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Skibidi Toilet
A computer render of a male human head with wide open eyes coming out of a toilet bowl, smiling
Thumbnail of the first short in the series depicting one of the titular Skibidi Toilets
GenreMachinima
Created byAlexey Gerasimov (DaFuq!?Boom!)
Country of originGeorgia
No. of seasons23
No. of episodes73
Original release
NetworkYouTube
ReleaseFebruary 7, 2023 (2023-02-07) (UTC) –
present

Skibidi Toilet is a machinima web series of YouTube videos and shorts created by Alexey Gerasimov and uploaded on his YouTube channel DaFuq!?Boom!. Produced using Source Filmmaker, the series follows a fictional war between human-headed toilets and humanoid characters with electronic devices for heads. Since the first short was posted in February 2023, Skibidi Toilet has become viral as an internet meme across various social media platforms, particularly popularized by Generation Alpha. Many commentators saw the series as Generation Alpha's first foray into internet culture.

Plot and characteristics

The series depicts a conflict between singing human-headed toilets—the titular "Skibidi Toilets"—and humanoids with CCTV cameras, speakers, and televisions in place of their heads. In a New York City-esque setting, the Skibidi Toilets, and their leader "G-Man" (canonically "G-toilet"[1]), threaten humanity.[2] Two types of humanoids, cameramen and speakermen, form an alliance against the toilets. Each has one of its kind that is much larger than the rest, termed "titans". A toilet parasite infects the Speaker Titan, leading to casualties. Later in the series, TV-headed humanoids and their titan are introduced, and with their help, the speaker titan is broken free from mind control. The battle spreads to other cities, where the titans destroy what seems to be the G-Man, but is later revealed to be an impostor. The titans convene and seem to defeat the mastermind, the Scientist Toilet, but once again are fooled by a decoy. The true Scientist Toilet is revealed to be in hiding. After a strike mission, the Scientist Toilet is defeated, but all but one member of the crew are killed. The one remaining member is transported to meet the Secret Agent, a mysterious human seemingly involved in the creation of the toilets. Business Insider described the series as "an endless arms race as both the toilets and their foes [produce] stronger fighters".[3]

An unlicensed[4] mashup of the songs "Give It to Me" by Timbaland[5] and "Dom Dom Yes Yes" by Bulgarian artist Biser King,[6] created by TikTok user @doombreaker03,[7] appears in each episode as the theme of the Skibidi Toilets.[5] The two songs' label Universal Music Group has issued copyright takedowns on the full version of the mashup, resulting in some videos featuring the mashup to be taken down.[4] "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" by Tears for Fears is featured in some videos as the theme of the resistance forces.[3]

The show contains references to video games, such as the character G-Man, whose name and likeness come from the Half-Life video game series. The Cameramen's oft-performed dances are from the battle royale game Fortnite.[5]

Background and production

Skibidi Toilet is produced by Alexey Gerasimov (Russian: Алексей Герасимов, born 1997 or 1998),[5] known online as "DaFuq!?Boom!" or "Blugray".[8] Since 2014, he has been learning animation on his own. He lives in the country of Georgia.[8] His channel has seen prior hits; his video I'M AT DIP accumulated over 45 million views by July 2023.[8]

First released in February 2023,[9] every episode is produced using Source Filmmaker, a free Valve-published 3D computer graphics software, often used to create and edit clips and movies online.[10] Some assets used in the series are taken from video games such as Half-Life 2 and Counter-Strike: Source.[11] In 2022, the song "Dom Dom Yes Yes" by Biser King became a TikTok meme.[10][11] Another TikTok user, Paryss Bryanne, in turn, parodied this meme, complementing it with her style of jerky acting with rapid cuts. Gerasimov cites her adaptation as one of the inspirations for Skibidi Toilet.[11]

New videos are released every few days, with the spacing between episodes having been extended to improve quality.[12] As of January 2024, the series is reportedly being investigated by the Russian police for its alleged harm to children, following a report made by a Moscow resident.[12][13]

Reception and influence

Popularity

Skibidi Toilet's audience is predominantly among Generation Alpha, born after the early 2010s. While the series does not appear in YouTube Kids, an app designed for children under the age of 13, it still enjoys popularity among elementary school students.[5] Skibidi Toilet has sparked its audience to create and post fanworks, such as games, fan fiction, and art,[5] as well as the Generation Alpha slang "skibidi".[14] The slang was integrated into a TikTok meme where words in song lyrics are swapped with various Gen Alpha slang to create a nonsensical result.[15]

