October 18, 20264 min read

Today in Viral Internet: October 18

On this day: a burger jingle took over TikTok, Nokia ringtones broke the internet, and one of YouTube's first viral videos was born. Six moments from internet history.

OMYGOTTI

Toronto hip-hop artist | 730K+ Facebook

2006

Brotherman Bill Is Born

YouTuber TerribleTim uploaded a homemade music video for "Brotherman Bill," singing at a podium with his own face superimposed over the footage. It became one of YouTube's earliest viral music videos in the platform's first full year, and resurged in 2015 as a cult classic.

My take: This is what the internet was supposed to be. One guy, a camera, zero budget, and it outlived a thousand polished productions. The algorithm can't manufacture this.

2022

The Whopper Jingle Takeover

Burger King uploaded its "$5 Your Way Meal" commercial with the "Whopper, Whopper, Whopper" jingle. It hit 55 million views in three months, but the real story was TikTok turning it into one of the biggest meme formats of the decade: POV jokes, remixes, parodies, endless.

My take: A fast food jingle became unavoidable culture for months. Brands spend millions trying to go viral and BK did it with a chant about a sandwich. Sometimes simple wins.

2022

Nokia Ringtones Break TikTok

A TikTok page posted every Nokia ringtone from 1993 to 2017. 3.4 million plays in three days. The Lumia 800's EDM-style ringtone shocked everyone, and Lil Nas X's reaction duet pulled 2.2 million plays in a single day.

My take: Nostalgia is the most powerful force on the internet. Play people a sound from 2003 and watch grown adults lose it. Never underestimate the old stuff.

2025

Faceplant Guy

At a protest in Denver, a man had his glasses snatched, chased the thief, and faceplanted. Hard. Twice. The video exploded: 23,000+ upvotes in four days, then endless Photoshop edits and image macros.

My take: The internet remains undefeated at turning a bad day into a permanent meme. Somewhere that man is still hearing about this.

2025

"Wabi Sabi" Becomes Gen Z Slang

A TikToker posted a Kyrie Irving edit opening with a King of the Hill clip of Bobby Hill saying "It's got wabi sabi." 3.1 million likes in a month. The audio became a viral sound, turning an obscure Japanese aesthetic term into mainstream slang.

My take: A cartoon quote from the 90s became how teenagers talk in 2025. The internet's memory is long and weird and I love it.

2025

The Great Meme Reset

A TikToker compiled pre-2025 classic memes (Ugandan Knuckles, Ainsley Harriott, Shocked Black Guy) around the joke that meme culture would "reset" to 2016 on January 1, 2026. Nearly 500,000 likes in nine days.

My take: Every generation thinks the old memes were better. The reset never happened, but the nostalgia trip was worth it.