One of the earliest Internet video stars, “the Numa Numa guy,” a.k.a. Gary Brolsma, made lip dubs about drama, Eastern European pop groups and arm-pumping. The New Jersey native shot to fame with his animated lip syncing the song Dragostea din tei by Moldovan pop band O-Zone. Much like the ill-fated Star Wars Kid, Numa Numa guy initially shied away from his Internet glory, but has since given many interviews and numerous cameos. Any round up of Internet stars always included a quick shot of a headphoned Brolsma pumping his fists up and down in the air.
Some have said Brolsma “singlehandedly justifies the existence of webcams,” and we’re inclined to agree. His emotive and animated face, the indecipherable lyrics and the sheer joy of his dancing make it so you can’t help but smile when watching the video.
The video has spawned dozens of imitators and tributes. Everything from a LEGO music video to a singing Lamb Chop to a Numa-ing Osama Bin Laden have been uploaded and viewed millions of times.
Brolsma tried to parlay a return to the Internet video spotlight with his “NewNuma” YouTube channel, a new video and $45,000 in prize money for other aspiring Internet viral video stars. But the endeavor has yet to catch on the way the original did.
In this way, the Numa Numa story typifies the struggle to convert viral meme-dom into cash money, or at least a reliable hit maker. Brolsma’s success predates YouTube (originally he uploaded the video to NewGrounds.com), but today he can only get screen time by rehashing his original 15 minutes, most recently appearing in a Weezer music video with scores of other one-hit-video-wonders.
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