Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Don't Give Me That Look

Link to Us: http://snipr.com/dontgivemethatlook

We all love cute animals as an Internet Meme. The cuter it is, the more exposure it will get. The word cute is quite over-rating for this Internet Meme that was founded in year 2007. Known as the "Dramatic Look", it features a prairie dog from a Japanese television show named, "Hello! Morning". The prairie dog was carried out to meet the audience and host of the show and it was immediately "awe-ed" by the viewers. As the camera kept rolling and had a close-up shot of the animal, it gave a very serious look to the camera. The TV show was aired on Japan's local channel and that was how the Prairie Dog Dramatic Look came about.


magnum9er, How the Dramatic Prairie Dog was Born, [Online] Retrieved on 17th March 2010.
URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sochd9Xqlos


There is nothing too outstanding or great about it. But that "look" from the prairie dog caught the attention of one of the viewers. It started with just a simple editing by cutting out the Japanese girls and host and leaves only the prairie dog so-called dramatic look. That particular part of the prairie dog's look slowly burst into fame as more and more people edited the 5 second clip. Today, the original prairie dog clip has over 19 million views making it one of the most viewed video of all time.

It was also featured in some websites like I am bored, BoingBoing, and Comedy Central Insider. Some people even remade the clip into a longer version of clip, a funny static image with caption on it, a animated GIF version, and even using other animals with the same "look".

Photobucket
File:Drama prairie dog.gif, Encyclopedia Dramatica, [Online] Retrieved on 17th March 2010.
URL: http://encyclopediadramatica.com/File:Drama_prairie_dog.gif


Photobucket
File: PrairieDogMurder.gif, Encyclopedia Dramatica, [Online] Retrieved on 17th March 2010.
URL: http://encyclopediadramatica.com/File:PrairieDogMurder.gif



tupax07, DRAMATIC CHIPMUNK TRILLER/Michale Jackson ed., [Online] Retrieved on 17th March 2010.
URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EsAiS9vNid0




Arkle546, Dramatic Cat (plus orchestral score), [Online] Retrieved on 17th March 2010.
URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tVQukw8DkaY&feature=player_embedded

What is quite unbelievable is the kind of status it gained from such a small feature in a Japanese TV show. The prairie dog even got a slot in one of the Super Bowl commercial. Super Bowl is like the World Cup except it is American Football. It is the championship game of the National Football League (NFL) and all the great American Football teams battle it out to win the Vince Lmbardi Trophy. So, this event is not quite but very big in America. The Super Bowl commercial is one of the anticipated parts of the whole event.


2010SuperAds, Dramatic Chimpmunk Carmax Super Bowl 44 Commercial Drama Cockatu, [Online] Retrieved on 17th March 2010.
URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u8LT5hrI1sk&feature=player_embedded

Therefore, the prairie dog actually made a very good name for itself through a 5 second feature in a TV show. Do you think it was a camera trick or was it pure expression from the animal? Let us know what you think.


References:
1. Dramatic Chipmunk/Drama Prairie Dog, Know Your Meme, [Online] Retrieved on 17th March 2010.
URL: http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/dramatic-chipmunk-drama-prairie-dog

2. Matt, "Dramatic Look" Prairie Dog: Evolution of a Web Meme, [Online] Retrieved on 17th March 2010.
URL: http://mattmedia.net/2007/07/05/dramatic-look-prairie-dog-evolution-of-a-web-meme/

3. James, Dramatic Prairie Dog meme reaches Super Bowl commercial status, Japan Probe, [Online] Retrieved on 17th March 2010.


Vivienne