You’ll experience moments of “awwww” to, “Wait, what am I watching?” when you take a look at YouTube’s top 5 viral videos of 2016.
1. Adele Carpool Karaoke
James Corden’s Carpool Karaoke videos are taking YouTube by storm. Earlier this year, Corden’s Late Late Show reached one billion views on YouTube. Adele’s Carpool Karaoke video may have had something to do with that, as her video alone has racked up more than 140 million views.
2. Pen-Pineapple-Apple-Pen/PIKO-TARO
The worldwide No. 2 viral video of the year also comes from a singer-songwriter, and his name is Pikotaro. The 53-year-old star is actually a Japanese comedian, and he decided to write the song while sitting in his house with an open can of pineapples on his table (that will make sense after you watch the video). The single topped the Billboard Japan Hot 100 chart and ended the year No. 6.
3. What’s inside a Rattlesnake Rattle?
An oddly specific subject, this viral video is both informative and terrifying. This father-son duo of Daniel and Lincoln Markham started a YouTube channel entirely based on cutting things open to see what’s inside. 2016 wasn’t just a big year for this video, but it was also a big year for their channel. Twelve months ago their channel had 200 subscribers – they now have 1.2 million!
4. Nike Football Presents: The Switch ft. Cristiano Ronaldo, Harry Kane, Anthony Martial & More
It can be easy to forget that soccer (football) is the world’s No. 1 sport. Cristiano Ronaldo was at the top of that sport for a long time and still remains one of the best. Check out what happens when Ronaldo switches places with a teenager in this short film from Nike Football.
5. Grace VanderWaal: 12-Year-Old Ukulele Player Gets Golden Buzzer— America’s Got Talent 2016
You might want to wait until you’re out of your cubicle to watch this one. There is a very real potential for tears. Grace VanderWaal is easily the cutest singer-song writer on this list (sorry Pikotaro). After watching you won’t be left with any doubts as to why this video reached nearly 50 million views in 2016.
For all 10 Viral Videos of 2016, check out Time’s story. My personal favorite comes in at No.10, where a brother convinces his sister that a zombie apocalypse is happening!
Guest Blogger: Michael Wanta
Michael is an intern at TDS, tennis coach at Edgewood College, and also a graduate student studying sustainability and business. In his spare time, he plays music, does open mics, and reads (a lot).
