Remember 2013? It was a year that gave us a lot, but perhaps one of the most unexpected and enduring cultural moments came from a Norwegian comedy duo named Ylvis. They released a song called "What Does the Fox Say?" – and the internet, well, it went absolutely wild.
What started as a quirky promotional track for their Norwegian talk show, "I kveld med Ylvis" (Tonight with Ylvis), quickly morphed into a global sensation. The premise was simple, almost childlike: what sound does a fox actually make? The song, penned by the Ylvisåker brothers (Bård and Vegard) along with a team of collaborators, dove headfirst into a playful, nonsensical exploration of this very question. It wasn't meant to be a serious musical endeavor, but rather a humorous piece designed to grab attention. And grab attention it did.
Uploaded to YouTube on September 3, 2013, the music video was an instant hit. Within three days, it had racked up over 4.1 million views, and just 32 days later, it had surpassed a staggering 100 million views. This was faster than PSY's "Gangnam Style," which had previously held the record for the quickest ascent to such a massive audience. The catchy, electronic-pop beat, combined with the utterly bizarre lyrics and a memorable music video featuring the brothers in various outlandish costumes and fox masks, created a perfect storm for virality.
The song's success wasn't confined to YouTube. It topped the iTunes charts in over ten countries, including Norway and Finland, and even climbed to number 8 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the US, marking a significant achievement for a Norwegian artist. The impact was tangible; sales of fox costumes reportedly surged around Halloween, and even major celebrities like Morgan Freeman were talking about it. It was a testament to how a simple, fun idea, executed with a touch of absurdity, could capture the world's imagination.
Interestingly, the "What Does the Fox Say?" phenomenon wasn't limited to just the song. The immense popularity of the track led to a children's book adaptation, also titled "What Does the Fox Say?", published in 2013 by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers. This book, co-created by Ylvis and writer Christian Løchstøer, continued the playful exploration of animal sounds, directly mirroring the song's core theme and release timing. It was a clever cross-media extension that capitalized on the song's global reach.
While the song itself was a lighthearted, comedic piece, its release and subsequent explosion in popularity highlight a fascinating aspect of modern culture: the power of the internet to propel unconventional content into mainstream consciousness. It proved that sometimes, the most memorable cultural moments are the ones that make us laugh, scratch our heads, and ask, "What does the fox say?"
It's worth noting that the phrase "What does the fox say?" has also been used in other contexts, such as a Korean webtoon series titled "What does the fox say? (2)" published in 2017. This romantic drama, created by Team Gaji, tells a different story entirely, focusing on complex human relationships within a game company. This demonstrates how a catchy phrase can transcend its original context and be adopted for entirely different creative endeavors.
