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Dramatic Chipmunk

Internet comedy viral video

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Dramatic Chipmunk is a viral Internet video. The video is a five-second clip of a prairie dog (erroneously referred to as a chipmunk) turning its head while the camera zooms in and dramatic music is played.

01Origins

The clip of the prairie dog is from the Japanese television variety show Hello! Morning featuring the girl group Mini-Moni's segment, Mini-Moni Chiccha. The video consists of a prairie dog inside a transparent box being shown to Mini-Moni. It became widely known through uploads on YouTube and CollegeHumor on June 19, 2007. An earlier and identical version, titled as Dramatic Look, had been uploaded to YouTube on June 6, 2007. CollegeHumor also released a longer clip under the title Undramatic Chipmunk, showing how the video looked originally.

The audio used in Dramatic Chipmunk, sometimes known as the "Dun dun duuun!" sting, is taken from the score of the 1974 Mel Brooks film Young Frankenstein, which was composed by two-time Oscar nominee (and longtime Brooks collaborator) John Morris, and orchestrated by Morris and EGOT recipient Jonathan Tunick.

02Popularity

Since its release, the video has received over fifty million views. People Magazine named the Dramatic Chipmunk as one of The 10 Wildest YouTube Stars of 2007.

In 2008, South Park released an episode named "Canada on Strike". The Dramatic Chipmunk (referred to here as "Dramatic Look Gopher") was featured alongside other Internet celebrities (including Tay Zonday, Tron Guy and the viral "Sneezing Baby Panda") claiming his "internet money."

In 2008, The Powerpuff Girls released their 10th anniversary and series finale special, "The Powerpuff Girls Rule!!!". At the start of the special, Mojo Jojo is seen referencing the Dramatic Chipmunk meme when he is first introduced.

Since 2013, the Minnesota Golden Gophers have been known to play the Dramatic Chipmunk video on the Jumbotron during home football games to distract opposing kickers.

In the video game Overwatch, the Wrecking Ball character, an enhanced-intelligent hamster that pilots a mecha, was given a highlight introduction in April 2019 that spoofs the Dramatic Chipmunk meme.

Watch videos about Dramatic ChipmunkExplainers and documentaries on YouTube (opens in a new tab)

Sources and credits

This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article Dramatic Chipmunk, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.

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