Me at the zoo

"Me at the zoo" is the first ever YouTube video, uploaded by YouTube co-founder Jawed Karim on Saturday, April 23, 2005, at 8:27 PM PDT. The video was filmed by Yakov Lapitsky in front of an elephant exhibit at the and uploaded on the channel “jawed”.
The video's comment section usually receives numerous comments every minute and second, with users botting and spamming comments to ask for subscribers.
==History==
When the annotation feature was added in 2008, Karim posted an annotation to the video reading "can you hear the goat? MEEEEEEEEEEEH!!".
In September 2019, the video was speculated to be hacked by a user called "kthxbai", leaving a message saying "sub2sub kthxbai -- fast and loyal if not i get a subs back i will unsubs your cahnnel". The original description was restored shortly after. This topic was covered by JT. This is unironically not hacked by the person named "kthxbai", as many people used the word at the end of the screen, meaning "Okay, Thanks, Goodbye."
In 2021, the description was changed to "The first video on YouTube. While you wait for Part 2, listen to this great song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zj82_v2R6ts&t=0s", which may be a hint for a sequel. The song was made by Clayton Stroup. It's an instrumental cover of 's Bonus Room Blitz.
In November 2021, the description was changed again showing Karim's disdain towards the removal of the dislike counter, reading: "When every YouTuber agrees that removing dislikes is a stupid idea, it probably is. Try again, YouTube 🤦‍♂️". The description was changed again to explain in great detail his thoughts, where he thought "something was off".
In 2023, the description was changed yet again to tease an HD version of "Me at the zoo" and add chapters to the video. Jawed's profile picture, channel art, and watermark was also changed, with the profile picture looking like the one from YouTube's early days, the channel art being a never-before-seen high resolution photo of the elephants from the zoo shot at the same day "Me at the zoo" was filmed, and the watermark being an elephant.
==Content==
The video's opening shot shows the 25-year old Jawed Karim, who dons a blue t-shirt and a black and red jacket, while he stands in front of 2 elephants at San Diego Zoo. Before annotations were removed, the intro contained the following annotation at the beginning: "This clip had never been publicly been shown before --- until, of course, it was publicly shown."
In 2023,Screenshot on 1 January 2023, Screenshot on 3 July 2023 the video was given 3 Chapters: "Intro", "The cool thing" and "End", each corresponding to a sentence.
===Chapter I - Intro===
The opening sentence, "Alright, so here we are at the uh... elephants," is an informal and conversational introduction that sets the tone for the video. Jawed Karim uses a casual tone, starting with "Alright," which implies that he is relaxed and comfortable in front of the camera. He then uses the phrase "here we are," which creates a sense of immediacy and presence, making the viewer feel like they are there with him.
The use of the word "uh" before the mention of the elephants indicates a moment of hesitation or uncertainty in his speech, which makes his delivery sound more natural and unscripted. It also implies that he may not have planned exactly what he was going to say, which further contributes to the informal, improvised tone of the video.
Overall, Jawed's opening sentence is an effective way to introduce the video and engage the audience, by establishing a friendly and informal tone, and by creating a sense of immediacy and presence.
After saying this opening sentence, Jawed turns around and looks at the elephants behind him.
===Chapter II - The cool thing===
In the second sentence, "Cool thing about these guys is that, is that they have really, really, really long um...trunks...and that's — that's cool", Jawed Karim provides a simple and straightforward description of the elephants, using repetition to emphasize his point. He starts by saying "Cool thing about these guys," which signals that he is going to highlight a particular aspect of the elephants that he finds interesting or impressive.
Jawed then states the phrase "these guys is that". The subsequent use of the word "um" before mentioning the trunks indicates another moment of hesitation or uncertainty in his speech, which once again contributes to the unscripted, informal tone of the video. Finally, Jawed repeats the word "cool" to emphasize his admiration for the elephants, and to signal to the audience that he wants them to share in his excitement.
The reference to "really, really long um...trunks" has been interpreted by some viewers as phallic humour, "trunks" taken as a code-word for the human penis. However, this interpretation is dubious.
Overall, Jawed's second sentence is an effective way to convey his enthusiasm for the elephants and to engage the audience. The repetition and use of casual language helps to create a relaxed and informal atmosphere, which is in keeping with the style of the video.
