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Type ‘Happy Birthday’ and Your Name Into YouTube Right Now and Something Magical Might Happen

2 minute read

You know when Facebook says it’s a close friend or family member’s birthday, and you want to share something unique and personal on his or her wall other than “happy birthday”?

Well, earlier today, Reddit user elgeo12345 pointed out that when you type “happy birthday” and a first name into YouTube’s search bar, a personalized video from “EpicHappyBirthdays” will usually pop up. It’s so terrifying and weird that you will probably burst out laughing. Here’s mine:

The minute-long videos all seem to start out the same way, with pictures of kids’ birthday parties flashing on screen until a creepy clown face pops up — perhaps to remind you that childhood is dead (as if we needed a reminder). Dinosaurs holding wrapped gifts will make you feel old as cakes drop from the sky, then catch fire. Sheep scream, turtles do gymnastics, dogs eat cake, all before bursting into flames. Why is everything on fire? Is it a message about rebirth? Starting the year anew? We’ll probably never know.

It looks like the channel, which joined YouTube in June of 2013, and boasts over a million views, has been adding videos of names in alphabetical order over the last month, after having stopped on August 20, 2013. So look up the names of friends and family members with a weird sense of humor, and try it on them.

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Write to Olivia B. Waxman at olivia.waxman@time.com