#NineTen21: @TwentyOneCount Talks Counting Down The Days Until 9/10/21, '21 Kid' And Judgement Day

The bizarre math equation of "9 + 10 = 21" is a special kind of meme. The viral video was first uploaded to Vine back in 2013 and became an online phenomenon over the following years.

Its premise is simple: A man calls a young boy stupid. The boy refutes it, then gets savagely owned when the older brother asks him to add 9+10, resulting in the incorrect answer of "21." Even after Vine died, the video lived on as one of the most classic examples of what made Vine special. It's fast, funny, and perfectly captured, offering everything from a solid punchline to an intriguing atmosphere, the room bathed in a strong blue and yellow light. It's a video that you can watch and enjoy time and time again, and that's reflected in its rich meme life, which is continuing strong eight years later in 2021.

The meme is so strong that its greatness is being celebrated with one of the highest honors a meme can receive: its own holiday. That holiday is today, 9/10/21, the only day for the next 100 years where the digits "9," "10," and "21" will line up for those on the MM/DD/YY format. 21 Day is a once-in-a-lifetime event, so if you love the 21 meme, now's your time to show it, and plenty already are.

The hashtag #nineten21 is trending on Twitter as fans of the meme and followers of @TwentyOneCount, the account behind the holiday and trending hashtag, share their favorite classics and new memes about this blessed day when the 21 Kid is said to come down and cast judgment on the world. We spoke with @TwentyOneCount on the eve of the big day to get some insight into 21 Day.

“I was just scrolling through Twitter one day and I came across this image on my timeline. This was also when I realized 9/10/21 was happening this year. And 9/10/21 only comes every 100 years, so I just said, 'Why not make an account for the date and start counting down?'”

The image that inspired @TwentyOneCount (above) started going around as early as January 1st, with an upload by iFunny user 20eggseggs on that date. The meme doesn't directly imply rapture, but the joke was quickly assumed and adopted by others. @TwentyOneCount ran with it, and now it's become the driving force behind the 9/10/21 meme for many, adding a new spin on the classic video while also proving and boosting its staying power all these years later.

@TwentyOneCount started counting down the days in January and continued to count them down almost daily leading up to the date. The page slowly started gaining hype, reaching an apex throughout September.

"In the very beginning I think I did miss a few days here and there, but once it started getting a little more attention, maybe around the 150-200 day mark, I wanted to keep up with it because having people actually see it kinda motivated me. I didn’t really expect it to gain as much attention as it has now and I think it had little bursts of growth, like at '100 days until 9/10/21,' '69 days,' '21 days,' that kind of stuff. Now that it's almost the date the account just blew up."

On the eve of 21 Day, @TwentyOneCount hit the 100,000 follower mark. Their tweets leading up to the event are securing tens of thousands of likes and retweets, and the hype they've built for 9/10/21 has inspired countless users to change their profile pictures to the 21 Kid. The event has managed to spread outside of Twitter too, with some of the biggest Instagram and YouTube meme accounts posting memes celebrating "Judgement Day" and the legacy of the 21 Kid Vine.

"When the day comes on 9/10/21 you must prepare for his question ‘What is 9+10?,’” @TwentyOneCount tells me, playing further into the judgment Day angle. Rapture is a consistent topic of memes, and it's one of the most logical jokes to attach to a meme date, especially a rare one that only comes every 100 years. It also helps that there's a face and memorable character to attach to the genre's "messiah" role in the 21 Kid. In a way, there is some judgment going on today; the judgment of those who don't wish to celebrate the meme, or don't even enjoy it. Fortunately, there doesn't seem to be anyone in sight harshing the vibe. Maybe they've already been raptured.

“I think [21 Kid] just has that certain specialness that some old Vines had that made them stick with people. It's honestly just crazy, I never thought it would get to the point where people change their PFPs to the 21 Kid in preparation for the big day."

Although 21 Day only comes once every 100 years, it's not the end for the meme or the account. @TwentyOneCount tells us that he has considered those on the DD/MM/YY format, too, and plans on counting down the days until 21/09/21 (October 21st, 2021) soon. Until then, he'll be celebrating the undying legacy of the 21 Kid with the rest of us, hopeful that the holiday will live on 100 years from now.

“I honestly think it could make a comeback, no one has forgotten about the meme yet and it's going strong. When the time comes in 100 years I hope it makes a comeback."

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