The Dancing Baby, also known as "Baby Cha-Cha", refers to a 3D character and 3D-rendered animation of a baby dancing for several seconds. 3D computer graphics (in contrast to 2D computer graphics) are graphics that use a three-dimensional representation of geometric data that is stored in the computer The video, one of the earliest examples of an Internet phenomenon, became popular in 1996–1997 after being distributed widely over the Internet. Year 1996 ( MCMXCVI) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display full 1996 Gregorian calendar) Year 1997 ( MCMXCVII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1997 Gregorian calendar The Internet is a global system of interconnected Computer networks The dancing baby originated as a collection of experimental testing data and files, ultimately released in Fall/1996 as a product sample source file with the ground-breaking 3D character animation software product "Character Studio" that is used with 3D Studio Max (both products from Autodesk). 3ds Max (formerly 3D Studio MAX) is a modeling animation and rendering package developed by Autodesk Media and Entertainment. The original sample source file was produced and prepared by the original Character Studio development team (Michael Girard, Susan Amkraut, John Chadwick, Paul Bloemink, John Hutchinson, Adam Felt) of Unreal Pictures and Kinetix (Autodesk). Autodesk Inc ( is an American Multinational corporation that focuses on 2D and 3D design Software for use in architecture engineering Part of the original Dancing Baby data consists of animation keyframes that were manually and automatically generated in the "Biped" portion of the Character Studio toolset. A key frame in Animation and Filmmaking is a drawing which defines the starting and ending points of any smooth transition. Contrary to popular misconceptions, the original Dancing Baby animation data (keyframes) were not created using motion capture at all. Motion capture, motion tracking, or mocap are terms used to describe the process of recording movement and translating the movement onto a digital model
Subsequent to its release, animators in the commercial sector have used or modified the Dancing Baby source file using the Character Studio product to produce different versions of rendered visualizations for use in media. This helped develop the Dancing Baby animation into a meme or media and internet phenomenon. The dancing baby video and its variations have appeared in a broad array of mainstream media, including television dramas (e. g. "Ally McBeal"), commercial advertisements, and music videos such as Blue Swede's cover of the song "Hooked on a Feeling (Ooga Chaka). Ally McBeal is an American Television series which ran on the FOX network from 1997 to 2002 Blue Swede was a Swedish rock band from the early to mid 1970s that succeeded with a few singles which were covers of other " Hooked on a Feeling " is a 1969 pop song written by Mark James originally performed by B " More stylized versions and parodies were created shortly thereafter, including a 'drunken baby', a 'rasta baby', 'samurai baby', and others.
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Appearance in mainstream media
The dancing baby character and animations quickly made the rounds on the Internet through email. It was then featured as a recurring hallucination on the television program Ally McBeal. A hallucination, in the broadest sense is a Perception in the absence of a stimulus. Ally McBeal is an American Television series which ran on the FOX network from 1997 to 2002 On the series, the baby was meant to signify the ticking of Ally's biological clock. Allison Marie "Ally" McBeal is the central Fictional character in the Fox Television show Ally McBeal played by Calista Flockhart. Chronobiology is a field of Science that examines periodic (cyclic phenomena in living organisms and their adaptation to solar and lunar related rhythms
The dancing baby was also featured in a Blockbuster Video commercial immediately after gaining mainstream media attention. Blockbuster Inc ( is the largest chain of DVD and Video game rental stores in the world In the commercial, the baby dances to the Rick James hit, Give It To Me Baby. Rick James (born James Ambrose Johnson Jr) ( February 1 1948 &ndash August 6 2004) was an American musician
In line with the Ally McBeal appearance, in a Celebrity Deathmatch match between Lucy Lawless and Calista Flockhart, the dancing baby suddenly appears in the ring with his back turned to the camera. Celebrity Deathmatch is a Claymation Parody Television show that pits celebrities against each other in a Wrestling ring Lucy Lawless (born Lucille Frances Ryan; 29 March 1968 is a New Zealand actress and Singer best known for playing the title character Calista Kay Flockhart (born November 11 1964) is an American Actress, primarily on Television. After a moment of dancing, he turns around and is shown to be Dennis Franz in nothing but a diaper; referee Mills Lane shouts at him, "I told you I didn't want you in my ring, Dennis Franz!"