As of November 2023, YouTube videos associated with Skibidi Toilet accumulated over 65 billion views, while on the social media platform TikTok, the "Skibidi Toilet" hashtag is trending and comprises 15.3 billion views. By December 2022, the channel "DaFuq!?Boom!" had amassed 37 million subscribers, experiencing a rapid growth which, on occasion, had surpassed growth of MrBeast, the second most subscribed channel of YouTube. The series has found its way into internet memes and Instagram videos. The Washington Post went as far as to call it "the biggest online phenomenon of the year."[5]

According to Tubefilter rankings, by the end of April 2023, "DaFuq!?Boom!" entered the fifty most viewed YouTube channels in the United States, at 33rd place. By June, the channel had achieved a milestone of five billion views, making it the most viewed YouTube channel in the US during that month. The editor, Sam Gutelle, noted that previously, the channel existed largely under the radar, except for a few "animation diehards in the meme community".[16] The Daily Dot's offshoot publication Passionfruit suspected the popularity of the series was due to how the "designs combined a simple, cute style with more uncanny elements", citing other popular characters like Sans and Siren Head.[7]

Skibidi Toilet has also been referenced on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, with a short parody animation depicting US President Joe Biden as a Skibidi Toilet, dubbed "Skibidi Biden" (with it repeating this name).[17]

Critical reception

The lifestyle magazine Dazed characterized Skibidi Toilet as "frenetic, unpredictable, funny and at times genuinely unsettling."[10] Yahoo's In The Know compared the animation style to that of a mobile game, describing it as having "choppy movements and exaggerated facial expressions".[9] Cartoon Brew, an animation-focused website, stated that while Skibidi Toilet "may look rough around the edges compared to major studio fare [...] there is no question that Gerasimov is a filmmaker who understands pacing, camerawork, sound design, and how to tell a story."[8]

Many publications highlighted a viral tweet, in which user @AnimeSerbia called the series Generation Alpha's Slender Man.[10][11] Insider claimed the series exemplified the start of a new generation gaining prominence, using the relationship between millennials and Gen Z as an example,[18] a stance that Indy100 repeated, who commented that "[Gen Z] will be facing the same mocking and ridicule they dished out to Millennials".[19] News.com.au opined "[the series] is a timely reminder that Gen Alpha are on the horizon".[20]

The Washington Post noted the series' uniqueness in creating a narrative entirely out of short-form videos, and remarked on YouTube's ability to stay relevant while competing with TikTok.[5] Adam Bumas, in a guest piece for Ryan Broderick's newsletter, Garbage Day, remarked the series leans into "weird internet aesthetics", creating a nostalgic element.[21] Business Insider echoed this, remarking on the series' use of old video game assets.[3]

Several parental websites[5] and Indonesian newspapers[22][23][24] claimed that Skibidi Toilet's violence and bizarre visuals may have a harmful effect for young children, dubbing it "Skibidi toilet syndrome" (Indonesian: sindrom Skibidi toilet). The Guardian dismissed such claims, labeling it a "moral panic".[12] British newspaper The Daily Telegraph called on regulators to mandate age restrictions on online videos similar to the film industry, citing Skibidi Toilet's perceived violence.[25] Viral videos have surfaced where children sit inside containers and mimic the toilets.[5]

