A FAMILIAR MEME. A NEW CONTEXT.
A huge internet flash-mob trend from early 2013 set to Baauer's track. Each clip began with one person dancing calmly, then on the beat drop the whole group burst in wearing ridiculous costumes, making it one of the most recognizable trends of its time.
Add your captionThe editor opens with this picture. You can download the finished meme as a PNG.
The illustration used for this article shows a dog and a tiger at the edge of a round watering trough or pool of water. The dog, on the left, dark brown with pointed ears, looks at the animal, while the tiger on the right rests its paws on the edge and reaches toward the water. The background consists of wooden structures and enclosure fencing.
The picture is a photograph of animals, not a still from the flash-mob. The connection to the topic comes from the article's title and the format's mechanics: the meme's structure is built on the contrast between a calm opening and sudden chaos, neither of which is present in the shot. So the image should be taken as an illustration of the general theme of fun rather than as a document of the trend.
The basis for the flash-mob was the track "Harlem Shake" by producer Baauer, released in 2012. The track is built on a distinctive beat and a short vocal sample, which made it convenient for short clips. The name refers to the New York City neighborhood of the same name and its street culture, though the 2013 flash-mob drew on the ready-made format rather than any historical choreography.
The format began spreading in early February 2013 after the first videos were posted on YouTube. The video that set the template and is most often cited in reference materials is linked to a specific creator, though confirming his priority unambiguously is difficult: in that period similar videos appeared almost simultaneously in different countries. The author of all the earliest versions can't be established, so the details of the trend's origin remain unsettled.
A typical video consists of two parts. In the first fifteen seconds, one participant dances in the center of the frame while everyone else calmly goes about their business: reading, eating, or working at a computer. This part sets up a comic contrast, since the viewer sees that no one is paying attention to the strange person.
When the main beat drops, the whole group appears in frame wearing ridiculous costumes, masks, or helmets, moving chaotically. The point is the sharp shift from the mundane to madness. Participants included offices, sports teams, school classes, military units, and students, with each new video trying to outdo the previous one in absurdity.
Over a few weeks in February 2013, thousands of videos appeared, and the trend spread beyond the English-speaking internet. In Russia and other countries, schools, companies, and student groups copied it, filming their own versions. Baauer's track topped the UK singles chart, a rare example of an internet meme directly affecting the music charts.
The flash-mob quickly became a subject of media discussion, with some seeing it as an example of collective fun and others as an instance of shallow fad behavior. Interest faded by spring, but the format itself remained part of cultural memory: "Harlem Shake" is still remembered as one of the first mass internet trends of the social-media era.
The meme's main mechanism is surprise. The contrast between the sleepy opening and the sudden explosion creates tension that releases as laughter. This rhythm is easy to reproduce and understandable without explanation, which is why clips could be filmed at home in a couple of minutes.
Collectiveness also played a role: participants showed they were willing to look silly together, and that brought people closer. The flash-mob was a shared gesture rather than a contest of individuals, which explains its mass scale and the speed with which it was copied across all kinds of groups.
A meme of John Travolta as Vincent Vega in Pulp Fiction, throwing up his hands and looking around in bewilderment. Used as a universal reaction to an awkward or confusing situation
Read the story
A western lowland gorilla at the Cincinnati Zoo, shot dead in May 2016 after a child climbed into his enclosure. The story went global, and his name became a meme, often used to vo
Read the story
Three light-colored wolves against an autumn forest: the left and right ones have their mouths wide open, while the middle one squints and looks to the side. The image reads as a g
Read the story
An ironic phrase mocking human stupidity by comparing people to dolphins. A smiling dolphin is set against humans who do pointless things and argue over nothing, so it works as a c
Read the story
A line from the song "Shoma the Tiger" by North Ossetian artist Asyan that became a TikTok sound in mid-2021. It jokes about people stubbornly insisting on their position despite h
Read the story
A crude Russian caption for a photo of a German shepherd by the sea at sunset, with a huge ghostly second dog's head faintly showing above it. The author of the edit and the source
Read the story
Fiona, a hippo at the Cincinnati Zoo (USA), who became a social media star thanks to her photogenic looks and lively personality. Born prematurely, she drew public attention, and l
Read the story
A picture of a white cat whose body has been stretched dozens of times over in Photoshop. It's posted in comments as a joke, forcing everyone to scroll for ages to find where the c
Read the story
A stylized persona from youth culture that started on VKontakte in the mid-2010s and became a TikTok dance trend in 2020. Its jokes play on tracksuits, sharp hand gestures, dancing
Read the story
“Bara Bara Bara Bere Bere Bere” is the chorus of a Brazilian song that became a hit in Europe around 2012. The picture shows two gray 3D figures and short captions above and below;
Read the story
Baron Zemo, the antihero of Marvel's The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, suddenly dances in a nightclub. The short clip became a joke about hidden triumph, set to different music in
Read the story
A short clip of a white cat nodding its head to a beat, known as CatJAM and Vibing Cat. It is used as a reaction to good music, pleasant news or a moment of quiet contentment.
Read the story
A Britney Spears video of dancing with prop knives sparked discussion in September 2023. The singer clarified the props were fake, so the meme works on performance surprise rather
Read the story
The catchy chorus of Christell's song "Dubidubidu," which became a hit meme in late 2023. It's used as a sound loop for videos of swaying cats and other repetitive, charming dances
Read the story