Pals: Mysterious Ticking Noise – 2007
Harry Potter Puppet Pals is another video that went viral due to its silly humor and ear worm of a song that burrowed into your head. The video features puppets of all the main Harry Potter characters. They sing to a ticking noise and have their own tempo with catchy lyrics. It’s a blast.
6. Chocolate Rain – 2007
Tay Zonday launched his YouTube stardom based off the interesting song Chocolate Rain. His uncomfortable mannerisms and nonsensical lyrics make for a great video that is still relevant to this day.
7. Charlie Bit My Finger – 2007
One of the most popular videos on the internet is Charlie Bit My Finger. This video stars Charlie and his older brother. Charlie, who is just an infant at the time of recording, bites his brother’s finger rather hard. The two have adorable British accents which adds to the cuteness of the overall video.
8. Keyboard Cat – 2007
Keyboard Cat has slowly become one of the most popular memes and GIFs used on social media platforms. Snippets and recreations of the original video have resurfaced in various commercials, and the Keyboard Cat even has his own Wikipedia page as well.
9. I Like Turtles – 2007
First catching attention in 2007, the famous I Like Turtles video remains relevant even 12 years later. The video stars a little boy who just got his face painted. When the newscaster asks the boy for his reaction to the festival they are at, his only response is, “I like turtles.”
This video caught much attention and was played on various television shows including Tosh.0.
And recently, he was recruited for promoting the upcoming Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie:
10. Miss Teen USA From South Carolina – 2007
This viral video is taken from the Miss Teen USA Pageant of 2007. When asked about the education system in America, Miss South Carolina’s answer is anything but coherent. The video gained so much attention, it currently has close to 68 million views on YouTube.
11. Man Throws Shoes at President Bush – 2008
At a press conference in Baghdad with the Prime Minister, a journalist emerges from the crowd and throws both of his shows at then-President Bush. The president dodges both of the shoes, however.
CBS published the video to YouTube where it has gained 3.8 million views and counting.
12. David After Dentist – 2009
David After Dentist was filmed by David’s father after the boy went to the dentist. It becomes apparent throughout the video that David must have undergone some type of procedure where he needed medication of some sort. His rambling is extremely nonsensical but makes for a great laugh.
13. Susan Boyle – 2009
With over 230 million views on YouTube, Susan Boyle’s audition on Britain’s Got Talent is one that many are familiar with because it jumpstarted her career. Give it a watch if you’ve haven’t seen it in a while – it’s impressive!
14. JK Wedding Entrance Dance – 2009
This video is one of the most iconic wedding videos to ever go viral on the internet. The wedding party organized a dance for their friend’s big day to the tune of Forever by Chris Brown. At the end of the video, the bride is seen dancing on her own until she meets her groom halfway and the two walk to the altar together.
The video even gained so much attention that it was incorporated in the popular television show The Office during the wedding of Jim and Pam, two of the show’s main characters.
15. Ain’t Nobody Got Time for That – 2012
Last on our list is a news interview with Sweet Brown that was given the auto tuned remix treatment. In the original video, a resident of an apartment complex that caught on fire was interviewed by the local media and gave very exuberant commentary.
The original video was very popular, but the auto tuned was a smash, and helped inspire the Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt theme song.
16. Numa Numa Guy – 2006
This video shows a man named Gary dancing and lip-synching to the hit song “Dragostea Din Tei.” Since the original video was posted over 15 years ago, it has accumulated 67 million views!
17. The Duck Song – 2009
Ultimately turning into a trilogy, The Duck Song started as an animated video featuring a duck that just wanted to get some grapes from a lemonade stand. The video is accompanied by an incredibly catchy song, and now currently has over 580 million views today.
18. Shakira’s “Waka Waka” -2010
Shakira’s “Waka Waka” is most known as being the official song of the 2010 FIFA World Cup. As a song and video that were broadcasted to a global audience, the video has accumulated over 3.5 billion views since its release.
19. Rebecca Black’s “Friday” – 2011
Looking forward to the weekend? Though 13-year-old Rebecca Black had no name recognition before the video’s release, the video became a pop culture hit for its time. The video, having over 165 million views now as of 2023, created a starting point for Black in the music industry, as she is still releasing music!
20. Talking Twin Babies – 2011
These adorable twin babies took the world by storm when they are seen talking to each other across the kitchen. Though it seems that they are having a full conversation, none of the language can be picked up by the everyday viewer. Talk about twin telepathy, right? This video sits at over 25 million views as of today.
21. Antoine Dodson’s “Hide Yo Kids, Hide Yo Wife” Interview – 2012
Much like Sweet Brown, Antoine Dodson was also given the autotune remix treatment, as it was a very popular trend back in the early 2010s. The remix now has more views than the original video with 153 million views.
22. Psy’s ”Gangnam Style” – 2012
This is the original music video for Psy’s “Gangnam Style.” The hit song and video were accompanied by a viral dance trend (which can be considered ahead of its time for 2012) and has currently 4.7 billion views on YouTube!
23. What Does The Fox Say? – 2013
Ylvis’s music video “The Fox”, which currently has 1.1 billion views on YouTube, became a viral sensation for its catchy lyrics and interesting music video involving several individuals dressed as different animals. Since the release of their most popular and notable song, the Norwegian comedy duo has continued to make music to this day!
24. ”Apparently” Kid – 2014
Noah Ritter, the adorable 6-year-old in attendance at the Wayne County Fair, stole the show when he was interviewed about his experience. Almost 10 years later, the video has over 64 million views.
25. Lady Laughing in Chewbacca Mask – 2016
This video includes 37-year-old Texan woman Candace Payne recalling her busy afternoon, as well as her pure excitement from her most recent Kohl’s purchase, a Chewbacca mask! She proceeds to put the mask on and starts uncontrollably laughing at herself. This hilarious video has accumulated over 13 million views and is still referred to today!
26. Children Interrupt BBC News Interview – 2017
In the world of Zoom interviews, there is bound to be some interruption, right? That was the case for Professor Robert Kelly when he was interrupted by his two children during his BBC news interview. Kelly was able to keep his composure and complete the interview successfully. This video sits at just over 55 million views.
27. The Ping Pong Trick Shot Series– 2017
Notable YouTuber Dude Perfect’s Ping Pong Trick Shot series includes a variety of clips of this comedy group making ping pong balls into cups. The videos also include a variety of props and costumes to make the shots more interesting (and impressive!). The third trick shot video is the comedy group’s most popular with 319 million views currently.
28. Walmart Yodel Kid – 2018
Mason Ramsey’s career started with this video of his younger self yodeling to “Lovesick Blues” by Hank Williams in his local Walmart. The now 16-year-old has since launched a full-blown country music career and has even featured on viral songs like Lil Nas X’s “Old Town Road.”
29. ”Yerushalayim” by the Miami Boys Choir – 2022
Initially a performance from April of 2008, The Miami Boys Choir has since resurfaced and popularized on TikTok for their performance of “Yerushalayim.” Since then the rotating group that specializes in “Orthodox pop” has continued to do live performances and gain media traction for their organization!
30. Corn Kid – 2022
This video, much like that of Sweet Brown and Antoine Dodson’s autotune remixes, Tariq, or “corn kid” has had an interview go viral and even turned into a song. The original video includes Tariq talking about how much he loves corn. Since then, the video has been given the autotune remix treatment and now has over 30 million views on YouTube!
31. Dog of Wisdom – 2015
With a whopping 82 MILLION views, dog of wisdom is a video often quoted by some of it’s biggest fans (including our Marketing Director, Sarah). Featuring a unique animation style, it has gone to be remixed into several popular TikTok audios and more.
