Dancing baby
Encyclopedia
3D computer graphics
3D computer graphics are graphics that use a three-dimensional representation of geometric data that is stored in the computer for the purposes of performing calculations and rendering 2D images...
video animations of that baby dancing a sort of cha-cha style of dance for several seconds. The Dancing Baby animation quickly became a media phenomenon, Internet Phenomenon, Internet meme
Internet meme
The term Internet meme is used to describe a concept that spreads via the Internet. The term is a reference to the concept of memes, although the latter concept refers to a much broader category of cultural information.-Description:...
, and one of the first viral videos in the mid-to-late 1990s.
History of the Dancing Baby Animation
The "Dancing Baby" phenomenon refers to a 3D rendered animation of a baby performing a cha-cha type dance. It originated as a collection of experimental testing data and files, ultimately released in Autumn of 1996 as a product sample source file (sk_baby.max) with the ground-breaking 3D character animation software product "Character StudioCharacter Studio
Character Studio is a set of tools within Autodesk's 3DS Max.Character studio provides professional tools for animating 3D characters. It is an environment in which animators can quickly and easily build skeletons and then animate them, thus creating motion sequences. The animated skeletons are...
", used with 3D Studio Max
3D Studio Max
Autodesk 3ds Max, formerly 3D Studio MAX, is for making 3D animations. It was developed and produced by Autodesk Media and Entertainment. It has modeling capabilities, a flexible plugin architecture and can be used on the Microsoft Windows platform. It's frequently used by video game developers, TV...
(both products from Kinetix/Autodesk
Autodesk
Autodesk, Inc. is an American multinational corporation that focuses on 3D design software for use in the architecture, engineering, construction, manufacturing, media and entertainment industries. The company was founded in 1982 by John Walker, a coauthor of the first versions of the company's...
). The original sample source file was produced and prepared by the original Character Studio development team (Michael Girard, Susan Amkraut, John Chadwick, Paul Bloemink, John Hutchinson, Adam Felt) at Unreal Pictures and Kinetix/Autodesk, amongst several other sample files. The cha-cha animation was created using the "Biped" animation system of Character Studio by Robert Lurye and Michael Girard. The 3D model of a human baby was added later by the development team as one of the character "skins" for the rendered animation. The original model was courtesy of Viewpoint Datalabs, later modified for the Character Studio release by the beta manager, with the bulk of the skinning and rigging performed by John Chadwick using the "Physique" skin/deformation system in Character Studio, and final edits by John and member(s) of the Autodesk development team. After the first pre-release application of the 3D baby model to the cha-cha animation (and from pre-release showings), all Kinetix/Autodesk employees quickly began to realize it was most amusing to see a baby dance a cha-cha rather than just walk, This helped ensure the selection of the 'dancing baby' as a sample file for debut release of Character Studio and for demonstration videos in product promotion.
The animation of the original dancing baby data consists of heavily researched and adapted physics models to automate animation along with interpolated manually animated keyframes that are generated and synthesized by the "Biped" system of the Character Studio product. Contrary to popular misconceptions, none of the original Dancing Baby animation data were created using any motion capture
Motion capture
Motion capture, motion tracking, or mocap are terms used to describe the process of recording movement and translating that movement on to a digital model. It is used in military, entertainment, sports, and medical applications, and for validation of computer vision and robotics...
at all.
After the 3D source file was released to public with the Character Studio product (Autumn 1996), not one, but many users and animators were empowered to render their own video clips of the 'original' animated dancing baby (sk_baby.max) and circulate these via the Compuserve (internet) forums, World Wide Web (commercial and private web sites), and in print ads and unrestricted e-mail. Such activity proliferated most significantly from mainstream (Windows users) royalty-free access to and widespread user renderings of the 3D dancing baby source file for use on internet and in broadcast television via several news editorials, advertisements, and even comic programming in local, national (U.S), and various international markets. The ease-of-use (reducing what previously took 3D animators weeks to achieve) and powerful functionality of the Character Studio product (and 3D Studio MAX, a first for the Windows platform) along with royalty-free 3D content made it very quick and easy for anyone to render and distribute complete animations of the "baby cha-cha" and other character animations.
