2007·Early YouTube·wholesome
Charlie bit my finger
The most-watched thing on YouTube for four years, and a video whose entire content is two small children and a bitten finger.
You might remember it as Charlie bit me, Charlie bit my finger - again !
The line people quote“Charlie bit me”
- SourceLikely original upload
- MediaPlayable from the source
What this was
Two brothers sit in a chair together. The younger one bites the older one’s finger; the older one puts it back and is bitten harder, protests, and then laughs anyway. It runs fifty-six seconds.
It first appeared in 2007, during early YouTube. The copy this index knows about is on YouTube.
It was uploaded to be shown to the boys’ grandfather, because the file was too large to email — not to an audience, and not for anything. It overtook Evolution of Dance in October 2009 to become the most-viewed video on YouTube, which it stayed for years, and it is the standing counterexample to the idea that a viral video is made.
The family auctioned the video as an NFT in May 2021 for about $761,000. The buyer initially considered taking it down for good; it was off YouTube until January 2024, and is back.
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Grouped by explicit relationships where evidence exists, and by shared theme otherwise.
Behind the recordWhere it came from
High-confidence original source.
Earliest known source: YouTube
Created by Howard Davies-Carr. Established by research, not by who posted the copy shown here.
- What happens
- Two brothers sit in a chair together. The younger one bites the older one’s finger; the older one puts it back and is bitten harder, protests, and then laughs anyway. It runs fifty-six seconds.
- When
- Originally published 22 May 2007.
- Where
- Known on YouTube.