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Library/Activity/Charlie Charlie Challenge
Grade A22 sourcesHIS-01613

Charlie Charlie Challenge

Activity · 2015 · Viral

63Editable slideCertificate

A pencil-game hashtag drew a vendor-reported 2.8 million tweets in late May 2015.

Original · Telenoticias 11
Post · X
Clip · Warner Bros. Pictures Latinoamérica on YouTube
Clip · SciShow on YouTube
Two pencils balanced over a yes/no grid, photographed by Yunshui; CC0.
Yunshui / Wikimedia Commons, CC0
Screen Shot 2015-05-27 at 10.00.13 AM
TIME
LA HORCA - Charlie, Charlie - Oficial Warner Bros. Pictures
Warner Bros. Pictures Latinoamérica on YouTube
Was the Charlie Charlie Challenge Really a Viral Marketing Hoax?
Snopes

Spread Score

How it works
Reach37ContagionNo data yetBreadth100Velocity100Longevity3163

Numbers

Peak proxy date
Week of May 25, 2015
Apr 29 ’15 to Week of May 25, 2015
Platforms
6
Started on YouTube
Origin
Organic
Culture (no sector)

Mechanics

  • ChallengePrimary
  • Platform jump
  • Press loop
  • Controversy

How it spread

Trace the origin

An older pencil game resurfaced in Dominican coverage before a Georgia teenager shared #CharlieCharlieChallenge. Attempts and parodies spread on Vine and Twitter. The Gallows joined later; Snopes debunked claims that its marketers had started the trend.

Proxy date; not a directly measured attention peak. Dates use the stated precision; chart positions are date anchors.

Wikipedia views · Google searchesMar ’15MayJunJulOctJan ’16MaySepFeb ’17MayPeak proxyYouTubeInstagramXOpen webPressApp stores
YouTubeInstagramXOpen webPressApp stores

13 more events on this chart

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Timeline (16)

  1. April 2015

    Telenoticias 11 seed · Apr 29 ’15

    Telenoticias uploaded a report about the pencil game in schools in Hato Mayor.[1]

    Open the first post ↗

  2. May 2015

    __k.luh platform jump · May 24 ’15

    A Georgia teenager posted her game to Instagram with the #CharlieCharlieChallenge hashtag.[2]

  3. @__kluh platform jump · May 24 ’15

    @__kluh used #CharlieCharlieChallenge in an early tweet identified by BBC Trending.[3]

  1. platform jump · May 25 ’15

  2. press · May 25 ’15

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Why it worked

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  1. 1
  2. 2
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Origin
Organic
Sector
Culture (no sector)
Region
DO
Reported figure
—
Evidence
Grade A

Spread the same way

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