As evidenced by the widespread use of the original file renderings used in many appearances between 1996 and 1998, no single use or particular end user or company's e-mails were responsible for proliferating this dancing baby animation and its initial internet phenomenon. The original animation and model are credited for its general appeal. Together with the fundamental amusement of seeing for the first time a baby's image actually perform a sophisticated dance step like the cha-cha, the rapid expansion of internet access and use at the time (between 1996–1998), the immediate (1996-forward) popularity of the Character Studio and 3ds max products (first-of-kind on Windows) with animators and 3D fx artists, the easy royalty-free accessibility to using and rendering the dancing baby's 3D source file, its world-wide usage in product marketing, and the resulting widespread use of the sk_baby.max file for product clips in television, news, advertisements, and thousands of websites are all credited with the "Dancing Baby" animation quickly becoming a media and internet phenomenon (or meme).
Original and virtually unmodified Dancing Baby animation clips using the sk_baby.max file appeared in a broad array of mainstream media, including television dramas (i.e. "Ally McBeal
Ally McBeal
Ally McBeal is an American legal comedy-drama series which aired on the Fox network from 1997 to 2002. The series was created by David E. Kelley, who also served as the executive producer, along with Bill D'Elia...
"), commercial advertisements, and music videos between 1996–1998 had a predominant influence on the proliferation of use of the original dancing baby animation. It is also arguable that the original cha-cha loop is extremely adaptable to many different styles of music as seen in various videos/clips of the original dancing baby cha-cha dance using songs spanning completely different genres.
Modifications
Later, several interesting variations to the original animation were also produced by modifying the sk_baby.max sample file's animation and the baby model itself with noticeable changes, and some not even dancing at all. Many users/animators were responsible for improved, diverse, and even more amusing variations of the dancing baby animation and character model itself. However, evidentially the most widespread broadcasting, distribution and viewing of 'the' Dancing Baby animation that became so popular consist of lighted and rendered views of the original and/or virtually unmodified sk_baby.max model and animation. As a result, variations of the dancing baby animation did not become quite as popular or as influential as the original sk_baby.max animation and source file. This is evident by observing the references to most popular uses of Dancing Baby during the primary wave of its proliferation 1996-1997 and comparing those animations to the original sk_baby.max character mesh and animation to note they are virtually unchanged if at all. Some exceptional variations have followed, but cannot be credited for the original internet phenomenon and proliferation. Such stylized versions and parodies included a "drunken baby," a "rasta baby," a "samurai baby," and others, but neither of these has become as popular on the Internet as the original file, which still remains in active circulation, and has been adapted to various musical soundtracks.Appearances in mainstream media
The Dancing Baby animation spread quickly on popular web forums, individual web sites, international e-mail, demo videos, commercials, and eventually mainstream television. Awareness of the meme most significantly increased when featured on CBS, CNN, and on Fox's Ally McBealAlly McBeal (season 1)
The first season of the television series Ally McBeal commenced airing in the United States on September 8, 1997, concluded on May 18, 1998, and consisted of 23 episodes...
comic drama series. The same animation was shown on several episodes of Ally McBeal
Ally McBeal
Ally McBeal is an American legal comedy-drama series which aired on the Fox network from 1997 to 2002. The series was created by David E. Kelley, who also served as the executive producer, along with Bill D'Elia...
as a recurring hallucination, suggesting a metaphor for the ticking of Ally
Ally McBeal (Character)
Allison Marie "Ally" McBeal is the central fictional character in the Fox series Ally McBeal played by Calista Flockhart.Ally is a Boston-based lawyer. She is shown as a woman who believes in love and is continually looking for her soul mate...
's biological clock
Biological clock
Biological clock may refer to:* Circadian rhythm, living organisms' adaptations to solar related rhythms* Age, as a general factor of female infertility...
- further enhancing it as a 'meme'. On that show it was curiously accompanied by a Vonda Shepard
Vonda Shepard
Vonda Shepard is an American pop/rock singer. She appeared as a regular in the television show Ally McBeal from seasons 1-5 in which she played a resident performer at the bar where the show's characters drank after work. She plays piano, guitar, and bass.-Biography:Vonda Shepard was born in New...
cover of the song "Hooked on a Feeling
Hooked on a Feeling
"Hooked on a Feeling" is a 1968 pop song written by Mark James and originally performed by B. J. Thomas. Featuring the sound of the electric sitar, the song reached number five in 1969 on the Billboard Hot 100.-History:...
." Various commercial advertisements presented the Dancing Baby animation to international markets continuing the mainstream media attention. This particular manifestation of the video, bound to the song, is widely distributed and referred to as the Ugachaka (or Oogachaka) Baby.
More examples of the Dancing Baby used in mainstream media are below.
