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Library/Meme & format/Mannequin Challenge
Grade B27 sourcesHIS-00276

Mannequin Challenge

Meme & format · 2016 · Viral

63Editable slideCertificate

Twitter reported 2.3 million Mannequin Challenge hashtag mentions in one week.

The Late Late Show with James Corden

@latelateshow · Nov 8, 2016

That James is a real crowd pleaser. #MannequinChallenge

8.1K77
Post · @latelateshow on X
Mannequin challenge Done by 100+ Engineering Students at University of Jordan, Collaboration with Wikimedia Levant
Husam Abualshaikh / CC BY 3.0 / Wikimedia Commons
Hillary Clinton Campaigns Across US One Day Ahead Of Presidential Election
TIME
That James is a real crowd pleaser. #MannequinChallenge
@latelateshow on X
Moving Camera, Moving People: A Deep Learning Approach to Depth Prediction
Google Research
[VIDEOS] Murray, Djokovic, Ronaldo y Borussia Dortmund se unen a la moda del “Challenge Maniquí"
T13 / Canal 13 (Chile)
How Memes Turned Migos’s “Bad and Boujee” Into a Billboard Hit
The Ringer
Rae Sremmurd’s “Black Beatles” Got A Huge Popularity Boost From The #MannequinChallenge
The FADER
Ad agencies accept the #MannequinChallenge
Digiday
Rae Sremmurd in the video for "Black Beatles."
Billboard
Dove Takes On The Mannequin Challenge
B&T
Burlington Senior Center takes on Mannequin Challenge
FOX 13 Seattle

Spread Score

How it works
Reach70Contagion45Breadth100Velocity63Longevity2763

Numbers

Instagram hashtag results reported by T13 (lower bound)
60K
As of Nov 12, 2016 · Instagram · Self-reported · T13 / Canal 13 (Chile)
Peak date
Week of Nov 18, 2016
Oct 26 ’16 to Week of Nov 18, 2016
Platforms
9
Started on X
Origin
Mixed
Culture (no sector)

Mechanics

  • ChallengePrimary
  • Remixable template
  • Platform jump
  • Press loop
  • Political adoption
  • Brand pile-on

How it spread

Trace the origin

Students posted a classroom freeze-frame video; celebrities and brands copied it. Label-backed promotion paired Black Beatles with it, and the song reached No. 1. A staged rescue involving White Helmets volunteers drew criticism; Google later reused challenge videos.

Dates use the stated precision; chart positions are date anchors.

Wikipedia views · Google searchesAug ’16NovDecFeb ’17OctAug ’18Jun ’19Jun ’20Jun ’21Jun ’22OctPeakXInstagramPressFacebookTVAudioOpen webYouTubeTikTok
XInstagramPressFacebookTVAudioOpen webYouTubeTikTok

13 more events on this chart

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Timeline (16)

  1. October 2016

    @pvrity___ seed · Oct 26 ’16

    Students at Edward H. White High School in Jacksonville posted a video of themselves holding mannequin poses.[1][2][3][18][17]

    Open the first post ↗

  2. November 2016

    Rae Sremmurd commercial · Nov 3 ’16

    Rae Sremmurd froze its Denver concert audience for a Mannequin Challenge set to Black Beatles.[2][1][15][16]

    Rae Sremmurd’s “Black Beatles” Got A Huge Popularity Boost From The #MannequinChallenge

  3. TIME press · Nov 7 ’16

    TIME covered celebrity and sports versions and reported 2.3 million Twitter hashtag mentions in the past week.[4]

Changelogupdated Oct 13 ’26
  1. 2026-10-13Revised 1 event · Added 2 sources · Archived 2 sources · Added 1 number · Added 1 evidence check · Score 61 → 63
  2. 2026-10-12Added: 16 events, 25 sources · Score 61
Origin
Mixed
Sector
Culture (no sector)
Region
US
Instagram hashtag results reported by T13 (lower bound)
60K
As of Nov 12, 2016 · Instagram · Self-reported · T13 / Canal 13 (Chile)
Evidence
Grade B

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TikTok · 2019

53
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Prattkeeping

X · 2015

44
We are recreating Chris Pratt's raptor control from #JurassicWorld - with our Southern White Rhinos! http://t.co/ntnm1UsibJ

82 derivatives

M7Challenge

X · 2016

42
The #M7Challenge @HiledMPrince @deotiba

Cheerio Challenge

Facebook · 2016

38
#cheeriochallenge #sleepybaby had 10 but couldn't take pic quick enough

100M impressions

New cases, every week

How the next thing spread, the week it does.

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Wikipedia views · Google searchesAug ’16NovDecFeb ’17OctAug ’18Jun ’19Jun ’20Jun ’21Jun ’22OctPeakXInstagramPressFacebookTVAudioOpen webYouTubeTikTok
XInstagramPressFacebookTVAudioOpen webYouTubeTikTok

13 more events on this chart

Join free to see them

  1. October 2016

    @pvrity___ seed · Oct 26 ’16

    Students at Edward H. White High School in Jacksonville posted a video of themselves holding mannequin poses.[1][2][3][18][17]

    Open the first post ↗

  2. November 2016

    Rae Sremmurd commercial · Nov 3 ’16

    Rae Sremmurd froze its Denver concert audience for a Mannequin Challenge set to Black Beatles.[2][1][15][16]

    Rae Sremmurd’s “Black Beatles” Got A Huge Popularity Boost From The #MannequinChallenge

  3. TIME press · Nov 7 ’16

    TIME covered celebrity and sports versions and reported 2.3 million Twitter hashtag mentions in the past week.[4]

  1. platform jump · Nov 8 ’16

  2. platform jump · Nov 8 ’16

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Why it worked

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