What is there to say about Vine that hasn’t already been said? Vine is the great social media leveller. Facebook has droves of haters, as does Twitter. Some people don’t even like pretty-old Instagram. But everybody loves Vine. Today, in its legacy state, people use it as a relaxant.
They take Vine compilations to bed. They wake up and brush their teeth to them. Vine, and everything pertaining to it, represents a nostalgic distraction from current, troubling times. A world before TikTok and all that riff raff.
Fans of Vine can still quote their favourite videos. Some of these include “Road Work Ahead?”, “It is Wednesday, my dudes!”, ” Look at all those chickens!”, “Merry Chrysler” and “I smell like beef.” These Vines, like many others, garnered an incredible number of views, often reaching millions of people.
So what are some the best? We’ve put together a quick list that’ll take you on a cosy walk down memory lane.
“Do it for the Vine ”
Do it for the Vine. Do it. Right now. For the Vine. Why wouldn’t you? This plea has taken on a few forms, namely do it for the Gram. But the expression was huge on Vine after a video clip of a little girl dancing to the chant went viral on the platform in January 2014.
In September 2013, BuzzFeed highlighted several notable “#DoItForTheVine” tagged videos in which people performed a variety of stunts. That October, Urban Dictionary user Vine Master submitted an entry for “do it for the vine,” defining it as a phrase used to persuade people to perform entertaining acts on camera. And that it did.
“What are those?”
“What are those?” went mainstream, but most of you could be forgiven for not knowing where it actually came from. The original was posted by Young Busco on Instagram. On it, he films a police officer’s boots and hits him with a “What are thooooooooooseeeee?”
Then on June 18th, Viner A-RODney King reuploaded the video to Vine, where it received upwards of 20 million loops, 271,000 likes and 136,000 revines in the following two weeks. On June 20th, 2015, YouTuber Crey Crey reuploaded a looped version of the original Vine video, garnering more than 210,000 views and 1,700 likes over the following two weeks.
“I’m in me mum’s car. Broom broom”
This legendary quote came to us courtesy of Tish Simmonds, who filmed herself sitting in her mother’s car in July 2014. The video quickly went viral and influenced a series of remix videos, thanks to Simmonds’ awkward, noncommitted delivery of the line combined with her strong Yorkshire accent.
Within two weeks, the video gained over 165,000 likes and 16,000 comments. In 2021, Simmonds came out as trans. Now Tristan, he regularly uploads content to spiritual Vine successor TikTok.
“Chris, is that a weed? ”
“Chris!” Chris’ younger brother screams. “Is that a weed?!”
“No, this is a crayon,” Chris calmly assures, holding a yellow crayon. His younger brother cuts him off, announcing he’s calling the police before dialling 911 into the microwave… which works. If we need to map out why this is one of the funniest Vines ever, there is no hope for you.
“Mother trucker dude, that hurt like a butt cheek on a stick ”
This isn’t technically Mason Gonzales’ (AKA Mason Chill out!), quote. He earned more than 850,000 Vine followers by making comedic edits to pre-existing videos. After the fall of Vine he moved to Instagram to do the same for his 20,000 followers.
In what is arguably his most popular video, he brought to the attention of the world a young American kid saying, “Mother trucker dude, that hurt like a butt cheek on a stick!” Mason’s edit spawned many a further edit, and so a meme was born.
“Today’s forecast, we can clearly see that somebody got me f*cked up! ”
Not much is known of Ashia besides her creation of one of Vine’s most popular clips. And maybe that’s something to cherish. A dedication to the craft, not any social media personality nonsense.
In the Vine, Ashia can be seen in front of a whiteboard, at first blank and then visible with a sheet of paper, reading: “Somebody got me f*cked up!” Ashia repeats the line, to really bring it home.
“Deez nuts, ha got em!”
“Deez Nuts!” banter predates Vine by quite a stretch, going back to December 1992 with the release of Dr. Dre’s debut album The Chronic. On it was a skit track titled “Deeez Nuuuts.” In the song’s intro portion, fellow rapper Warren G can be heard telling a “Deez Nuts” joke to a woman on the phone.
ICYMI, Deez Nuts is the punchline of a conversational joke that involves asking someone a vaguely-phrased question to solicit an inquisitive response, before yelling out the golden phrase in a brash manner. Deez Nuts saw a huge resurgence after it was featured in a short sketch by Vine comedian WelvenDaGreat in early 2015.
“I’m sorry I didn’t see you there. I was too busy blocking out the haters ”
Not a fan of this article? Been skim reading it?
