In a new video picking up steam online, a professional dance group showed off its superior robot moves with a performance in the style of Chuck E. Cheese’s animatronic band.
Like the esteemed family entertainment chain’s anthropomorphic rat and his pop-culture savvy bandmates before him, Brandon “Bam” Morales, Marquese “Nonstop” Scott and Julius “IGlide” Chisolm of the Dragon House Crew freeze, glide and rotate to the tune of Childish Gambino’s “Redbone” in the video, titled “Chuck E. Cheese Challenge.”
These human people created the video for fun, and it’s totally unrelated to the phenomenon of the social media mannequin challenge, in which high schoolers and celebrities alike record themselves frozen like statutes to instantly achieve viral fame.
Scott asked the others to move “robot-like” for the clip on a whim after being struck by the tone the of track from Awaken My Love!, the latest album from Childish Gambino (Atlanta star Donald Glover). “The song influenced his idea as well because it sounded like one that would be used at a Chuck E. Cheese restaurant. We didn’t think much of the video and just uploaded it for memories and laughter,” Morales tells TIME.
Watch them in faux-mechanical action below and try it at home if you’d like:
[Reddit]
And here are the inspirational originals getting in on the mannequin challenge with a holiday twist:
More Must-Reads from TIME
- Cybersecurity Experts Are Sounding the Alarm on DOGE
- Meet the 2025 Women of the Year
- The Harsh Truth About Disability Inclusion
- Why Do More Young Adults Have Cancer?
- Colman Domingo Leads With Radical Love
- How to Get Better at Doing Things Alone
- Michelle Zauner Stares Down the Darkness
Contact us at letters@time.com