Numa Numa

"Numa Numa" is an Internet meme based on a video by American vlogger Gary Brolsma made after the song "Dragostea Din Tei" as performed by Moldovan pop group O-Zone. Brolsma's video, entitled "Numa Numa Dance", was released on December 6, 2004, on the website Newgrounds.com under the username "Gman250" and shows Brolsma lip-syncing the hit song with lively gesticulations and dance moves. The video title is derived from the Romanian words "" that occur in the refrain of O-Zone's song. It was the first Numa Numa-themed video to gain widespread attention. "Numa Numa Dance" has since spawned many parody videos, including those created for the "New Numa Contest", sponsored by Brolsma, which promised US $45,000 in prize money for submissions. His original video was named 41st in the 2006 broadcast of 100 Greatest Funny Moments by Channel 4 in the UK. The video was featured on Channel 4's Virtually Famous, and was ranked No. 1 in VH1's "40 Greatest Internet Superstars" in March 2007. The Viral Factory estimated that by November 27, 2006, the video had been viewed over 700 million times. History On Newgrounds, "Numa Numa Dance" has since been seen more than eighteen million times. From there it has been copied onto hundreds of other websites and blogs. According to a November 27, 2006, report by the BBC, based on page impression figures collated by viral marketing company The Viral Factory, "Numa Numa Dance" was the second-most-watched viral video of all time, with 700 million views, losing out only to "Star Wars kid". Brolsma received mainstream media coverage from ABC's Good Morning America, NBC's The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, and VH1's Best Week Ever and the "Numa Numa" video was listed as number 1 on VH1s Top 40 Internet Superstars. According to The New York Times, however, he was an "unwilling and embarrassed Web celebrity". He cancelled media appearances but reappeared in September 2006 with a professionally produced video, "New Numa" or "Numa Numa 2", featuring a song specially made for him by Variety Beats. This video, hosted on YouTube, marked the start of the "New Numa Contest", which promised US $45,000 in prize money and a US $25,000 award to the winner.