2009 / Video / Family-owned viral home video
David After Dentist
“Is this real life?” became the line of a very strange car ride home.
The original is hosted off-site; this page provides context and a link to it.
What was this?
Still groggy from anesthesia, David tried to make sense of the world from the back seat. He asked whether his fingers had multiplied and whether the moment was real.
Why it spread
The upload moved from a family link to millions of views within days, then into quote culture, television appearances, remixes, and the wider idea of the everyday video that unexpectedly goes everywhere.
What happened
Still groggy from anesthesia, David tried to make sense of the world from the back seat. He asked whether his fingers had multiplied and whether the moment was real.
Where it came from
David DeVore Sr. filmed his seven-year-old son after a dental procedure in May 2008, then uploaded the family video to YouTube in January 2009 to share it more easily with relatives.
Why it mattered
David After Dentist captured both the warmth and the complications of early viral video. The family retained control of the upload and later said they chose to embrace the attention; the clip also made “Is this real life?” a lasting web catchphrase.
How it spread
The upload moved from a family link to millions of views within days, then into quote culture, television appearances, remixes, and the wider idea of the everyday video that unexpectedly goes everywhere.
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