If there's one form of entertainment that perfectly encapsulates the first decade of the century, it's the viral video - as our attention spans shrink, we want our laughs in shorter and shorter doses. So, in tribute to this, I've picked the ten virals that ruled the hardest this decade.
10. Star Wars Kid. Ghyslain Raza showed us that, if you're going to do something embarrassing in your basement, don't keep the camera running. This clip turned him into a straight up pop culture juggernaut, even though he hated every minute of it.
9. Numa Numa. When Gary Brolsma lip-synched to a Moldavian pop video, little did he know that he would launch a phenomenon that would continue to this day. The song, properly known as Dragostei Din Tei, has now been sampled by Rihanna and covered by tons of people.
8. Keyboard Cat. This ridiculous video of a cat in a shirt banging on a synthesizer became an epic meme, inspiring hundreds of hilarious spin-offs this year.
7. Dramatic Prairie Dog. Also known as Surprised Chipmunk, Startled Gopher and Shocked Chris Brown, this five-second clip perfectly captured the essence of a viral video and spread like wildfire.
6. Filipino Prison Dances To Thriller. Yes, apparently the warden beats the crap out of these guys if they don't dance right, but it's just so good.
5. Afro Ninja. The backflip that launched a million LOLs, this guy made one mistake and it defined him for life.
4. Evolution Of Dance. This one falls in the chasm between funny and amazing, as comedian Judson Laipply fills up six minutes of time running through dance moves from all recorded time. It's the most-watched YouTube video of all time.
3. Diet Coke & Mentos. This viral taught us that science can be cool, and that Mentos actually have a use in the world after all.
2. Backflips Into Pants. This is just the ultimate expression of "Hey, I'm awesome" ever recorded. We all wish we could do this.
1. Chocolate Rain. I can say nothing about Tay Zonday's masterpiece that hasn't already been said. Just step away from the microphone to breathe in.
