Star Wars Kid

Ah, Star Wars Kid. First we laughed at your antics. Then we felt a little guilty. Then a bunch of people made you even funnier. Then we laughed again.

It all started in November of 2002, when a 15-year-old French Canadian boy named Ghyslain videotaped himself swinging a golf ball retriever around like a light saber. In April 2003, some classmates found the video, digitized it and uploaded it to Kazaa. Within two weeks, millions had downloaded the file, and Star Wars Kid was born. In November of 2006 the Viral Factory named it the top viral video with views “estimated in the hundreds of millions.”

What’s so great about the video? Well, first of all, the Kid ain’t exactly Ewan McGregor. He’s a normal, slightly overweight 15-year-old, light saber-ing his heart out, and he looks like every single one of us who has ever roundhoused an imaginary ninja in our bedroom -– i.e. goofy, but precious. Second of all, his moves become wilder as the video goes on, so that by the end he’s incorporating twirls and kicks that suggest that, if the Star Wars thing doesn’t pan out, he has a great future as a Shark or a Jet. Plus, he provides his own sound effects, which is, quite simply, awesome.

Unfortunately, the SWK star himself didn’t really feel the funny. He left school after the video hit big, finishing the year at a children’s psychiatric ward. And he sued the kids who uploaded the video, eventually settling out of court.

But viral fame doesn’t die easily. Fans raised money for him and petitioned to get him into Episode III. There’s even SWK merchandise, although it’s doubtful any cash earned makes it to the Kid himself. He’s been in The Matrix, attempted to Kill Bill, and faced the Teletubbies. And that’s just the amateur work. The Kid plays in the majors, too, with everyone from Stephen Colbert to South Park to Tony Hawk catching the fever.

Bottom line is, we love you, Star Wars Kid. Even if you never feel it.