'Charlie Bit My Finger' Creators Generate Backlash After Announcing They Will Remove Video From YouTube And Sell It As NFT

After fourteen years and 882 million views, Charlie Bit My Finger is being taken off YouTube May 23rd to be sold as an exclusive NFT.

"The beloved clip has become a household name and holds a special place in the hearts of many. Now, the iconic video will be removed from YouTube and one person will have the opportunity to own it in its new form as a 1/1 NFT, memorializing them in internet history forever," wrote the owners on the Charliebitme website. The winner of the auction will get to make a parody with Harry and Charlie, the boys in the video who are now 17 and 15.

The decision isn't altogether surprising considering the swath of late-2000s and early 2010s memes who have taken to the crypto market to make tens, if not hundreds of thousands of dollars off their contributions to internet history.

While it makes sense the Davies-Carr family would want to enter such a lucrative market for classic internet memes, the move still struck others as depressing. The thought of such an iconic piece of internet history that almost everyone has seen going to the highest bidder and disappearing from the internet emphasized the NFT fatigue that's been bubbling over the course of the last few weeks.

Ok so I guess they’re taking down the Charlie bit my finger video in 3 days…

That sucks, I thought the video was a classic. I remember watching it for the first time back in 2013 or something

— AnimationObjectShow (@AOSEthan05) May 20, 2021

Charlie bit my finger getting removed from YouTube is basically the modern day equivalent to the burning of the library of alexandria

— YouTube Kids (@RealYouTubeKids) May 20, 2021

the audacity of the “charlie bit my finger” uploader to put the 881M viewed video up as an NFT only to delete it from youtube for good after it’s been sold….

— cloudie @ umineko hell 🦋 (@fluffysmolcloud) May 18, 2021

just heard abt the charlie bit my finger nft situation and i am literally crying rn

that shit was apart of my childhood, man
nfts and cryptocurrency ilare going to ruin the internet and economy wtf pic.twitter.com/6LKg5vpf7c

— actually pompompurin ‼️ 🇺🇸🏳‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️ (@kavipiiesYT) May 21, 2021

There's no word on what, if any, measures the Davies-Carr family would take with the numerous reposts that exist online, but it seems that even though the original "Charlie Bit My Finger" will be gone, those who really want to see it will still be able to find it.