Dramatic Chipmunk
Encyclopedia
Dramatic Chipmunk, also known by the more accurate title Dramatic Prairie Dog, is a popular Internet
comedy
viral video
. The video is a five-second clip of the "chipmunk" (actually a prairie dog
) turning its head while the camera zooms in and dramatic music is played.
and CollegeHumor
on June 19, 2007. An earlier and identical version, titled as Dramatic Look, had been uploaded to YouTube on June 6, 2007.
The clip of the prairie dog is from the Japanese television show Hello! Morning
featuring Minimoni. The clip has a prairie dog
inside a transparent box being shown to the hosts in the studio. CollegeHumor also released a longer clip under the title Undramatic Chipmunk, showing how the video looked in the original Japanese version.
The audio used in Dramatic Chipmunk is illegally 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
. It uses three dramatic chords
(A minor, C# minor, and E minor) performed in full orchestral tutti
, and has a rumble of thunder in the background. The "chipmunk" turns its head and stares at the camera while the music is played.
named the Dramatic Chipmunk as one of The 10 Wildest YouTube Stars of 2007.
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
comedy
Comedy
Comedy , as a popular meaning, is any humorous discourse or work generally intended to amuse by creating laughter, especially in television, film, and stand-up comedy. This must be carefully distinguished from its academic definition, namely the comic theatre, whose Western origins are found in...
viral video
Viral video
A viral video is one that becomes popular through the process of Internet sharing, typically through video sharing websites, social media and email...
. The video is a five-second clip of the "chipmunk" (actually a prairie dog
Prairie dog
Prairie dogs are burrowing rodents native to the grasslands of North America. There are five different species of prairie dogs: black-tailed, white-tailed, Gunnison's, Utah and Mexican prairie dogs. They are a type of ground squirrel, found in the United States, Canada and Mexico...
) turning its head while the camera zooms in and dramatic music is played.
Origins
The clip became widely known through uploads on YouTubeYouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
and CollegeHumor
CollegeHumor
CollegeHumor is a comedy website owned by InterActiveCorp and based in New York City. The site features daily original comedy videos and articles created by its in-house writing and production team, in addition to user-submitted videos, pictures, articles and links. In early 2009, CollegeHumor's...
on June 19, 2007. An earlier and identical version, titled as Dramatic Look, had been uploaded to YouTube on June 6, 2007.
The clip of the prairie dog is from the Japanese television show Hello! Morning
Hello! Morning
was a weekly Japanese TV show featuring members of Morning Musume, and sometimes other Hello! Project members on TV Tokyo. It is also known by the shorter name of . On April 1, 2007, the show ended after seven years of broadcast and a new show, featuring the same people, , took its place...
featuring Minimoni. The clip has a prairie dog
Prairie dog
Prairie dogs are burrowing rodents native to the grasslands of North America. There are five different species of prairie dogs: black-tailed, white-tailed, Gunnison's, Utah and Mexican prairie dogs. They are a type of ground squirrel, found in the United States, Canada and Mexico...
inside a transparent box being shown to the hosts in the studio. CollegeHumor also released a longer clip under the title Undramatic Chipmunk, showing how the video looked in the original Japanese version.
The audio used in Dramatic Chipmunk is illegally taken from the score of the 1974 Mel Brooks
Mel Brooks
Mel Brooks is an American film director, screenwriter, composer, lyricist, comedian, actor and producer. He is best known as a creator of broad film farces and comic parodies. He began his career as a stand-up comic and as a writer for the early TV variety show Your Show of Shows...
film Young Frankenstein
Young Frankenstein
Young Frankenstein is a 1974 American comedy film directed by Mel Brooks and starring Gene Wilder as the title character, a descendant of the infamous Dr. Victor Frankenstein. The supporting cast includes Teri Garr, Cloris Leachman, Marty Feldman, Peter Boyle, Madeline Kahn, Kenneth Mars, Richard...
, which was composed by two-time Oscar nominee (and longtime Brooks collaborator) John Morris
John Morris (composer)
John Morris is an American film and television composer, best known for his work with filmmaker Mel Brooks.-Life and career:...
, and orchestrated by Morris and EGOT recipient Jonathan Tunick
Jonathan Tunick
Jonathan Tunick is an American orchestrator, musical director, and composer, one of twelve people to have won all four major American show business awards: the Tony, Oscar, Emmy and Grammy. He has also worked with all of the other eleven people. His principal instrument is the clarinet...
. It uses three dramatic chords
Chord (music)
A chord in music is any harmonic set of two–three or more notes that is heard as if sounding simultaneously. These need not actually be played together: arpeggios and broken chords may for many practical and theoretical purposes be understood as chords...
(A minor, C# minor, and E minor) performed in full orchestral tutti
Tutti
Tutti is an Italian word literally meaning all or together and is used as a musical term, for the whole orchestra as opposed to the soloist...
, and has a rumble of thunder in the background. The "chipmunk" turns its head and stares at the camera while the music is played.
Popularity
Since its release, the video has received over thirty million of views. People MagazinePeople (magazine)
In 1998, the magazine introduced a version targeted at teens called Teen People. However, on July 27, 2006, the company announced it would shut down publication of Teen People immediately. The last issue to be released was scheduled for September 2006. Subscribers to this magazine received...
named the Dramatic Chipmunk as one of The 10 Wildest YouTube Stars of 2007.
External links
- Original Dramatic Chipmunk video at CollegeHumor.com