Television, Media, Music and Film
The Dancing Baby made constant appearances in trade shows, world wide marketing media, and of course in mainstream media such as Television, Music Videos and later in film too:- In 1996 the original Character Studio dancing baby animation appeared in major trade show demo reels, including NAB, Siggraph, IBC, Game Developer Conference (GDC), E3, and others.
- In 1996 and 1997, the dancing baby animation appeared on various local television broadcasts, including news and tech editorials, and CBS syndicated stations.
- The Dancing Baby's first appearance on Ally McBeal was in episode 12, "Cro-Magnon," airing on January 5, 1998)Ally McBeal (season 1)The first season of the television series Ally McBeal commenced airing in the United States on September 8, 1997, concluded on May 18, 1998, and consisted of 23 episodes...
- At the height of the Ally McBeal series, a dance group called Trubble released a song called Dancing Baby (Ooga-Chaka) which charted well in Australia in late 1998/early 1999 and hit #21 on the UK charts.
- The Dancing Baby appeared on an episode of Unhappily Ever AfterUnhappily Ever AfterUnhappily Ever After is an American sitcom that aired for 100 episodes on The WB network from January 11, 1995, to May 23, 1999, for a total of four and a half seasons...
, with Dennis FranzDennis FranzDennis Franz is an American actor best known for his role as Andy Sipowicz, a hard-boiled police detective in the television series NYPD Blue. He previously appeared as Lt...
as the baby. It was parodied in the opening of The House that Dick Built, episode 15 from the 4th season of 3rd Rock from the Sun3rd Rock from the Sun3rd Rock from the Sun is an American sitcom that aired from 1996 to 2001 on NBC. The show is about four extraterrestrials who are on an expedition to Earth, which they consider to be a very insignificant planet...
, with Harry SolomonHarry SolomonHarry S. Solomon is a character in 3rd Rock from the Sun, played by French Stewart. He is the brother of Dick Solomon and Sally Solomon, and the uncle of Tommy Solomon. His middle initial is mentioned in the episode "Dick the Vote." French Stewart said in a 1998 interview, "The way the character...
(French StewartFrench StewartMilton French Stewart , better known by his stage name French Stewart, is an American actor, best known for his role as Harry Solomon on the 1990s sitcom 3rd Rock from the Sun.-Early life:...
) as the baby.
- In the parody wrestling series Celebrity DeathmatchCelebrity DeathmatchCelebrity Deathmatch is a claymation television show that depicts celebrities against each other in a wrestling ring, almost always ending in the loser's gruesome death. It was known for its excessive amount of blood used in every match and exaggerated physical injuries...
, during a match between Lucy LawlessLucy LawlessLucy Lawless, MNZM is a New Zealander actress and singer best known for playing the title character of the internationally successful television series Xena: Warrior Princess....
and Calista FlockhartCalista FlockhartCalista Kay Flockhart is an American actress who is primarily recognized for her work in television. She is best known for playing the title character in the Fox comedy-drama series Ally McBeal for which she won a Golden Globe Award...
(the actress who played Ally McBeal), the dancing baby suddenly appears in the ring with his back turned to the camera. After a moment of dancing, he turns around and is shown to be Dennis FranzDennis FranzDennis Franz is an American actor best known for his role as Andy Sipowicz, a hard-boiled police detective in the television series NYPD Blue. He previously appeared as Lt...
in nothing but a diaper; referee Mills LaneMills LaneMills Bee Lane III is a retired boxing referee, a former boxer, was a two term Washoe County District Court Judge, and television personality...
shouts at him, "I told you I didn't want you in my ring, Dennis Franz!"
- Blockbuster Video commercial, baby dances to the Rick JamesRick JamesJames Ambrose Johnson, Jr. , better known by his stage name Rick James, was an American singer, songwriter, musician and record producer. James was a popular performer in the late 1970s and 1980s, scoring four number-one hits on the U.S. R&B charts performing in the genres of funk and R&B...
hit, "Give It to Me BabyGive It to Me Baby"Give It to Me Baby" is the title of a 1981 song by American R&B / funk singer Rick James. Taken from his album Street Songs, the song charted on the Billboard Hot 100, spending two weeks at #40 in July of 1981. However, the song proved to be more successful with R&B and dance club audiences...
".
- The Dancing Baby is also spoofed in an episode of The SimpsonsThe SimpsonsThe Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...
, "The Computer Wore Menace ShoesThe Computer Wore Menace Shoes“The Computer Wore Menace Shoes” is the sixth episode of The Simpsons twelfth season. It first aired on the Fox network in the United States on December 3, 2000. In the episode, Homer buys a computer and creates his own website to spread gossip...