At one point, an annotation after the conclusion of the second sentence stated: "can you hear the goat? MEEEEEEEEEEEH!!"
===Chapter III - End===
The final sentence, "And that's pretty much all there is to say," is a concluding statement that sums up Jawed Karim's commentary on the elephants. By saying "pretty much," Jawed implies that he has covered the main points of interest about the elephants, and that there isn't much more to add. However, despite Jawed saying that that is pretty much all there is to say about elephants, there are many facts about elephants that Jawed did not state in his video.
This sentence serves to close out the video and bring the focus back to the elephants, rather than on Jawed himself. It also underscores the simple, straightforward nature of the video, which is essentially just a brief observation of the elephants at the zoo.
Overall, the final sentence is an effective way to wrap up the video and to leave the audience with a sense of closure. It also reinforces the informal, unscripted tone of the video, which is one of its defining features.
==Transcript==
(At the elephant section at the San Diego Zoo)
*Jawed Karim:Annotation 1: This clip had never been publicly been shown before --- until, of course, it was publicly shown.Alright, so here we are at the uh... elephants. (turns around and looks at the elephants behind him) Cool thing about these guys is that, is that they have really, really, really long um...trunks...and that's — that's cool. [an annotation appears onscreenAnnotation 2: can you hear the goat? MEEEEEEEEEEEH!!] (turns around and looks at the elephants again) And that's pretty much all there is to say.
==Reception==
The video has received mixed responses from YouTubers and users alike. Positive responses have been given for the video's importance in YouTube's history. On the flip side, its comment section is also notorious for being filled with sub-for-sub and botted comments. Due to the amount of spam in the comment section, on September 24, 2020, it became the first ever YouTube video to hit 10 million comments.
==Part 2==
"Part 2" started as a rumor who is showed in the videohttps://youtu.be/jNQXAC9IVRw description: The first video on YouTube. While you wait for Part 2, listen to this great song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zj82_v2R6ts There is no information about the second part, other then the music in the description changing https://youtu.be/45ocRPRYUqg.
Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FoRZiqzwElw
== Notable comments ==
=== COBALTGRUV ===
COBALTGRUV left the first comment on the video, simply writing "Interesting....". The comment was left on 12 July 2005. Later, it got taken down due to being identified as spam after a Google+ comments integration on November 6, 2013, which removed hundreds of thousands of comments marked as spam on videos across the website. COBALTGRUV's comment is sometimes mistakenly believed to be the first comment on YouTube altogether, though the earliest known comment was made by Marco Cassé from Italy. He commented on zubazpants's "Good Times!!!" video saying "LOL!!!!!!!" on June 14, 2005.
=== San Diego Zoo ===
On 3 February 2020, the official San Diego Zoo channel commented on the video, writing: "We're so honored that the first ever YouTube video was filmed here!". This comment was both hearted and pinned by jawed, and it’s the first comment that is shown when you look at the comment section.
This comment became the most-liked YouTube comment of all time in September 2023,Per the revision history of this wiki's "Most-liked YouTube Comments" article, which was regularly updated. superseding SethEverman's comment "I'm the bald guy", which was the most-liked comment when Wikitubia began tracking in February 2021. San Diego Zoo's comment continues to hold this record as of 2024.
=== Jawed ===
Jawed, the uploader of the video, has himself left over a hundred comments. By October 2021, he had left 123 comments. A video showcase of 30 of these comments can be seen here (see also: part 2).
=== Mxtisse ===
By 2021, Ticema (currently Mxtisse) had left the most comments on the video. He had left 23621 comments as of 18 July 2021.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7pZjoI5kZwE
==Milestones==
*First video
*First video to hit ten million comments
==Trivia==
*The video was filmed at the following coordinates: 32.736781, -117.150905.https://www.reddit.com/r/Damnthatsinteresting/comments/phd4tf/i_found_the_precise_spot_at_the_san_diego_zoo_in/hbhojil/
==See also==
*Mw, uploader of YouTube's second video
*COM-TEST, a 2020 hoax purporting to be have YouTube's "true" first video.
==References==
es:Me at the zoo
it:Me at the zoo
de:Me_at_the_zoo
Category:History of YouTube
Category:Videos