Christine Gambito
Encyclopedia
Stage name
A stage name, also called a showbiz name or screen name, is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers such as actors, wrestlers, comedians, and musicians.-Motivation to use a stage name:...
HappySlip, is an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Internet personality
Internet celebrity
An Internet celebrity, cyberstar or online celebrity is someone who has become famous by means of the Internet. Such fame is based less upon raw numbers, as with traditional media...
, actress, and comedian
Comedian
A comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience, primarily by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, or acting a fool, as in slapstick, or employing prop comedy...
. She maintains one of the most-subscribed-to channels on YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
, a popular video sharing website. On January 25, 2008, Gambito, who is of Filipino
Filipino people
The Filipino people or Filipinos are an Austronesian ethnic group native to the islands of the Philippines. There are about 92 million Filipinos in the Philippines, and about 11 million living outside the Philippines ....
ancestry, was appointed ambassador
Ambassador
An ambassador is the highest ranking diplomat who represents a nation and is usually accredited to a foreign sovereign or government, or to an international organization....
for Philippine tourism by the Department of Tourism
Department of Tourism (Philippines)
The Department of Tourism is the executive department of the Philippine government responsible for the regulation of the Philippine tourism industry and the promotion of the Philippines as a tourist destination....
.
In March 2007, Gambito's video Mixed Nuts was nominated for the 2006 YouTube Video Awards for Best Comedy, resulting in second place. In May of the same year, she became one of the first users accepted into YouTube's revenue sharing program.
Gambito's performances typically include comedy sketches in which she impersonates members of her family. She also sings and plays the piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
and guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
. As Gambito has stated repeatedly in her videos, she is notably one of the very few top users who are acting, filming, editing and producing her shorts completely on her own.
Before YouTube
Born of FilipinoFilipino people
The Filipino people or Filipinos are an Austronesian ethnic group native to the islands of the Philippines. There are about 92 million Filipinos in the Philippines, and about 11 million living outside the Philippines ....
ancestry and raised in the United States, she was involved in cameo appearance
Cameo appearance
A cameo role or cameo appearance is a brief appearance of a known person in a work of the performing arts, such as plays, films, video games and television...
s and small parts of television commercials, movies, and industrial and training film
Training film
A training film is a form of educational film – a short subject documentary movie, that provides an introduction to a topic. Both narrative documentary and dramatisation styles may be used, sometimes both in the same production...
s. Christine was also a licensed practical nurse (LPN) before her YouTube fame.
Personal life
On June 12, 2010 5:11pm, she posted a vlog (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BQ2h8MGnxmI) on her second channel (ChristineGambito) about her marriage, her 4 year old son named Micah, and her newborn baby (Sept.29). Her husband has never appeared on her YouTube videos, because he wanted their lives to be separate from the internet with complete privacy for the family. However, he has gotten used to the internet audience by now and is more open to sharing an inside look into their everyday lives. According to Gambito, he is relatively shy in front of cameras and as a result, is unlikely to appear in videos as often as Micah. Gambito is a graduate of Kellam High School in Virginia Beach.Origin of "HappySlip"
Gambito attributes her nickname "HappySlip" to her Filipino mother's mispronunciation of "half slip":At her personal site, she explains that the phrase is not only a funny phrase from the past, but it also reflects what she would like people to feel when they watch her videos, hoping they will “slip into happiness” while watching.
Videos
Her first sketchSketch comedy
A sketch comedy consists of a series of short comedy scenes or vignettes, called "sketches," commonly between one and ten minutes long. Such sketches are performed by a group of comic actors or comedians, either on stage or through an audio and/or visual medium such as broadcasting...
, Instant vlogging, was originally broadcasted on September 6, 2006 and featured Gambito impersonating four different characters, each representing a different video blogging style. Due to the positive response she received from the YouTube community, two of those characters (the teenager and the girl in the "soap opera" style) were explored further in the following videos, the latter becoming the first episode of a soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
spoof featuring two twin sisters both interpreted by Gambito.
