I grew up in an era where pre-pubescent friendships were formed by gathering around a desktop computer watching video after YouTube video. Charlie the Unicorn (funnier than I remember) and Harry Potter Puppet Pals (less funny than I remember) were seen as the height of comedy. Aside from the occasional 6pm viewing of Australia’s Funniest Home Videos, my diet of comedy was restricted to 240p internet videos, passed around like schoolyard contraband.
I have to admit that not much has changed – I still spend a lot of time on the internet, and my friends and I incessantly quote obscure pop culture references turned memes. At times, I fear this has rotted my brain. Anyways, here’s a selection of videos I find funny.
1. Be our guest?
I love musical theatre! I love the thrill of secondhand embarrassment! This video has me, quite literally, gasping for breath after every watch. The performer, Taye Martin, was involved in a 24-hour Beauty and the Beast musical – all casting, directing, costuming and memorisation took place in the space of one day. The result? Unhinged.
2. Shawn Mendes’s anxiety blunder
This clip of Shawn Mendes from a 2019 interview shouldn’t be this funny but it is. It’s in his word choice, his glazed-eye delivery and the interviewer’s semi-second pause.
3. The gays, the straights, the in-betweens
Almost every single Tyra Banks clip feels like a fever dream to me. Having audience members don coloured slogan T-shirts with their sexuality on national television? The 00s were wild. As an obnoxious “in-between”, I appreciate our half-hearted cheers.
4. Myra Magdalen’s room tour
OK, this video is simply iconic. I think about it (and Jimmy Neutron’s dad) often. For the unacquainted, Myra Magdalen is a TikTok creator and designer known for posing with chaotic, handmade outfits in front of her keyboard wall. Here, she takes us on a tour of her bedroom. This isn’t your average bedroom vlog and she isn’t your average girl. You’ll soon understand.
5. I’m so grateful
Who among us can’t say they’ve burst into tears and/or a soliloquy at the dinner table? As a water sign, this is relatable – nay, aspirational. Gratitude journals fear this boy.
6. How to become TripAdvisor’s #1 fake restaurant
If there’s one thing we’re lacking in our modern society, it’s a good prank. We need more mischief! For eight months, author and film-maker Oobah Butler created a fake restaurant to try to snag TripAdvisor’s No 1 London restaurant spot. This mini documentary is equal parts silly and smart.
7. Hamish and Andy’s train challenge
I spend many hours a week on public transport, I record outfit videos in front of my local unassuming Myki machine and, most importantly, I’ve mastered the skill of standing at the perfect spot on train platforms so the doors will open seamlessly in front of me. Bonus points for selecting carriages that allow you to exit efficiently at your end destination.
8. Ashton Kutcher fanfiction
One of the identity-forming hobbies I picked up as a young teenager was fanfiction. Reading fanfic, writing fanfic, gossiping about fanfic – it was a full-time interest. So I feel kinship with seventh-grader Melissa Bell reading out her Ashton Kutcher fanfic at her middle school talent show. I love her. I love her hot pink/denim vest T-shirt. Unfortunately this video is a skit and the piece was written by novelist Teddy Wayne. Regardless, Ashton is aware of this piece of literary gold.
9. She was a fairy
You may be aware of the original Flutterbye fairy flying into the fireplace video. These battery-operated dolls can hover and fly but you can’t always choose where they move. You’ll be glad to know that in 2023, almost a decade after the original viral video, there are new incidents of Flutterbye fairies flying far, far away.
10. The new happy birthday song
It’s widely believed that the Happy Birthday jingle we’re attached to was written in 1893. And frankly, the 131-year-old song needs an upgrade. Might I suggest this catchy, 54-second tune?
Maggie Zhou is a freelance writer and a co-host of the pop culture podcast Culture Club. You can find her on Instagram and TikTok