I’m sorry, I didn’t see you there. I was too busy blocking out the haters.
“Wtf, is this allowed? Is this allowed? ”
What would you do if you witnessed a public display of affection? You hear about it happening to other people, but you never expect it to happen to you.
On August 29th, 2014, Vine user Daniel Gomez published this original Vine, of a couple making out in a restaurant, gaining over 417,000 likes, 227,000 ‘re-vines,’ and 33 million loops. In 2018, the clip resurfaced after rumours spread that the boy in the video was actually a mannequin, which makes Gomez’ reaction all the funnier.
“Zach, stop! You’re gonna get in trouble”
In 2016, a young man named Zach was kicking too much. Zach’s friends tried to warn him that he was going to get in trouble. But did Zach listen? Ultimately, we don’t know. He certainly didn’t during the short span of this huge Vine.
What adds a further layer of confusion and tension is that Zach is kicking uncontrollably, to no end, in front of a police car. Conspiracy theorists think Zach was moments earlier held at gunpoint. Others think the video is edited over raw footage of a police car. One thing’s for sure and that’s that Zach loves to kick. And if you tell him to stop, it’s only going to spur him on further.
“Eyebrows on fleek ”
On Fleek is an easy laugh these days as it rests in slang graveyard. But around 2014, this term was all the rage. Much more than “all the rage” actually.
It was made popular by Viner Peaches Monroe after she filmed herself speaking to the camera in a car, announcing that her new groomed eyebrows are “on fleek”. In the first five months, the video gained over 20 million plays, 492,000 likes and 411,000 revines.
“Road Work Ahead? Uh, Yeah. I sure hope it does”
While driving in Arizona for work with his then-girlfriend, Drew Gooden spotted something he’d been waiting to see: a “road work ahead” sign. What followed was one of the most viral Vines of all times. “Road work ahead?” Gooden said. “Uh, yeah. I sure hope it does.”
Gooden, who had already accrued a large following on the app, shot to even bigger fame. He does have one regret about it, though: he deleted a second take. “I am so upset with myself that I don’t have the second take,” he said. “This version is so cemented in people’s brains, but to see this less good version but in the same location, same shirt, same everything, would be really interesting.”
“I smell like beef”
Back in May 2014, Katie Ryan posted to Vine a clip of her duaghter Ava repeating the phrase “I smell like beef,” not knowing just how popular the video would become. The iconic Vine spawned multiple parodies and remixes, gaining a massive 15 million loops, making the then-18-month-old Ava an internet sensation.
Her mother told ABC News exactly how the debut viral video came about during a 2017 interview, explaining her daughter had a “really good sense of humour” from an early age.” Ryan explained: “She told me [recently] it’s because she saw that the sky was like this pink colour and it reminded her of uncooked beef. It was funny and totally random.”
“Hi, Welcome to Chili’s”
“Hi, welcome to Chili’s” is synonymous with Vine. This 2015 clip mocking adverts for the American restaurant chain was viewed more than 20 million times over the course of a year. Adam Perkins, the Viner, amassed over 300,000 followers.
Sadly, Perkins passed away in 2021 at the age of 24. Thanks to his popularity, thousands of fans and creators alike hit social media to deliver their tributes. Perkins’ 6-second contribution to the world may have been brief but his ability to make millions of people laugh across the world is something very special indeed.
“It is Wednesday, my dudes”
It is Wednesday, my dudes. Famous words from a famous Viner called Jimmy Here. The video feature’s of Jimmy wearing swimming goggles, announcing “It is Wednesday, my dudes” to the camera. The video then cuts to a wider shot of Jimmy dressed as Spider-Man, screaming the line once more. The video became an instant hit, a war cry for millions of labourers trying to make it through the working week.
The phrase itself was originally posted on Tumblr in 2014 by user kidpix2. The meme had an image of a Budgett Frog behind the text. Jimmy then took the quote and ran with it, much to our benefit. The Budgett Frog has a shrill voice which explains why Jimmy screams the line the way he does, but, as for the Spider-man costume and goggles… who knows? Frankly, who cares?
“I could’a dropped my croissant!”
In February 2014, Vine user @terryjr12, aka Terry, uploaded a video in which he frightens his friend Terrel as he’s turning a corner with a croissant. Terrel then screams, “Stop! I could’ve dropped my croissant!” much to Terry’s amusement.
The video gained over 6.7 million loops, 141,000 re-Vines and 149,000 likes before Vine’s demise in 2016. The video was then reuploaded to YouTube on, gaining over 4.6 million views. The context behind the video isn’t clear. Terry, like a lot of us, seemingly enjoyed jumping out at his nearest and dearest. The fact one was carrying a French baked treat was just the icing on the cake.
