Who became the first Internet Video Star?

December 13, 2006 10:42 AM

What video clip out on the net is considered to be the first "internet video star", rising to making international news or headlines?

Would it be the Star Wars Kid?

posted by randomthoughts to computers & internet (20 comments total)

I second Star Wars kid.
posted by k8t at 10:47 AM on December 13, 2006

Before Star Wars Kid, there was dancing baby.
posted by Jeanne at 10:48 AM on December 13, 2006

I would say dancing baby, except that it wasn't a real person like Star Wars Kid was.
posted by 40 Watt at 10:55 AM on December 13, 2006

exploding whale? :)

i'd defer to wikipedia's "Internet Phenomena" for this one.
posted by Señor Pantalones at 10:56 AM on December 13, 2006

Spirit of Christmas was passed around long ago, and made Matt and Trey pretty famous.
posted by smackfu at 11:11 AM on December 13, 2006

Not a clip per say, but JenniCam made a couple of headlines. I think.
posted by icontemplate at 11:13 AM on December 13, 2006

What about that Turkish guy - Mahir?

That wikipedia page has a slew of glaring omissions.
posted by Flashman at 11:14 AM on December 13, 2006

In 1991, the Coffee Pot in Cambridge University's Trojan Room became the first subject of a webcam image.
posted by Smart Dalek at 11:17 AM on December 13, 2006

More info on the perky percolator: CNN, and El Reg.
posted by Smart Dalek at 11:19 AM on December 13, 2006

I would vote for the Coffee Pot. Even though other later things made more of a splash, almost every early story about the World Wide Web managed to make mention of the coffee pot and/or the soda machine at MIT that also had an early webcam.
posted by briank at 11:24 AM on December 13, 2006

My recollection is :
- South park Jesus video
- Dancing Baby
- and much bigger -Star Wars Kid
posted by BrodieShadeTree at 11:30 AM on December 13, 2006

Two early "crossover" phenomenons who became novelties for the mainstream were Mitch "dotcomguy" Maddox and of course, the Pets.com sockpuppet.

Prior to the web, some people found prominence on USENET, but few gained the prominence of such as Gharlane of Eddore or Jim "[e-mail]" Griffith.
posted by Smart Dalek at 11:31 AM on December 13, 2006

I vote for Mahir -- he was international. Not sure if there was any specific video associated with him...but surely pix and fame.
posted by davidmsc at 11:38 AM on December 13, 2006

The first video I saw seriously downloaded on the internet by lots of folks was the Exploding Whale The original video was shot in 1970 and I am pretty sure it was up and regularly DL'd (ok, FTP'd) by 1991/1992. I know a version of the video was up on my university's FTP site in 1992/3.

So far as 'made for internet' video - the original 'Tripping the Rift' short is probably the first I remember seeing (and this would be 1997/98).

So i'd say that my answer for 'first internet video star' would either be the exploding whale or Austen/Moeller.
posted by Fuka at 12:48 PM on December 13, 2006

South Park

In '95 an entertainment exec commissioned a clip as a sort of christmas card. It found its way onto the net and was widely traded well before South Park had its TV debut in '97.
posted by Good Brain at 1:10 PM on December 13, 2006

Another vote for South Park.
posted by a. at 2:28 PM on December 13, 2006

rising to making international news or headlines

With this qualification, I say Star Wars kid is the best candidate so far.
posted by muddgirl at 2:45 PM on December 13, 2006

Ellen Feiss was an internet sensation, and she attained such status through video, but it wasn't video of her own production. Categorize that how you wish.
posted by Mr. Gunn at 4:31 PM on December 13, 2006

I'd vote for Tabitha of "Tabitha's Day at Work". It was one of the first human web cams and had stop-motion movies of her. I think she was broadcasting in 1993 or 1994.
posted by plinth at 7:23 PM on December 13, 2006

Definitely Mahir. International, weird, charming noob. The Internet defined.
posted by SPrintF at 7:32 PM on December 13, 2006