", in which HomerHomer SimpsonHomer Jay Simpson is a fictional character in the animated television series The Simpsons and the patriarch of the eponymous family. He is voiced by Dan Castellaneta and first appeared on television, along with the rest of his family, in The Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night" on April 19, 1987...
visits (and later steals from) a website featuring Jesus dancing with the same moves as the baby.
- In the television series MillenniumMillennium (TV series)Millennium is an American television series created by Chris Carter, creator of The X-Files. Millennium aired on the Fox Network from 1996 to 1999. The series was filmed in Vancouver, British Columbia, though most episodes were ostensibly set in or around Seattle, Washington...
, the episode "Somehow, Satan Got Behind Me" features a demonDemoncall - 1347 531 7769 for more infoIn Ancient Near Eastern religions as well as in the Abrahamic traditions, including ancient and medieval Christian demonology, a demon is considered an "unclean spirit" which may cause demonic possession, to be addressed with an act of exorcism...
who manifests himself in the form of a baby, dancing to the Black FlagBlack Flag (band)Black Flag was an American punk rock band formed in 1976 in Hermosa Beach, California. The band was established by Greg Ginn, the guitarist, primary songwriter and sole continuous member through multiple personnel changes in the band...
song "My War." Writer/director Darin MorganDarin MorganDarin Morgan is an American screenwriter best known for several offbeat, darkly humorous episodes of the television series The X-Files and Millennium. His teleplay for the X-Files episode "Clyde Bruckman's Final Repose" won a 1996 Emmy for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Writing for a Drama...
based the baby on its use in Ally McBeal; as he commented, "It's a terrifying thing, that baby. She dances with it, and you go, 'There's something really wrong with this person.'"
- In an episode of ChowderChowder (TV series)Chowder is an American animated television series which ran from November 2, 2007 to August 7, 2010 on Cartoon Network. The series was created by C. H...
,the dancing baby appears but with a more demonDemoncall - 1347 531 7769 for more infoIn Ancient Near Eastern religions as well as in the Abrahamic traditions, including ancient and medieval Christian demonology, a demon is considered an "unclean spirit" which may cause demonic possession, to be addressed with an act of exorcism...
ic look.
- In the 2002 movie Life or Something Like ItLife or Something Like ItLife or Something Like It is a 2002 romantic comedy film directed by Stephen Herek. The film focuses on television reporter Lanie Kerrigan and her quest to find meaning in her life. The original music score was composed by David Newman...
, the Dancing Baby appears on the score board at the baseball game.
- The Cincinnati, Ohio classic rock station WEBNWEBNWEBN is a commercial radio station serving Greater Cincinnati, airing an album-oriented rock format. The station pioneered the concept of album-oriented rock, and is in fact the longest running AOR-formatted station in the United States, first airing this format in 1967. The station is owned...
featured the dancing baby dancing to the song "You Shook Me All Night LongYou Shook Me All Night Long"You Shook Me All Night Long" is one of AC/DC's signature songs from their most successful album, Back in Black. The song also reappeared on their later album Who Made Who. It is one of the band's top 40 singles, reaching number 35 on the Billboard Hot 100 pop singles chart in 1980...
" by AC/DCAC/DCAC/DC are an Australian rock band, formed in 1973 by brothers Malcolm and Angus Young. Commonly classified as hard rock, they are considered pioneers of heavy metal, though they themselves have always classified their music as simply "rock and roll"...
on a television commercial for the station.
- In the episode of Family GuyFamily GuyFamily Guy is an American animated television series created by Seth MacFarlane for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series centers on the Griffins, a dysfunctional family consisting of parents Peter and Lois; their children Meg, Chris, and Stewie; and their anthropomorphic pet dog Brian...
called "McStrokeMcStroke"McStroke" is the eighth episode of season six of the FOX animated series Family Guy, which originally aired on January 13, 2008. The title is a play on McDonald's terminology of putting "Mc" in front of common words...
", Stewie GriffinStewie GriffinStewie Griffin is a fictional character from the animated television series Family Guy. Once obsessed with world domination and matricide, Stewie is the youngest child of Peter and Lois Griffin, and the brother of Chris and Meg....
and Brian GriffinBrian GriffinBrian Griffin is a character from the animated television series Family Guy. He is voiced by Seth MacFarlane and first appeared on television, along with the rest of the family, in a 15-minute short on December 20, 1998. Brian was created and designed by MacFarlane himself...
bet on whether or not Stewie could become the coolest kid in high school in a week. He did so Brian had to email all of his friends the Dancing babyDancing babyThe "Dancing Baby," also called "Baby Cha-Cha," refers to an animated 3D model of a baby and 3D-rendered video animations of that baby dancing a sort of cha-cha style of dance for several seconds...
video
- In 2010,The Dancing Baby appeared on an episode of SuperNewsSupernewsSupernews may refer to:* SuperNews!, an animated television series* Supernews...
