About

Dancing Rat (3D Animation) refers to a 3D animation of a black rat in a hat dancing to "Billie Jean" by Michael Jackson. Originally posted in September 2010, the video did not see viral spread prior to being paired with "Gummo" by 6ix9ine and used as a reaction on TikTok in January 2020, later being recommended to YouTube users through the YouTube Recommendation Algorithm.

Origin

On September 29th, 2010, YouTube^[1] channel 3DRenderForce uploaded a two-minute 3D animation of a black rat in a hat and a white glove dancing to "Billie Jean" in the style of Michael Jackson (shown below). The video received over 1.9 million views as of March 30th, 2020.

Spread

The video did not see significant online recognition prior to mid-January 2020. Approximately on January 15th, TikTok user @dude10g posted the first known meme based on the video, with the animation accompanied by "Gummo" by 6ix9ine (the post has since been removed; YouTube^[3] reupload shown below).

In the following days, the video, accompanied by the song, received viral spread on TikTok. For example, a January 16th, 2020, post by @tugmu14^[4] received over 3 million views and 498,000 likes in two months (shown below, left). A January 17th meme by @estetz^[5] received over 253,900 views and 35,400 likes (shown below, center). A same-day meme by @ratedq^[6] gained over 1.6 million views and 243,600 likes (shown below, right).

On January 22nd, 2020, YouTube^[7] user PrikObzor posted a compilation of Dancing Rat memes, with the video gaining over 150,400 views in two months.

The original video consecutively gained popularity on YouTube; starting in late January 2020 it started being recommended to YouTube users via the YouTube Recommendation Algorithm.

In addition to TikTok, the meme received further spread on Instagram.^[8]

Various Examples

Search Interest

External References