--- title: Best Viral Videos 2016 description: From Daniel's infamous shoes to Chewbacca Mom's infectious laugh, here are the viral videos that ruled the internet this year. canonical: https://time.com/4602738/best-viral-videos-2016/ author: Raisa Bruner article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-12-16T22:47:48.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-07T06:56:53.240Z og:title: Here Are the Best Viral Videos of 2016 og:description: From Daniel's infamous shoes to Chewbacca Mom's infectious laugh. og:url: https://time.com/4602738/best-viral-videos-2016/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt0e8113ac1676069c/6988948e8e06016d8b466046/chewbacca-mom.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2560 og:image:height: 1440 og:image:alt: Celebrity Sightings in New York City - May 23, 2016 og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Here Are the Best Viral Videos of 2016 twitter:description: From Daniel's infamous shoes to Chewbacca Mom's infectious laugh. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt0e8113ac1676069c/6988948e8e06016d8b466046/chewbacca-mom.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Watch the Best Viral Videos of 2016 > Sponsored content. 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Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=1efb3a9c-3a31-45fa-99a7-2ea3848b0a6c&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1) ## Video: 2016's Best Viral Videos [Watch (HLS stream): 2016's Best Viral Videos](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/xho9A0Ai.m3u8) (1:03)  _Published 2016-12-14. A review of some of the year's best viral videos from Facebook, Twitter and YouTube._  by [Raisa Bruner](https://time.com/author/raisa-bruner/)  ## Raisa Bruner Dec 16, 2016 10:47 PM UTC  by [Raisa Bruner](https://time.com/author/raisa-bruner/)  ## Raisa Bruner Dec 16, 2016 10:47 PM UTC Viral videos continued to [dominate the Internet’s cultural consciousness](http://time.com/4566823/top-10-things-the-internet-couldnt-stop-talking-about/) this year. Thanks to teens like Daniel (yes, the one [with the white Vans](http://time.com/4232465/damn-daniel-viral-twitter-video-white-vans/?iid=sr-link2)) and the brilliant young minds behind the [inescapable Mannequin Challenge](http://time.com/4565174/mannequin-challenge-ranking/?iid=sr-link1), people were hooked on these mini-masterpieces. And they were everywhere. Below, take a trip down memory lane with this compilation of the best viral videos of 2016\. From [Chewbacca Mom’s infectious laugh](http://time.com/4343234/chewbacca-mask-woman/?iid=sr-link5) to the curious case of the water bottle flip, chances are, you’ve seen—or tweeted about—these ubiquitous clips, and they weaseled their way into your conversations and vocabulary. That’s just how the zeitgeist works. Watch above. ## Transcript [ MUSIC ] [ SOUND ] [ LAUGH ] Damn Daniel! Back at it again with the white van! Nausea, death and even cannibalism. Zombies? Hold it up! No, hold There's an app for moms called Chardonnay Go. Chardonnay Go! It paid off. [ MUSIC ] [ SOUND ] [ MUSIC ] There's no balls inside of it that make it rattle. 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