Posted by YouTube user Hungrybear back in January, this video remained relatively obscure after its posting until comedian Jimmy Kimmel came across it and tweeted it early in July. Within a day, it was picked up by the Huffington Post, and from there it truly went viral.
Hungry Bear is an ex-firefighter who purchased and lives on a farm near Yosemite National Park. One day he went out his front door and witnessed a double rainbow in the sky, and his shock and awe at the sight, including breaking down into tears, was outrageously funny. Very sincere, though not clearly sober, Hungry Bear and his double rainbow joy have inspired numerous parodies. Classic lines include "Oh my god … it's so bright and vivid!and his thought-provoking question, "What does this mean?"
The Man Your Man Could Smell Like
In one of the most successful examples of viral marketing, Old Spice created internet gold. The commercial aired first during the Super Bowl and became wildly popular. It spawned even more commercials and a webpage to match the off-beat humor of the original.
Starring Isaiah Mustafa, a former NFL wide receiver, the video is a comical appeal to women to get their boyfriends to smell as good as the subject of the commercial. Delivered completely deadpan, Mustafa goes through hilarious random setting changes, and is constantly forcing a comparison to himself. The catch? Regardless of smell, not too many dudes can compare to the man with "two tickets to that thing you like," with diamonds on a boat riding on a horse.
This hilarious video, taken from an actual Huntsville, Ala., newscast, popped up around the end of the summer, and spread like wildfire on the internet. The actual story was about a burglary and attempted assault that Antoine Dodson was able to stop. But that wasn't the focus of those internettastemakers, more known for their dark humor than their political correctness.
While the subject matter itself is certainly not funny, one can't help but laugh at Dodson's over-the-top reaction to it. Spawning catchphrases like "Hide yo' wife, hide yo' kids," and "You are so dumb. You are really really dumb," Dodson makes an unnecessary spectacle, on TV no less. Needless to say, the video became a quick classic. For even more laughs check out the auto-tuned song version of the video.
One of the earliest viral videos of the year that you might have forgotten about, this clip from American Idol quickly took on a life of its own. The video features an Idol contestant who pretty clearly should never have made it on TV. Those are often obviously the most entertaining people on the show.
The contestant in question delivers a half spoken song criticizing those youth who wear their hats to the side, and walk around with their pants on the ground. It's a riot. The judges couldn't contain their own laughter watching him perform, and when he starts to break out the dance moves, it's almost too much.
This poor girl was a contestant on "Amazing Race." That was probably her first problem. Early this school year a clip previewing the newest season of the series showcased a tragic misfortune. It took no time for this video to spread, and the lady in question even got airtime on national television to talk about the incident.
For whatever reason, this woman was operating a watermelon catapult/sling-shot device of some sort, trying to hit suits of armor. Things went terribly awry when the device failed to shoot the watermelon forward, and instead threw it back, into her face, at high speed. Watch it. It may not be for those who can't find some humor in another's misfortune, but for the rest of us, it's pretty priceless.