.
Video games
Several video games have included references to the Dancing Baby.- In the EA SportsEA SportsEA Sports is a brand of Electronic Arts that creates and develops sports video games. Formerly a marketing gimmick of Electronic Arts, in which they tried to mimic real-life sports networks by calling themselves "EA Sports Network" with pictures or endorsements of real commentators such as John...
football game FIFA 99, the editor includes an animation of a player doing the Dancing Baby dance. - The Dancing Baby also makes an appearance in the XboxXboxThe Xbox is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Microsoft. It was released on November 15, 2001 in North America, February 22, 2002 in Japan, and March 14, 2002 in Australia and Europe and is the predecessor to the Xbox 360. It was Microsoft's first foray into the gaming console...
and PS2 title, Silent Hill 4. - An easter eggEaster egg (media)Image:Carl Oswald Rostosky - Zwei Kaninchen und ein Igel 1861.jpg|250px|thumb|right|Example of Easter egg hidden within imagerect 467 383 539 434 desc none...
exists in Quest for Glory V: Dragon FireQuest for Glory V: Dragon FireQuest for Glory V: Dragon Fire is the fifth and final game in the Quest for Glory computer game series by Sierra Entertainment. Unlike the first four games, Dragon Fire is an Action/RPG with few elements of Adventure.-Story:...
where the hero dances in the Dead Parrot Inn, imitating the exact moves of the Dancing Baby. - The Dancing Baby was used in an animation featured at the end of a level in the game RollerTyping. In the computer game Zoo TycoonZoo TycoonZoo Tycoon is a business simulation developed by Blue Fang Games and released by Microsoft Game Studios. It is a tycoon game in which the player must run a zoo and try to make a profit. Although first released for Microsoft Windows and Macintosh in 2001, it was ported to the Nintendo DS in 2005...
, the gorillas will sometimes do the same dance as the dancing baby.
More Recent Appearances
The Dancing Baby is still occasionally referenced as a symbol of 1990s culture, or as part of a tradition dating back to the time of its popularity.- Iowa State UniversityIowa State UniversityIowa State University of Science and Technology, more commonly known as Iowa State University , is a public land-grant and space-grant research university located in Ames, Iowa, United States. Iowa State has produced astronauts, scientists, and Nobel and Pulitzer Prize winners, along with a host of...
basketballBasketballBasketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
games frequently feature the dancing baby on the scoreboardScoreboardA scoreboard is a large board for publicly displaying the score in a game or match. Most levels of sport from high school and above use at least one scoreboard for keeping score, measuring time, and displaying statistics. Scoreboards in the past used a mechanical clock and numeral cards to...
during timeouts. - The baby is a recurring feature on VH1VH1VH1 or Vh1 is an American cable television network based in New York City. Launched on January 1, 1985 in the old space of Turner Broadcasting's short-lived Cable Music Channel, the original purpose of the channel was to build on the success of MTV by playing music videos, but targeting a slightly...
's I Love the 90s series, and it also appeared on Best Week EverBest Week EverBest Week Ever is a weekly television program on the United States cable/satellite network VH1. It started airing in 2004 and was put on hiatus in the summer of 2009...
. - In the JourneymanJourneyman (TV series)Journeyman is a 2007 American science fiction television drama created by Kevin Falls for 20th Century Fox Television which aired on the NBC television network. It starred Kevin McKidd as Dan Vasser, a San Francisco reporter who involuntarily travels through time...
episode "The Year of the Rabbit," a scene from Ally McBealAlly McBealAlly McBeal is an American legal comedy-drama series which aired on the Fox network from 1997 to 2002. The series was created by David E. Kelley, who also served as the executive producer, along with Bill D'Elia...
with the Dancing Baby appeared anachronisticallyAnachronismAn anachronism—from the Greek ανά and χρόνος — is an inconsistency in some chronological arrangement, especially a chronological misplacing of persons, events, objects, or customs in regard to each other...
in a scene set in 1997.
External links
- "Dancing Baby cha-chas from the Internet to the networks" - Sci-Tech Story Page, CNN, Jan 1998
- Internet Dancing Baby site - Contains a copy of one of the original dancing baby renderings
- Variations of the Dancing Baby by various artists