2016 / Video / Children’s-song remix revival
We Are Number One
“Hey! One, two, three, four” became a common starting point for YouTube remix edits.
The original is hosted off-site; this page provides context and a link to it.
What was this?
Editors replaced each “one,” swapped in songs and game sounds, and applied increasingly elaborate rules to the same scene. A forgotten children’s-TV number became a modular instrument for YouTube’s remix culture.
Why it spread
The remixes moved through YouTube, Reddit, Tumblr, SoundCloud, and social feeds. When Stefán Karl publicly embraced the meme during his cancer treatment, fans and the cast staged a live performance fundraiser; the team later released the song’s stems for remixes.
What happened
Editors replaced each “one,” swapped in songs and game sounds, and applied increasingly elaborate rules to the same scene. A forgotten children’s-TV number became a modular instrument for YouTube’s remix culture.
Where it came from
“We Are Number One” began as a LazyTown song performed by Stefán Karl Stefánsson as Robbie Rotten. In 2016, remixers rediscovered its obvious musical beats, theatrical delivery, and wonderfully overbuilt villain instructions.
Why it mattered
We Are Number One was an unusually collaborative revival: the people involved with LazyTown embraced the remix community, and fans used the format to support Stefán Karl Stefánsson during his cancer treatment.
How it spread
The remixes moved through YouTube, Reddit, Tumblr, SoundCloud, and social feeds. When Stefán Karl publicly embraced the meme during his cancer treatment, fans and the cast staged a live performance fundraiser; the team later released the song’s stems for remixes.
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