Otis' Sneaky Dance
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About
Otis' Sneaky Dance, also know as Mmmm Cow, refers to a series of video edits from a scene in the 2006 animated film Barnyard in which the cow character Otis teases a mailman behind his back. In the videos, Otis is replaced with other cows or pop culture references for comedic effect. While the first video within the format went viral in October 2020, it did not achieve popularity until February 2021. The meme is based on the same scene as Perhaps.
Origin
On August 4th, 2006, the German-American animated film Barnyard premiered in the U.S.[1] In one scene of the movie, the character Otis, an anthropomorphic cow, teases a mailman by dancing and making faces behind his back, quickly assuming a neutral pose when looked at (scene shown below).
On October 29th, 2020, content creator labrynth.mp4 posted a Polish Cow edit of the scene that received over 155,900 views and 40,700 likes on Instagram[2] in five months (shown below). In the following weeks, the meme was widely circulated online through reposts. For example, a YouTube reupload made on the same day received over 1 million views in five months.
The clip did not gain further spread as a meme format until February 8th, 2020, when content creator pamcinema posted a Better Off Alone version that received over 439,000 views and 63,600 likes on Instagram[3] in six weeks (shown below).
Spread
In the following days, pamcinema's edit received viral spread online through reposts. On February 10th, 2021, YouTube[4] user stolenmems.mp4 reuploaded the video, titling it "mmmm cow." The reupload then received over 10 million views in roughly one and a half months.
On March 14th, 2021, YouTube[5] channel 10HourMovies posted a 10-hour version of the meme that received over 210,000 views in two weeks. On March 15th, 2021, YouTube[8] user El Vertedero De Nimu & Sonricks then posted the first derivative meme based on pamcinema's edit, using footage from the 2006 Barnyard video game. The video received over 138,000 views in two weeks week (shown below, left). On the same day, YouTube[9] user Glitchy SML posted a Shrek edit, gaining nearly 50,000 views in two weeks (shown below, right).
On March 16th, YouTube[6] user Dux posted another meme based on pamcinema's edit, titling it "mmmm cow v2," with the video accumulating over 663,000 views in 10 days (shown below, left). On March 22nd, 2021, YouTube[7] user Condendo posted another meme based on the clip that received nearly 900,000 views in three days (shown below, right).
Following the spread of these initial edits, the meme format was popularized on YouTube, with multiple versions being posted in late March 2021.
Related Memes
Perhaps
Perhaps refers to an image of cow Otis from the 2006 animated film Barnyard paired with the caption "Perhaps." Starting in 2017, the image macro has been circulated online as a subtle way of admitting something morally or legally questionable. The image originates from the same scene as Mmmm Cow.
Various Examples
Search Interest
External References
[2] Instagram – labrynth.mp4
[5] YouTube – mmmm cow 10 hours
[6] YouTube – mmmm cow v2
[7] YouTube – mmmm cow BUT something is wrong
[8] YouTube – mmmm…..Cow
[9] YouTube – mmmm cow meme but replaced with Shrek!
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