Her second video introduced many of the recurring theme
Leitmotif
A leitmotif , sometimes written leit-motif, is a musical term , referring to a recurring theme, associated with a particular person, place, or idea. It is closely related to the musical idea of idée fixe...
s in her following sketches, such as her parents' attitude towards her growing popularity over the Internet and her family's ethnic habits seen through the mind of an American.
Other notable sketches include Mixed Nuts — a video depicting what she would call "a typical family discussion" which was later awarded with the second place in the 2006 YouTube Video Awards for Best Comedy — and Mac Beautiful, her first musical video, an ironic cover of the song You're Beautiful
You're Beautiful
"You're Beautiful" is a pop rock song co-written by British singer James Blunt, Sacha Skarbek, and Amanda Ghost for Blunt's debut album Back to Bedlam . It was released as the third single from the album in 2005. In the UK and Australia the song reached number one and number two respectively...
by James Blunt
James Blunt
James Hillier Blount , better known by his stage name James Blunt, is an English singer-songwriter and musician, and former army officer, whose debut album, Back to Bedlam and single releases, including "You're Beautiful" and "Goodbye My Lover", brought him to fame in 2005...
praising the beauty and efficiency of the Apple MacPro. Gambito later broadcast two videos containing original songs.
Gambito has collaborated with fellow YouTube comedian Kevin Wu (KevJumba) and has made five videos with him.
Recently, Gambito opened a new YouTube channel, self-titled 'christinegambito', showcasing bonus videos such as behind the scene footage of her videos, covers by Gambito herself of modern hits, bloopers, and more. Profits from this channel are all donated to charity by Gambito. She is also the host of YouTube Caroling.
Characters
Gambito is known for playing many characters within her videos. Her characters are easily recognized in her videos for their hair, attire, and personality. When portraying a character, Gambito uses wigs and notable accessories to differentiate each character when necessary.Major characters
The following characters are still portrayed today in Gambito's videos and are all portrayed by her:- Christine – Known as the main character in Gambito's videos seen to deal with her family's comedic traditions.
- Dad – Christine's father who is commonly seen in Gambito's videos constantly eating pork rinds. "Disaster!" is his commonly known catch phrase. The upper half of his face is not seen in any of Gambito's videos possibly to conceal Gambito's face and/or for easy recognition.
- Mom – Christine's mother known for her traditional antics with her family.
- Auntie Babie Cruz – Christine's aunt known in Gambito's videos for her comedic antics and, at times, snobby remarks.
- Minnie Cruz – Auntie Babie's shy daughter and Christine's cousin who is constantly embarrassed by her mother.
- Lola – Christine's grandmother known for her comedic confusion.
- Teenie – A teenager known for her talkative and self-absorbed attitude. Teenie is a parody of a modern, American teenager.
Minor characters
The following characters are known for their role in affecting the HappySlip universe:- Kevin – Minnie's boyfriend whom Minnie met online. Portrayed by Kevin Wu (KevJumba).
- Fred G (not to be confused with the other Fred) – Known for his love interest in Minnie. Also known for being an opponent to Kevin in a danceDanceDance is an art form that generally refers to movement of the body, usually rhythmic and to music, used as a form of expression, social interaction or presented in a spiritual or performance setting....
battle for Minnie's love. Gambito left the judging to viewers by holding a poll on her official website with Fred losing with 12% of votes. - Christian – Minnie's cousin sent out by Auntie Babie to watch over Minnie as she attends college. Portrayed by ninjadrops.
- Sheila & Sally Smoot – Known for their roles in 'Plop & Shop!' imitating infomercialInfomercialInfomercials are direct response television commercials which generally include a phone number or website. There are long-form infomercials, which are typically between 15 and 30 minutes in length, and short-form infomercials, which are typically 30 seconds to 120 seconds in length. Infomercials...
hosts. Both portrayed by Gambito. - Claire & Audrey – Twin sisters known for their soap operaSoap operaA soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
acts. The characters became inactive after both allegedly shot each other to death. Both were portrayed by Gambito. After a recent skit they were alive and it has been the most recent of her soap operas.