Nyan Cat is old: 10 viral videos for YouTube’s 10th birthday

MANILA, Philippines – YouTube is 10 years old. Let that sink in for a minute. Its domain was registered a decade ago on February 14, when you were probably living a life pretty different from what it is now.

There’s a good chance you’ve uploaded at least one video on this social media platform, be it for a school or work project, or as part of your grand plan to bag instant (yet fleeting) fame. There’s an even greater chance you’ve watched at least one YouTube video today.

There’s no way around it; the platform houses all kinds of videos from all kinds of people, from amateur musicians doing cover songs, to clips of presidential press cons, to DIY instructions on making bracelets out of toothbrushes. 

Of course, some videos get watched way, way, way more than others. So, in honor of YouTube turning the big 1-0, here are 10 classic videos that helped make the site the smorgasbord of randomness it is today:

Nyan Cat

When a Flash cartoon of a cat wearing a Poptart as it speeds through space, singing incessantly, with a rainbow coming out of its butt is one of YouTube’s most famous videos, you can tell what kind of site YouTube is. 

 

Trololo

The name Eduard Khil might not ring any bells for most people, but you’re probably familiar with his jolly, throaty singing, and the bizarre video he stars in. Who knew this 70s-era clip of him on TV in the former Soviet Union would be the tune of a very different generation? 

 

HEYYEYAAEYAAAEYAEYAA

There’s no point in trying to describe this video. Just watch it. Drown yourself in the moment. 

 

Ain’t nobody got time fo’ dat! 

This is one of the Autotune videos that started it all. When one netizen turned an amusing interview of Kimberly Wilkins (better known as Sweet Brown) into the kind of super-catchy song you can’t help but clap your hands to, you have to thank the stars for Autotune. 

 

G.I. Joe PSA spoofs

One thing YouTube has the upper hand on compared to other social media platforms (with the exception of major weirdo Tumblr) is its love for the absurd. It’s a great place to house the funniest, most random media out there; the kind of stuff you really won’t see anywhere else. Case in point: the G.I. Joe PSA spoofs, which are flat-out ridiculous. 

 

Terry Crews’ Old Spice commericals 

Intensity, thy name is Terry Crews. Nobody else can capture out-and-out machismo while still poking fun at himself than this man, and thanks to YouTube, people outside of the US can enjoy his crazy deodorant commercials to their hearts’ content. 

 

Chocolate Rain

How did you feel the first time you heard this tiny guy sing with that super-low, super-sultry voice? This guy is the predecessor of the likes of Susan Boyle, whose voices don’t really match their physical appearances. 

 

Miss South Carolina’s Q&A

We’ve long been fascinated by beauty pageant Q&As, way before YouTube even existed, but when Miss South Carolina Teen USA Caitlin Upton gave that mind-meltingly incoherent answer about reading US maps, it helped make YouTube the go-to site for viewing the worst public moments of many strangers’ lives. 

 

Leave Britney alone!

Britney Spears’ disastrous comeback performance at the 2007 MTV Video Music Awards got many of her fans defensive online, but none more so than Chris Crocker, whose tear-streaked hysterics got him worldwide attention. Fun fact: Did you know he used to be a porn actor?

 

Me at the zoo

And to round this all up, let’s go back to where it all began. “Me at the zoo” was the very first video ever uploaded on YouTube, and while these 19 seconds of mundane footage may not seem like much now, it deserves a proper nod for starting the audio-visual gloriousness that we now take for granted. 

 

We know we’ve barely scratched the surface when it comes to YouTube’s best viral videos, so help us out! Send us the videos you think encapsulate the fun and randomness that is YouTube in the comments section! – Rappler.com