Numa Numa

Before YouTube existed, before "going viral" was a phrase anyone used, a heavyset guy from New Jersey sat in front of his webcam and changed the internet forever. Gary Brolsma uploaded "Numa Numa Dance" to Newgrounds on December 6, 2004, and nothing would be the same.

The song was Dragostea din tei by Moldovan pop group O-Zone—a track Gary had discovered through a Japanese flash animation featuring dancing anime cats. The video was simple: Gary, headphones on, lip-syncing with unrestrained joy, his arms pumping, his chair swiveling, his face contorting with genuine enthusiasm. He was having the time of his life, and you couldn't look away.

By April 2005, Numa Numa had become a phenomenon. The New York Times wrote about it—"Internet Fame Is Cruel Mistress for a Dancer"—as if they were documenting an alien species. Over 15 million views on Newgrounds. Another 49 million on YouTube mirrors. Gary briefly retreated from public life, overwhelmed by attention he never sought.

But he came back. "New Numa" in 2006. "Numa Three" in 2007. A Geico commercial in 2009. A 10-year anniversary reunion. Gary kept trying to recapture lightning, but the magic was in the original—unscripted, unpolished, uncomplicatedly happy.

The internet grew cynical. Irony became currency. Pure, unselfconscious joy became cringe. Numa Numa couldn't survive the shift.

Ma-ia-hii. Ma-ia-huu. Ma-ia-haa. Ma-ia-haha. Gone.