Fourteen years ago, YouTube video Charlie Bit My Finger went live on May 22, 2007. The video featuring two brothers was a sensation, becoming an early example of viral meme content.
But the video will soon be removed from YouTube, the platform that made it a household name, as it was auctioned off as a non-fungible token, or NFT, for $760,999.
There was a time when the 55-second video was the most viewed on YouTube. It has more than 883,400,000 views so far.
The video features brothers Harry and Charlie Davies-Carr, and was auctioned by the Davies-Carr family. As of Monday afternoon (GST), the video remains on YouTube.
"Bid to own the soon-to-be-deleted YouTube phenomenon, Charlie Bit My Finger," the website launched by the Davies-Carr family reads, "leaving you as the sole owner of this lovable piece of internet history [while also getting the chance to say Charlie bit your finger, if you want to see what all the hype is about]."
The owner will not only own the NFT, according to the site, they "will have the opportunity to create their own parody of the video featuring the original stars, Harry and Charlie. Star in it yourself, or give the honour to the biggest Charlie Bit My Finger fan you know, and recreate a hilarious modern-day rendition of the classic clip".
Online usernames were used in the auction, but the final hours of bidding seemed to be a battle between users 3fmusic and mememaster; ultimately 3F Music studio in Dubai came out on top with the final bid of $760,999.
