“How are you gentlemen. All your base are belong to us” is a quote found in the english translation of the 1989 Japanese video game “Zero Wing” and is one of he modern internet’s first widely spread internet memes.
The game’s introduction contains one of the best knows examples of poorly translated Japanese language, commonly know as “Engrish”. Engrish is found on signs and notices throughout the east and have become known for its bad spelling, worse grammar, and hilariously unintentional double entendres.
In early 1998 an animated GIF of the introductory scene was posted to the Rage Games website. The clip was soon reposted the the Zany Video Game Quotes website, where it began to gain traction. In the year 2000, Overclock.org began the Zero Wing Dub Project which added home-roled voice acting and sound effects to the original video. This would become one of the internets first response videos.
Three months later, AYBABTU would infect the SomethingAwful forums, a then popular destination for viewers with exceptional Photoshop skills and plenty of time on their hands. A forum thread dealing with AYBABTU exploded with over 2000 image contributions. On November 14th, 2000, a electonic band by the name of The Laziest Men on Mars released a track entitled “Invasion of the Gabba Robots” which sampled some of the original music from Zero Wing and a synthesized voice chanting “All your base are belong to us”.
The song was used in a GIF animation that showcased the introductory sequence of the video game, the new techno track, and a selection of the best photoshopped images of the popular phrase. This would become the definitive version of the “All Your Base” video that would be passed on from then on.
In the Spring of 2001, All Your Base would be picked up and reported by several mainstream news sources, becoming one of the first true internet memes to be given coverage outside of the internet from whence it was born and crossing into popular culture. From there, the meme quickl spread around the real world.
Recent trend-surveys indicate that searches for the All Your Base meme is at an all time low since its inception, showing that even the best of memes can outlive their welcome or usefulness, but for those early internet adopters with a penchant for Engrish, 8-bit retro graphics and a funky techno beat, there will always be a soft spot in our hearts for the wonderfulness that once was “All Your Base Are Belong To Us”.
What makes a viral video? While there’s no how-to guide for internet fame, there is one important recurring sentiment: the video is worth sharing. Presented for your pleasure are my picks for TOP TEN VIRAL VIDEOS!
10. MORTAL KOMBAT THEME
Now this is what it’s all about. A couple of kids having some good clean fun on circa ’05 youtube. Without these lovable morons to inspire a generation on attention-seeking internet idiots, youtube may not be the powerhouse it is today. Truly a classic.
9. JENNIFER IS A PARTY POOPER
Flula’s questionable grasp of English colloquialisms makes for instant comedy.
8. CHARLIE THE UNICORN
Silly though it may be, it’s hard not to appreciate the effort put forth by FilmCow to bring us this tale of unicorns and betrayal.
7. CHOCOLATE RAIN
A cheesy little ditty with enough guts to venture into themes of modern racism present in our society, enough heart to laugh at itself, and enough sense to move away from the microphone to breathe.
6. GRAPE LADY
Probably the most heartless of my selections. Had I known when I first saw this that the reporter was injured quite severely (at least a few broken ribs) I would’ve probably not enjoyed it as much. But, in my assumption that she was overacting and the video’s already virulent nature, I laughed with the rest of the world.
5. OK GO – HERE IT GOES AGAIN
Not to sound jaded, but this video restored a little bit of my faith in the music video industry. Before, you had two sorts of videos: pop videos with complex dance choreography and enough frenetic editing to negate the choreography, or slow, introspective weepy videos of sad teenagers leaning on things. OK Go broke the mold with some treadmills and an unimpressive backdrop with a static camera angle AND WON A FRIGGIN GRAMMY FOR BEST VIDEO. The song’s catchy, too.
4. Tunak Tunak Tun
Challenged to create a video that would become popular without including hot chicks to look at, Daler Mendhi dances with himself in probably the most awesome way to dance with yourself without getting booked on an obscenity charge.
3. Chinese Backstreet Boys – That Way
Another from the two-guys-on-youtube-oh-five vault, two friends lip-sync to a popular boy band hit while another roommate appears to be oblivious to the situation. The sort of fun that can only be found online.
2. CANON ROCK
Another early youtube favorite, this one spread like crazy with the young player’s supreme show of rock godliness.
1. ALL YOUR BASE ARE BELONG TO US
Pre-dating youtube by at least half a decade and remaining well known to the present day, this is the grand-daddy of viral videos.
