Mr Lender does the #MannequinChallenge !
Social media has been going crazy for the latest internet challenge and it was only a matter of time before we gave it a go at the Mr Lender office! Scroll down to see our 5 favourite Mannequin Challenges including our own.
The Mannequin Challenge has been filling up our Facebook, Twitter and Instagram feeds for weeks now, so we decided it was time to get involved. And let’s face it – it’s got to be better than the Ice Bucket Challenge, right? Brrrr!
What is it?
A video fad where people are filmed imitating mannequins. The camera usually pans around a room where a number of people have stopped what they’re doing and look as though they’ve been frozen in time.
Where did it come from?
The origin of the phenomenon is a bit of a mystery, which makes taking part all the more fun. It’s thought it was created by a group of students at a school in Jacksonville, Florida – that’s where it appears to have started if you do a Twitter search, anyway. Twitter user @pvrity_ uploaded a video on October 26th. After just a few days the post had been retweeted more than 4,000 times and had started appearing on other social media platforms. As more people watched and then created their own videos, posting them with the hashtag #MannequinChallenge, the whole thing became viral within weeks. It’s spread like wildfire now.
Where is the music from?
The song played in most of the videos is Black Beatles by American hip hop duo Rae Sremmurd, which was released in October. Why this song was picked is also a bit of a mystery; the guys didn’t start the challenge themselves and nothing in the lyrics refers to mannequins or standing still. The original Mannequin Challenge video is filmed in silence, so it seems like somewhere along the line a participant decided to put that song to their video and it just caught on. Rae Sremmurd obviously aren’t complaining – they even filmed their own Mannequin Challenge where they got their whole audience to pose completely still at a gig while their song played.
Who is doing it?
EVERYONE!
The craze has become viral, and if you haven’t taken part in a video then you almost certainly will have seen one at some stage as you’ve scrolled through your social media feeds.
A quick search for the hashtag #MannequinChallenge will throw up all sorts of delights – people are doing it at gigs, at the gym (show offs!), on the train, during football games, while in labour (ouch) – the list is endless. It’s going on pretty much everywhere. Even Michelle Obama has taken part – at the White House!
If it’s good enough for the First Lady…
England striker Jamie Vardy got involved during a match and proved you don’t need mates in order to take part – he performed a one-man Mannequin Challenge for the cameras after scoring at Wembley and ending a 14-game goal drought. He’s not the only footballer to get on board; the Portuguese football team recently staged their own version in their dressing room. Cristiano Ronaldo took centre stage – in just his pants – making it an instant hit. Those guys are great at holding their poses – we thought we were looking at a special Madame Tussaud’s exhibition when we watched the clip in the Mr Lender office! A whole host of other celebs have jumped on the bandwagon, including Adele, Destiny’s child, Britney Spears, James Corden, and the whole This Morning crew – to name but a few.
And some modern-day romantics are even using the challenge as a way to propose with a twist. That’s one sure-fire way to get your new fiance’s shocked reaction on camera!
Why?
There doesn’t seem to be any kind of awareness drive or fundraising effort behind it like there was with the Ice Bucket Challenge – which just funded an ALS breakthrough.
So it appears it’s just a bit of fun. Who knew a room full of people standing still could be so entertaining to watch? Maybe we all just need a bit of light-hearted silliness in our lives after a tough 2016… with that in mind we hope you enjoy our Mr Lender Mannequin Challenge!
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