One of the internet’s original viral videos may vanish from the internet forever. The “Charlie bit me” video first went viral in 2007 and, to date, has been viewed over 900 million times, reports CBS News.
In the 55-second video, baby Charlie Davies-Carr bites his brother Harry’s finger. According to CBS News, Harry, with his British accent, famously screams, “Ow, Charlie! Ow! Charlie! That really hurt! Charlie bit me. And that really hurt, Charlie, and it’s still hurting.”
- The video shows kids being kids and was originally posted so the boy’s godparents in the U.S. could see it, says HuffPost.
Currently, the video has been unlisted on YouTube but is still available for viewing. This may not be the case for much longer, reports CNet.
‘Charlie bit me’ sold at an auction on Sunday
On Sunday, the family behind the video, the Davies-Carrs, sold the video as an NFT in an online auction. NFTs, or non-fungible tokens, are unique collectibles stored in the blockchain of digital media that allows the original content to be owned and sold, according to CBS News and BBC.
- Bidding for the video began at $99,999 then climbed drastically. Two anonymous bidders, 3fmusic and mememaster, got into a bidding war, reports CNet.
‘Charlie bit me’ sold for $760,999 to 3fmusic, reports Yahoo News. The new owner also won the opportunity to “create their own parody of the video featuring the original stars, Harry and Charlie,” per CBS News.
What will happen to the video now?
The new owner of the video, 3fmusic, has the sole right to decide what happens to the video. Currently, the auction site says the video is “soon to be deleted,” reports CBS News. Even if the original is removed from YouTube, other copies may remain viewable on the internet.
- The Davies-Carr family says they will use their earnings to pay for the boys’ education, reports CBS News.