With the big game comes big pressures. The audience is massive, and viewers scrutinize every move and are quick to praise or, more likely, criticize. This is true for the athletes as well as the advertisers.
How did advertisers handle the challenge? This year, continuing a brand-friendly trend, they played it safe with several using proven concepts and techniques, and spending significant time and testing.
Not surprisingly, the quality of the Super Bowl 46 advertising was generally high with little to offend the masses. A majority of criticism lies with what appears to be a lack of creativity or groundbreaking material, but ultimately most advertising accomplished what was important.
Here follows, in no particular order, some of the better Super Bowl ads for 2012, and some of the worst.
THE BEST
While dominating the list, it’s hard to call this one a legitimate Super Bowl ad, as both a teaser and the full length commercial were released on the web before its gametime broadcast. I’ll let it slide as that may have been part of the marketing anyway.
The commercial ties our emotional connection with a classic film to a Honda vehicle. The commercial avoid wrapping itself up too much in a Ferris Bueller remake and leaves room for the CRV to enjoy some limelight. We’re left with a happy feeling all over, except the strange emptiness when we wonder what happened to Cameron and Sloane.
It is a bit of a surprise to see Skechers in the top group of advertisers on the Super Bowl. This brand is a regular on the game, but often near the bottom of the list.
The spot clearly communicated a benefit: speed. And it did so in a playful manner, with a tone that fit the Super Bowl environment.
Dannon’s spot avoided going over-the-top and stuck to a simple story line. A couple enjoys a tasty cup of Oikos yogurt. The lady wallops the guy to defend her share: the yogurt is just that good.
Let’s give Dannon credit for strong branding, fresh execution, and reminding America that John Stamos will still be best remembered as Uncle Jesse.
Chrysler was once again one of the biggest surprises. First, the ad ran during halftime, which is unusual since most national ads run during the game itself. The timing, of course, was critical to the overall message. Second, Chrysler didn’t release any information in advance, a sharp departure from most advertisers. It was an eagerly anticipated spot in the advertising world. Third, the ad delivered an unexpected message: it’s halftime in America and we’re going to rebound through hard work and determination.
Clearly a fan favorite, why is this commercial not topping the list? Two things:
1. It’s a bit awkward to explain how the American worker is bringing this country around. Chrysler would be sunk if it weren’t for government intervention and they know it.
2. Possibly to make up for the first point, it isn’t that much of a commercial for Chrysler except for the last few seconds.
THE WORST
Remember when I said this year’s commercials lacked big ideas? Well, godaddy lacks any kind of ideas. What worked last year? Boobs. What worked for the last ten years? Boobs.
Don’t get me wrong, we gentlemen love our boobs. But in the internet wonderland we all inhabit it isn’t hard to find good boobs. The dream sequence above prompts us to leave our couches, not to log onto godaddy.com, but to find better boobs elsewhere.
All that comes to mind watching this ad is a failed attempt at humor. Imagine a cable technician. His job is to bring you quality entertainment, but he spends his afternoons spouting Borat quotes because he’s still convinced they are funny. It isn’t and we hate him.
That is what Hulu gives us here. Hard working geeks should be hooking us up with premium programming, but instead they sit around and spout unfunny quotes.
Car driving around a track. Nothing we haven’t seen in a thousand other car commercials, but the voice artist keeps talking about this green hell track like we’re supposed to have heard about it before or something.
Why are they spending so much time talking about this track and not the car? …Oh, for a go-to-hell joke. Classy.
And the bottom of the barrel. In case you don’t want to watch the commercial I’ll break it down for you:
Here’s a picture of a car. Here’s something that’s sort of funny. And something else that’s sort of funny. And something else that’s sort of funny. And something else that’s sort of funny. And something else that’s sort of funny. And something else that’s sort of funny. And something else that’s sort of funny. And something else that’s sort of funny. And something else that’s sort of funny. And our car again.
This is the commercial equivalent of the ass-munchingly terrible spoof movies Hollywood can’t seem to get enough of. No jokes, no story, no sense, just throw some crap in there that someone might think is slightly humorous and you have comedy.
Well at least they’re promoting the car, right? No. They tell us the Camry was reinvented, then the debacle steamrolls onward as if the car itself is too ashamed to appear in its own commercial. Just terrible.
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