See also

References

  1. ^ DaFuq!?Boom! (9 July 2023). skibidi toilet 47 (Video description). Retrieved 12 May 2024. cinemaman confronts g-toilet
  2. ^ Lorenz, Taylor (10 December 2023). "Skibidi Toilets racks up billions of views on YouTube - The Washington Post". The Washington Post. Retrieved 12 April 2024.
  3. ^ a b c Dodgson, Lindsay (14 October 2023). "'Skibidi Toilet' isn't mindless — it's a 'cultural touchstone' that captures the anarchic spirit of the internet". Business Insider. Retrieved 2 November 2023.
  4. ^ a b Ingham, Tim (14 March 2024). "Down The Skibidi Toilet: Why Universal Music Group's 'Project Timeout' is hitting TikTok with endless copyright takedown requests". Music Business Worldwide. Retrieved 20 March 2024.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Lorenz, Taylor (9 December 2023). "How a toilet-themed YouTube series became the biggest thing online". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Archived from the original on 16 December 2023. Retrieved 17 December 2023.
  6. ^ Curtis, Charles (24 July 2023). "What are Skibidi toilets? Explaining the bizarre YouTube video series that's taking over the internet". For The Win. USA Today. Archived from the original on 27 July 2023. Retrieved 10 August 2023.
  7. ^ a b Bumas, Adam (25 July 2023). "Understanding Skibidi Toilets: Lore, History, and Beyond". Passionfru.it. Archived from the original on 27 September 2023. Retrieved 19 December 2023.
  8. ^ a b c d Lang, Jamie (3 July 2023). "How The Animation Channel DaFuq!?Boom! Became Youtube's Biggest Hit This Summer". Cartoon Brew. Archived from the original on 6 August 2023. Retrieved 25 November 2023.
  9. ^ a b Mather, Katie (21 July 2023). "What is 'Skibidi Toilet'? Creepy YouTube series is being called 'Gen Alpha's Slenderman'". In The Know. Yahoo, Inc. Archived from the original on 25 August 2023. Retrieved 27 September 2023.
  10. ^ a b c d Greig, James (12 July 2023). "Skibidi Toilet: the terrifying new creatures haunting the internet". Dazed. Archived from the original on 30 July 2023. Retrieved 10 August 2023.
  11. ^ a b c d Smith, Ryan (18 July 2023). "What is Skibidi Toilet? Inside the eerie videos taking over the internet". Newsweek. Archived from the original on 12 August 2023. Retrieved 13 August 2023.
  12. ^ a b c McKinnon, Alex; Harmon, Steph; Harmon, Alex McKinnon explains it to Steph (22 January 2024). "Skibidi Toilet: what is this bizarre viral YouTube series – and does it deserve the moral panic?". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 26 January 2024.
  13. ^ Quinn, Allison (17 January 2024). "Russian Cops Forced to Investigate Famous Singing Toilets". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 26 January 2024.
  14. ^ Kircher, Madison Malone (8 November 2023). "Gen Alpha Is Here. Can You Understand Their Slang?". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 21 December 2023. Retrieved 17 December 2023.
  15. ^ Varma, Thejas; Ledezma, Cecilia (1 February 2024). "From 'Minecraft' parodies to Gen. Alpha's 'rizzful' songs". The Michigan Daily. Retrieved 11 February 2024.
  16. ^ Gutelle, Sam (26 June 2023). "Top 50 Most Viewed U.S. YouTube Channels • Week Off 06/25/2023". Tubefilter. Archived from the original on 11 July 2023. Retrieved 23 July 2023.
  17. ^ Zwiezen, Zack (23 May 2024). "This Might Be The Worst Thing Stephen Colbert's Ever Done". Kotaku. Retrieved 23 May 2024.
  18. ^ Pearcy, Aimee (1 August 2023). "Gen Zers are worried they're getting old and out of touch after realizing they don't understand Gen Alpha's memes". Insider Inc. Archived from the original on 1 January 2024. Retrieved 27 September 2023.
  19. ^ Ellie, Abraham (31 August 2023). "The bizarre 'Skibidi Toilet' meme explained". Indy100. The Independent. Archived from the original on 24 October 2023. Retrieved 29 September 2023.
  20. ^ Foster, Ally (4 August 2023). "New viral Gen Alpha meme is making Gen Z feel 'old'". news.com.au. Archived from the original on 8 August 2023. Retrieved 27 September 2023.
  21. ^ Bumas, Adam (20 July 2023). "An onslaught of toilets". Garbage Day. Archived from the original on 17 December 2023. Retrieved 17 December 2023.
  22. ^ Rohmi Aida, Nur; Hardiyanto, Sari (4 August 2023). "Ramai soal Sindrom Skibidi Toilet, Apa Bahayanya untuk Anak?" [About Skibidi Toilet, What Are The Dangers For Children?]. Kompas (in Indonesian). Archived from the original on 7 November 2023. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
  23. ^ Wahyu Kurniawan, Romafi (3 August 2023). "Hati-Hati, Kecanduan Skibidi Toilet Bisa Berbahaya Bagi Anak-anak" [Beware, Skibidi Toilet Addiction Can Be Dangerous For Children]. Jawa Pos (in Indonesian). Archived from the original on 3 August 2023. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
  24. ^ F. Pujangga, Raka (7 August 2023). "Waspada Bahaya Sindrom Skibidi Toilet Pada Anak, Segera Arahkan Ke Konten Positif" [Beware of the Dangers of Skibidi Toilet Syndrome in Children, Immediately Direct to Positive Content]. Tribun Jateng (in Indonesian). Archived from the original on 19 October 2023. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
  25. ^ Collin, Robbie (21 March 2024). "The twisted children's movies bypassing the censors – and giving parents nightmares". The Daily Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 22 March 2024.
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