00:00Long before TikTok dances ruled the internet, Gary Braulsma, better known as the Numa Numa Guy,
00:05lip-synced his way into history with one grainy webcam video and an insanely catchy Romanian pop
00:10song. Armed with silver headphones, eyeglasses, and a ton of energy, Braulsma created an accidental
00:15masterpiece that would make him one of the internet's first true meme legends.
00:19So, who is Gary Braulsma, and what has he been up to since?
00:22In December 2004, Gary uploaded the now-iconic Numa Numa dance to Newgrounds,
00:27a site famous for flash animations and indie content. The video featured a chubby,
00:31bespeckled Braulsma gleefully lip-syncing and pumping his fists while sitting at his computer
00:35with animated facial expressions that make him look like a real-life Looney Tunes character.
00:40The mainstream media quickly caught on. Braulsma made an appearance on the Fox Morning Show,
00:44and his video hit number one on VH1's top 40 internet superstars, beating out even the Star Wars kid.
00:57Everyone says there's a different side of me, I guess, when I'm alone in my room.
01:00Yes, the dark side.
01:02But, uh, yeah, one of my little friends, like, the opportunities I've been on has been just a ton of fun.
01:07Are you famous, though? Can you walk down the- I mean, I recognized you instantly when you walked in the studio.
01:12Uh, with me, it's weird. It's either, like, they don't know who I am, or they know me, like, so well.
01:18But Gary wasn't ready for internet fame. According to the New York Times, he became an unwilling and
01:23embarrassed web celebrity, canceling appearances after getting overwhelmed. Family members said
01:27he moped around the house for weeks, and even canceled an appearance on NBC's Today Show.
01:32So, why did Gary make the video in the first place? And where did the Numa Numa song come from?
01:36Fun fact! Braulsma discovered Dragosta Dentei through a Japanese Flash animation called
01:40My Yahi by an albino black sheep user called Ikari. The animation featured the Numa Numa song
01:45and the popular shift JIS art cat Mona. Gary reportedly made the video for a group of friends,
01:51posting it online just for fun, without any idea it would blow up.
01:54Dragosta Dentei, better known as the Numa Numa song, was a 2003 Romanian pop hit by the group Ozone.
02:00It's an energetic breakup anthem about a lover begging someone not to leave on a plane.
02:04The Numa Numa nickname comes from the chorus Numa Numa EA, which English speakers heard as
02:09Numa Numa Yay. In 2006, Braulsma returned with New Numa, a professionally produced sequel featuring an
02:15original song by Variety Beats. He also launched the New Numa contest, offering a $45,000 prize pool
02:21to inspire new viral creators. First place won $25,000. The entries were a chaotic mix of memes,
02:27green screens, and classic 2000s era graphics. University of Arkansas student Keith Eddy won
02:31with a comedic video called NewNuma.com 11197 Virus, where the New Numa song triggered a
02:37fictional computer virus outbreak. While New Numa didn't reach the heights of the original,
02:46it showed Braulsma had a great sense of humor about his fame and a genuine love for internet
02:50culture. After New Numa, Gary found even more ways to embrace his accidental fame. In 2008,
02:55he made a cameo in Weezer's Pork and Beans music video, alongside other internet icons like chocolate
03:00rain creator Tay Zonday. In 2014, he posted Numa Numa 10-year reunion on Newgrounds,
03:10lip-syncing to hits like Taylor Swift's Shake It Off and Katy Perry's Roar. Licensing issues later
03:15removed the video from Newgrounds, but it's still up on YouTube. The legacy of Numa Numa continued to
03:19grow. In 2022, Fortnite dropped a Numa Numa-inspired emote, bringing the classic meme to a new
03:25generation. Off-camera, Braulsma built a creative career. In 2007, he teamed up with Lonely Girl 15's
03:31Glenn Rubinstein and the Chad Vader duo for Canon's Battle of the Viral Video Superstars. And in 2008,
03:37a paper-cutout version of him appeared in South Park's Canada on Strike episode,
03:41dancing the Numa Numa dance alongside other early internet legends.
03:44So, what's Gary up to today? These days, Gary Braulsma works in web design and makes music.
03:49He released his debut album, Weird Tempo, blending quirky electronic beats and humor,
03:53and followed it up in 2019 with Haunted House of Pancakes. He also teamed up with Tezande for a
03:59musical collaboration, showing that his creative spirit is still going strong. In 2023, Gary recreated
04:04his original Numa Numa dance nearly shot for shot, sporting a new beard but still bringing the same
04:09energy he had 20 years ago. Today, you can still find Gary online, posting to his YouTube channel and
04:23his ex-account, Gman250. Twenty years later, Gary Braulsma is still proof that sometimes,
04:28the simplest, most joyful moments can leave the biggest mark on internet history.
Comments