Mannequin Challenge

This article is about the Internet trend. For the Skylar Spence album, see Skylar Spence.

Two students acting motionless for a mannequin challenge video
Video of a mannequin challenge staged by students at the University of Jordan

The Mannequin Challenge is a viral Internet video trend which became popular in November 2016. In this challenge, participants have to stay still in action like a mannequin while a moving camera films them, often with the song "Black Beatles" by Rae Sremmurd playing in the background.[1][2] The hashtag #MannequinChallenge was used for popular social media platforms such as Twitter and Instagram. It is believed that the phenomenon was started by students at a high school in Jacksonville, Florida.[3] The initial posting has inspired works by other groups, especially professional athletes and sports teams, who have posted increasingly complex and elaborate videos.

News outlets have compared the videos to bullet time scenes from science fiction films such as The Matrix, X-Men: Days of Future Past, X-Men: Apocalypse, Lost in Space or Buffalo '66. Meanwhile, the participatory nature of the challenge on social media makes it similar to memes such as Makankosappo or the Harlem Shake.[4][5] Others have noted similarities with the HBO TV series Westworld, which debuted around the same time, where robotic hosts can be stopped in their tracks.[6]

  1. ^ Tesema, Martha (November 3, 2016). "The Mannequin Challenge will actually make you miss planking". Mashable. Archived from the original on April 26, 2019. Retrieved November 7, 2016.
  2. ^ Victor, Daniel (November 7, 2016). "Mannequin Challenge Is the New Viral Video Sensation You Probably Can't Avoid". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on November 8, 2016. Retrieved November 8, 2016.
  3. ^ Suber-Jenkins, Aric (November 7, 2016). "Mannequin Challenge Origin: The true story of the coolest viral video trend of the year". .Mic. Archived from the original on March 23, 2017. Retrieved November 15, 2016.
  4. ^ Strange, Adario (November 8, 2016). "The 'Mannequin Challenge' is letting us live our sci-fi dreams". Mashable. Archived from the original on November 8, 2016. Retrieved November 8, 2016.
  5. ^ "The mannequin challenge: like the Harlem Shake, but stationary". The Guardian. November 7, 2016. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on November 9, 2016. Retrieved November 8, 2016.
  6. ^ Alexander, Julia (November 14, 2016). "People can't stop comparing Westworld to the Mannequin Challenge". Polygon. Archived from the original on March 2, 2017. Retrieved November 14, 2016.