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It’s the most-watched video of all time and beat offerings from the likes of Taylor Swift, Adele and One Direction. The hilarious Charlie Bit My Finger clip went viral almost 14 years ago and has had a staggering 881 million views – but the family behind the phenomenon is ready to let it go forever.
The Davies-Carrs, of Buckinghamshire in the UK, are planning to auction off the video as a non-fungible token (NFT) and delete the clip, which features a now 14-year-old Charlie and his brother, 17-year-old Harry.
“Harry and Charlie are soon entering adulthood and embarking on the next chapter of their lives, the perfect opportunity to embrace the next iteration of the internet,” the family wrote in a statement.
An NFT is a one-of-a-kind verifiable digital asset, which includes anything from paintings and drawings to music and videos, and is traded on a specific type of database known as a blockchain.
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The highly anticipated auction of the video will take place on CharlieBitMe.com on 22 May, which will mark the 14th anniversary of the video. The family says they’ll meet up with the auction winner and the two boys are willing to re-enact the clip as well.
The boys' father, Howard, says despite it being a bittersweet task to let go of the video, it’s the right time to do so.
“We were one of the first to embrace YouTube and we're being one of the first to embrace NFTs and cryptos,” he says.
Charlie agrees with his dad. “NFTs is the new thing. When we posted, YouTube was the new thing, but now NFTs is the exciting new thing.”
The video exploded on YouTube totally by accident, Howard says. “It only went up as I wanted to share it with the boys' godfather. I was naive about the whole YouTube thing,” he says.
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Not long after the posting, the 56-second video went viral and became the most-watched clip in the world.
“I think it's a bit odd that loads of people have watched it,” Charlie says.
In the adorable video, Harry and Charlie can be seen sitting on the couch in their home. Charlie then playfully bites Harry’s finger, which sparks Harry to say, “Charlie bit my finger”.
Not long after, Harry then intentionally puts his finger in Charlie’s mouth, which then sees Harry bite down harder than the older brother anticipated. “That really hurt, Charlie,” poor Harry says.
Charlie says he watches the clip often. “It makes me laugh,” he says.
The family has made £100 000 (around R2m) from ads preceding the clip and is planning to use the money for the boys’ education.
“This isn’t the end of the beloved video,” the family say, “but rather a new beginning.”
Maybe – but it will be sorely missed!
Sources: Daily Mail, YouTube, Independent, The Verge
