Digital Trends’ 10 favorite viral videos

It has been a good run, but this week marks the final installment of our weekly “Top 5 viral videos”. Turns out that we covered every single video on the internet. Huh, who knew? But we wanted to send the segment off with style, so we talked around the office, and came up with 10 of our personal favorite viral videos to be found on the intertubes. Enjoy, and thanks for watching!

Asimo Robot Fails, Seppuku to Follow

Asimo was meant to be the pride of Honda’s burgeoning robotic line. It would usher in a new industry, and then when the moment for it to impress the world came, it failed. If you were curious as to where this took place, it was definitely not America—there are no cheers or laughter and nobody is pointing at it. Instead, a polite silence falls, which can only mean it was filmed in Japan. Following the incident, Asimo was given the choice to live on in shame, or commit seppuku–ritual suicide. If you are wondering which option it took, ask yourself—have you seen Asimo lately?

Charlie the Unicorn Heads to Candy Mountain

Unbelievably, against all logic, this video about Charlie the Unicorn and his obnoxious–and possibly retarded companions—has received nearly 58 million views. If each view was one person, the Charlie the Unicorn video would be the 24th largest country in the world, just behind Italy. If one dollar was given per view, it would be worth more than LeBron James’ mansion. What many don’t know is that the studio budget of this clip was $62 million, so despite a healthy international take, Charlie the Unicorn was considered a box-office flop.

Cruise Ship Lounge Meets Gravity

You know how cruise ships these days always seem to advertise a luxurious experience while on the romantic seven seas? Every now and then, nature disagrees.

Evo vs. iPhone 4

Besides just being funny and offering a scathing look at Apple fans, the video below took on a life of its own. The clip’s creator, a Best Buy employee, was fired for posting it, and it helped to launch the “xtra normal” genre—clips where you write the text and blocky figures–sometimes adorable animals, sometimes President Obama and a hooker (Google it on your own time, people)–act it out. The genre has had its day and refuses to die, but this video is still among the best of the best.

[Warning: The following video contains language that is NSFW]

The History of Dance in Six Minutes

Even if you don’t realize it, odds are that you have seen this clip. After all, it has been viewed over 172 million times. Go ahead and try to wrap your head around that number. And in the five years since the video debuted, the star, Judson Laipply has gone on to…well…probably do something neat. Internet fame is a fleeting thing.

Justin Bieber vs. Ludwig Van Beethoven

In the ongoing series of videos called “Epic Rap Battles of History, Justin Bieber and Ludwig Van Beethoven go head-to-head. The winner is left to the audience, so make up your own mind. Choose the little boy that CSI’s Marg Helgenberger called a brat, or choose one of the most noted musicians in the history of the human race. Your call.

[Warning: The following video contains language that is NSFW]

Ladies and Gentlemen, Leeroy Jenkins

Where to begin with this classic internet clip. It has touched our lives in so many ways, from the guy figuring out the mathematical attack figures, to the famous call for chicken at the end. But at its heart, the video is about chaos. The best laid plans of mice and nerds can instantly be undone by one impatient gamer who has had enough with sitting around. Leeroy is a man of action. He is a hero, that cannot be contained within a plan. You can’t stop Leeroy, you can only hope to contain him. We salute you, Leeroy Jenkins. God speed.

Live Action Gran Turismo

The following video below, which has been viewed over 30 million times, is part three of Ken Block’s Gymkhana, not to be confused with the 1985 classic film, Gymkata, where Olympic gold medalist Kurt Thomas beats up ninjas with his gymnastic skills. No, seriously. Block goes the other direction and does some very cool stuff that seems more at home in a video game than in the real world.

A Recreation of Every Nuclear Explosion form 1945-1998: Or How I Stopped Worrying and Learned to Love the Bomb

For decades, the idea of a world devastated by a nuclear war that precedes a nuclear winter has haunted the dreams of many. We have all heard the stories. If a few nuclear weapons explode, it could destroy the Earth as we know it. There have been countless books on the subject, not to mention movies meant to scare us. Seeing a very hairy Sean Connery running around in a red banana hammock and hiding inside of a god-head named Zardoz is enough to terrify anyone about a nuclear future. So when you watch this video showing all the nuclear bombs that have been exploded between 1945-1999, you just have to wonder, what the hell? Maybe nuclear war wouldn’t be all that bad. Either that, or we are already screwed and just don’t know it yet.

TROOPS is Filmed on Location…

An oldie, but still an underrated classic. When people watch Star Wars (the real star Wars, not the three films that borrowed the name and came out later), people always root for the Rebellion. But what about the stormtroopers? Maybe they are just people trying to earn a living and help keep the peace? Support our troopers!

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