From Local News to Viral Video: Antoine Dodson

Antoine Dodson is a Huntsville, Alabama resident who became an overnight internet sensation in late July after briefly appearing in a local news report involving a mysterious bed intruder at the Dodsons' residence. Marked by his down-to-earth mannerisms and frankness, the video clip of Antoine's interview segment was met with immense response from the YouTube community and beyond, spawning dozens of notable remixes and image macros, not to mention the extensive mainstream coverage of the phenomenon.

Spread

Following KYM's blog post on the spread of Bed Intruder videos in early August, we were able to locate the viral instance outside of YouTube community (indicated as "what happened here?" in the chart below) in a Reddit thread posted on July 29th.

KYMdb Image Collection

For more information & examples of Antoine Dodson parodies and Bed Intruder covers, please refer to KYMdb – Antoine Dodson / Bed Intruder.

Image & Video Highlights

- Catchphrases, catchphrases everywhere:

- Google Search Queries: Hide Your Kids vs. Hide Your Wife vs. Hide Your Husband

- Pop Culture references:

- On July 31st, Brooklyn-based musical group Gregory Brothers uploaded a YouTube clip titled "Bed Intruder," which combined Mr. Dodson's interview segment with auto-tune software to create a catchy, sing-songy track:

- In September 2010, the Gregory Brothers reported that they had sold more than 100,000 copies of The Bed Intruder Song on iTunes. In August, the Bed Intruder song reached number 89 on Billboard's Hot 100 list, becoming the first of its kind to enter the US Billboard. In October, Dodson gave a live performance of "Bed Intruder Song" with Michael Gregory of The Gregory Brothers at the 2010 BET Hip Hop Awards.

- As of December 2010, Gregory Brothers' song has far surpassed the view counts of the original WAFF-TV clip on YouTube. Excluding major label music videos, "The Bed Intruder" song has been recognized as the most viewed YouTube video of 2010. Its immense popularity inspired dozens of other covers, including Marching Band edition, Violin Cover, Acoustic Cover, Christmas Carol Cover, R&B cover, 8-bit indie pop remix, Japanese string instrument cover, A Capella cover, Piano Ballad, Bubb Rubb & Antoine Dodson remix, Pop Punk Rock cover, etc.

- Joseph Ducreux's take on Dodson's quote & Antoine Dodson Flowchart

- Don't forget to check out Antoine's new official website: Antoine Dodson's World!

More Meme Reviews

And don't forget to check out the rest of 2010 meme reviews!

- KYM Blog – Memes in 2010: Downfall
- KYM Blog – Memes in 2010: Effing Magnets
- KYM Blog – Memes in 2010: Douel Rainbow
- KYM Blog – Memes in 2010: Antoine Dodson
- KYM Monthly Review – Complete Listing of Past Issues