Oh that tender age before the irony gene kicks in! In the latest "Kids React" video, YouTube's Fine Brothers inflict a viral taxidermy ad on children for the amusement of adults. Watch and enjoy as increasingly ludicrous dead animals parade before actors who ask if they're alive.
"Nope! Chuck Testa!" is the now Internet-famous response.
To the jaded adult, it's obvious this is a campy satire of local low-budget commercials — though Chuck Testa really is a taxidermist and he really wants your business. This ad was made by another famous YouTube duo, Rhett and Link, for their IFC series "Commercial Kings," in May. It went viral in September when it was uploaded to Reddit in a thread titled "This is probably the funniest low-budget commercial I have ever seen," notes Know Your Meme.
It's somewhat surprising that in our snark-riddled popular culture, the younger ones watching the taxidermy ad don't get the joke. Then again, neither did Chuck Testa. Not at first, anyway. Then again, Testa doesn't spend a lot of time on the Internet.
"Let me put it to you this way, I don’t even have a cell phone," Testa told BuzzFeed last month. "I hadn’t even heard the word, what do you call them? Mimes? Memes?"
Indeed, "meme" is the word Testa is looking for, and now he totally is one. What that's done for his business is another story, however. With more than 5 million views on YouTube, "Nope! Chuck Testa" hasn't yet brought a notable increase in Testa's business.
Here's the original video the kids are watching:
More on "Kids React" and the Fine Brothers: