The End of the World

About

The End of the World (first uploaded as End of Ze World) is a flash animation created by Jason Windsor (a.k.a Fluid). Debuting in 2003, the video has been dubbed by several news publications as "the first viral video."

Origin

The flash video was first uploaded to Albino Blacksheep on October 30th, 2003 and credited to user Fluid (shown below).^[1]

Spread

The video quickly became a viral hit. It was posted to Funnyjunk and remained atop the trending videos chart for several weeks. It was also popular on eBaum's World. ^[6] Its script was posted to Roosterteeth in 2005.^[4] It was uploaded to YouTube shortly after the site's creation and has gained over 16 million views in twelve years.^[2] The video became known for a few notable catchphrases:

• 'Hokay so here's the earth
• Damn that is a sweet earth, you might say
• AHHHHH MOTHERLAND
• But I am le tired… Well. Then. Have a nap. THEN FIRE ZE MISSILES!
• WTF, Mate?
• Those Chinese sons of a b*tches are goin down

Several of the quotes were added to Urban Dictionary in the mid-2000s.^[5] Twelve years after the video was posted, its creator, James Windsor, revealed himself in an interview with Mic.^[3] There, he mentioned that the video had helped kickstart his career in animation and filmmaking.

End of Ze World Part 2

On January 20th, 2018, Windsor uploaded a sequel video to "End of Ze World." The video is updated to reflect current events such as the Trump administration and Kim Jong-Un. The video also features a call to action, encouraging viewers to contact their political representatives. In two days, the video gained over 54,000 views (shown below). It was covered by internet-centric media outlets, including Select All,^[7] The Verge,^[8] and Gizmodo.^[9]

Search Interest

External References