“Chipotle is my life”
In 2014, young Roy Murray went viral on the platform after his sister posted a video of him declaring, “Oh my God, I love Chipotle! Chipotle is my life.” Ten simple words, now legendary to the Mexican eatery. There are, probably to this day, right now as you’re reading this, some people sat inside just such a restaurant and saying how much they love Chipotle.
In 2021, Chipotle acknowledged Roy’s praise on their brand by giving him his very own menu item. The “Chipotle Is My Life” bowl recreates the exact meal Roy was eating when he first uttered those iconic words: double white rice, black beans, chicken, tomatillo-red salsa, roasted chili-corn salsa, sour cream and cheese. The chain printed Roy’s face onto a shirt that you could buy for $16.00 on their website. Roy also received the Chipotle Celebrity Card, held by a close-knit, elite group of super fans that grants access to free Chipotle. The power of Vine was monumental.
“Fresh Avocado”
There are some Vines that became so famous they spread beyond the confines of the app and permeated popular culture. Chances are every Tom, Dick and Harry saw this short clip of a woman mispronouncing the words “Fresh Avocado” upon seeing them arranged bizarrely on a fast food sign. It was posted by user Gasoleen in February 2016 with the caption “New item at Del Taco Restaurants guys!! Get yourself some #FRESHAVOCADO before they sell out!!! The video gained over 16 million loops, 165,000 likes, and 70,000 revines.
Then came the remixes. On March 12th, the popular Vine user stopjake posted a video remix of the #freshavocado clip and pop song “Love Me Like You Do” by Ellie Goulding, which received over 2.5 million loops and 83,000 likes. That same day, user Will Harris also created a hip-hop remix of the clip, which received over 122,000 loops and almost 4,000 likes.
“Merry Chrysler!”
They said it couldn’t be done. After the invention of the religiously-ambiguous Happy Holidays, it was thought there were no other ways of saying Merry Christmas. Then on November 18, 2015, along comes Christine Sydelko with a phrase that would enter festive canon. Merry Chrysler. This video of Sydelko intentionally mispronouncing the seasons greeting gained over 323,000 likes 152,000 revines, and over 101 million loops.
It was was retweeted by @viralvines on December 16th, 2015, where it gained over 1,800 retweets. In the following two Christmases, the popularity of the Vine inspired others to tag their Christmas-themed social media posts with the phrase “Merry Chrysler.” A selfie posted to Imgur on December 25th, 2016 was titled “Merry Chrysler” and gained over 1,700 points. On top of that, a thread was posted to Reddit’s /r/OutOfTheLoop the same day asking why people said “Merry Chrysler.” The more questions you ask, the less fun it is. Enjoy the inanity of it!
“When will you learn that your actions have consequences?”
Sammy Zenith, known his internet aliases SammyClassicSonicFan, SammyPaperMarioFan and MultiMariosonic, is a vlogger and gamer from Indiana who reviews, you guessed it, games from the Sonic the Hedgehog series. We say reviews – they’re mostly rants about the games. Some of the most famous are “Stop Hating On Sonic” and “Rant Against the Sonic Fanbase.”
In Stop Hating On Sonic, uploaded in July 2013, he rants about people who hate Sonic because the franchise “occasionally has bad games.” This video was the catalyst in making Sammy’s content a viral phenomenon. A snippet of which, in which Sammy shrieks “When will you learn that your actions have consequences?!”, went viral on Vine thanks to its short running-time. This original video was terminated alongside his original account but was reuploaded by the archive channel on YouTube in September, 2015, receiving over 2.6 million views in roughly five years.
“Look at all those chickens!”
The animal kingdom has a special effect on the minds of the young. They’ve seen it in cartoons and films and now there it is in the flesh. Monkeys, chimps, penguins, giraffes, lions, sharks. The possibilities are endless. No-one understands this more than the young girl filmed surveying a field of ducks. In the 2014 Vine, the mother films the ducks congregating en masse, quacking their heads off, doing what ducks do. The daughter, bowled over by these scenes, then says, “Look at all those chickens!”
The clip became one of the most popular Vines on the platform, obviously. Unlike most people featured in famous Vines, this girl didn’t capitalise on her viral success, probably because she was about four years old. If we were to guess, we’d say she discovered the difference between ducks and chickens a few years later and learnt to appreciate the hilarity of the Vine just like we all did eight, long years ago.
