Can West News Service

Virtual prairie dog gnaws on funny bone

Misty Harris
June 28, 2007

A prairie dog with a flair for the dramatic may be the Internet's unlikeliest star yet, thanks to a five-second video that's been viewed more than two million times in less than a week.

The stout-bodied rodent, whose back is to the camera, turns suddenly to reveal a look of theatrical villainy not seen since the moustache-twirling days of silent film. Think Jack Black channelling Snidely Whiplash, set to the music of a blaxploitation movie.

The bizarrely addictive clip, billed as "the best five-second video on the Internet" by CollegeHumor.com, is at or near the top of every viral video chart this week. It has also inspired dozens of fan-made remixes, the best of which show the one-note prairie dog spoofing David Caruso on CSI Miami, Uma Thurman in Kill Bill, Michael Jackson's Thriller, Darth Vader in Star Wars and, appropriately, a silent movie scoundrel that speaks in subtitles.

"I don't think anyone could have predicted the degree to which this would catch on," says Jeff Rubin, managing editor of College Humor. "It's not the funniest clip online but it may have the widest reach - everyone from me to my mom can enjoy it, and that's what makes it really viral."

Rubin's popular website launched a "Dramatic Chipmunk" line of T-shirts in response to the online interest - which, incidentally, includes vigourous debate over whether the rodent in question is a chipmunk or a prairie dog (it's the latter).

On Facebook, there are at least four different global fan groups dedicated to the video clip. Just days ago, DramaticPrairieDog.com was launched as an online hub for consumer-generated spoofs of the rodent's Hitchcockian stare.

"It's a challenging remix because you only have a few seconds to work with," says Rubin. "But people are really stepping up to it."

In addition to the previously mentioned standouts, fan spoofs include a stare-off between the prairie dog and Old Hollywood stars such as Bette Davis; a scene in which the rodent is caught watching bunny porn; homages to 2001: A Space Odyssey and Taxi Driver; a romantic day at the beach between the prairie dog and Paris Hilton; and an animated clip of him literally jumping the shark - a nod to the online phenomenon's over-saturation.

Jackson Murphy, the B.C.-based editor of The Vancouverite blog, posted a handful of the best remixes on his site Tuesday.

"People say the 30-second TV spot is dead, and this could be why," says Murphy. "How can you compete with being this entertained for five seconds? Seriously, this was better than all three hours of Pirates of the Caribbean."

Indeed, Glenn Sparks, a professor of communication at Indiana's Purdue University, says the immense popularity of the clip reflects people's increasing demand for snack-sized bites of culture.

He notes that the speed at which things move online has forced people to spend less time with any one piece of information, making them feel as though they need to process data very quickly in order to stay afloat - let alone stay ahead.

"Even though it seems like a small issue of a prairie dog on a five-second (video), it raises more serious issues," says Sparks.

"This whole topic dovetails seamlessly into concerns scholars have about the population's ability to process complex issues in the political arena that affect decision making."