PDA

View Full Version : The history of Rickrolling - very cool bit of Internet lore



D_Davis
04-21-2008, 09:36 PM
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,352010,00.html


The origin of rickrolling goes back three years and involves an egg, a duck without feet and the video game "Grand Theft Auto."


In keeping with silly Internet humor (http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,352010,00.html#), the director of the image-sharing Web site 4chan, who goes by the handle "moot," decided he'd play a joke and change the word "egg" to "duck" every time a user posted a message.


In time the phenomenon spread, and the word "eggroll" was replaced by "duckroll." When someone came up with the idea to redirect Internet links to an image of a duck on wheels, rickrolling's forebear, "duckrolling," was born.


Then in March 2007 came the release of the eagerly awaited first trailer for the still-upcoming video game "Grand Theft Auto IV."


So popular was the response that it immediately crashed game publisher Rockstar Games' Web site.


In what was to become a pivotal moment in Internet hoax history (http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,352010,00.html#), someone at 4chan took the now-useless Web link for the "Grand Theft Auto IV" trailer and duckrolled it.


But instead of linking to the image of a duck on wheels, he or she linked to the Rick Astley video on YouTube.


Rickrolling was born.

Spinal
04-21-2008, 09:43 PM
This is sooooo last week.

bac0n
04-21-2008, 09:44 PM
I fully expect a 10-part Ken Burns documentary to be showing on PBS by the end of 2008.

D_Davis
04-21-2008, 09:48 PM
I fully expect a 10-part Ken Burns documentary to be showing on PBS by the end of 2008.

Seriously.

I would love to see a doc on internet memes. I am so fascinated with web-culture.

D_Davis
04-21-2008, 09:48 PM
This is sooooo last week.

You're last week.

Stay Puft
04-21-2008, 10:17 PM
I was duckrolled once. It was confusing.

Spinal
04-21-2008, 10:23 PM
You're last week.

Nah, I'm totally 1998. I wish I was last week. :|

D_Davis
04-21-2008, 10:46 PM
Nah, I'm totally 1998. I wish I was last week. :|

Shoot, I'm like 1989.

Someone told my wife that I dress like an old school skater.

Ezee E
04-21-2008, 11:38 PM
Part I: The birth of lol.

eternity
04-23-2008, 12:05 AM
Everyone watching Fox News today at noon got RickRolled. They played this story today.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=RnOt4aN2uyc