Badger Badger Badger

Origin

"Badger Badger Badger" is a Flash animation by British animator Jonti Picking, published to Newgrounds under the account TheWeebl on September 1, 2003 (Know Your Meme entry). A row of badgers waves its arms up and down while the word "badger" repeats over an electronic track, switching to "mushroom" every fourth measure, with a short snake interlude breaking the loop.

There is no narrative and no point. Repetition itself is the content, and the snake section breaking that repetition once is the only structure it has. On the early-2000s web, where Flash was the standard medium, a light, endlessly looping piece with sound did exactly the job short video memes do now.

Spread

The original Newgrounds post accumulated more than 1.1 million views over two decades. The version Weebl uploaded to YouTube himself on June 28, 2008 passed 28 million views in under thirteen years — starting on a Flash portal and moving to video platforms, it kept picking up audiences from a different generation.

Parodies followed. A "Bananaphone" parody posted by YouTube user ReelTreble92 on July 11, 2006 exceeded 4 million views over roughly fifteen years, and on March 24, 2008 cccati posted a dance cover imitating the characteristic arm movements, reaching around 250,000 views over fourteen years. It settled in as a defining early-internet phenomenon of absurdist Flash animation culture.

Usage

• To point at a situation of meaningless repetition continuing
• In any reference to early-2000s internet culture
• As the archetype for parodies built on chanting a single word
• To imitate a structure where something abruptly cuts in mid-loop ("snake!")

Sources

• Know Your Meme, "Badger Badger Badger" — creator Jonti Picking, the September 1, 2003 Newgrounds release, the June 28, 2008 YouTube upload, and the parody timeline