At the height of the Ally McBeal series, a dance group called Trubble released a song called Dancing Baby (Ooga-Chaka) which charted well in Australia in late 1998/early 1999 and hit #21 on the UK charts. Dennis Franz (born October 28, 1944) is an Emmy - Screen Actors Guild - and Golden Globe Award -winning American Actor Mills Bee Lane III (born November 12 1936 is a legendary boxing referee, and also a former boxer, Judge, and Television personality
In the television series Millennium, the episode "Somehow, Satan Got Behind Me" features a demon who manifests himself in the form of a baby, dancing to the Black Flag song "My War". Millennium is an American supernatural thriller and crime drama television series produced by Chris Carter (creator of The X-Files Black Flag was a Hardcore punk band formed in 1977 in southern California, largely as the brainchild of Greg Ginn: the guitarist " My War " is the first track on hardcore band Black Flag 's 1984 album of the same name. Writer/director Darin Morgan based the baby on its use in Ally McBeal, as he commented "It's a terrifying thing, that baby. Darin Morgan is an American screenwriter best known for several offbeat darkly humorous episodes of the television series The X-Files and Millennium She dances with it, and you go, 'There's something really wrong with this person. '"[1]
The Dancing Baby is a recurring feature on VH1's I Love the 90s series, and it also appeared on Best Week Ever. VH1 (known as VH-1 Video Hits One from 1985 to 1994 and VH1 Music First until 2003) is an American Cable television Best Week Ever ( BWE) is a weekly Television program on the United States cable / satellite network VH1
Iowa State University basketball games frequently feature the dancing baby on the scoreboard during timeouts. The Iowa State University of Science and Technology, more commonly known as Iowa State University (ISU is a public land-grant and space-grant university Basketball is a team Sport in which two teams of five active players each try to score points against one another by propelling a ball through a 10 feet (3 m A scoreboard is a large board for publicly displaying the score in a game or match
The Dancing Baby appeared on an episode of Unhappily Ever After, with Dennis Franz as the baby. Unhappily Ever After (often shortened to Unhappily in promotional advertisements was an American sitcom that aired for 100 Dennis Franz (born October 28, 1944) is an Emmy - Screen Actors Guild - and Golden Globe Award -winning American Actor It appeared on an episode of 3rd Rock from the Sun, with Harry Solomon (French Stewart) as the baby. 3rd Rock from the Sun is an Emmy Award -winning American sitcom that aired from 1996 until 2001 on NBC. Harry S Solomon is a character in 3rd Rock from the Sun, played by French Stewart. Milton French Stewart (born February 20, 1964) is an American actor best known for his role as Harry Solomon on the 1990s Sitcom
The Dancing Baby also makes an appearance in the Xbox and PS2 title, Silent Hill 4. The Xbox is a sixth-generation Video game console produced by Microsoft Corporation. Silent Hill 4 The Room is the fourth installment in the Konami Silent Hill Survival horror series.
An easter egg exists in Quest for Glory V: Dragon Fire where the hero dances in the Dead Parrot Inn. Quest for Glory V Dragon Fire is the fifth game in the Quest for Glory computer game series by Sierra Entertainment. When he does so, he imitates the exact moves of the Dancing Baby.
The Dancing Baby is also spoofed in a Simpsons episode. Homer creates his first website, which features a dancing Jesus busting the same moves as the baby. Homer Jay Simpson is a main fictional character in the animated television series The Simpsons and father of the eponymous family.
The Cincinnati Ohio classic rock station WEBN featured the dancing baby grooving to the song "You Shook Me All Night Long" by AC/DC on a television commercial for the station. WEBN (1027 FM) is an American Radio station in Cincinnati Ohio. " You Shook Me All Night Long " is one of AC/DC 's signature songs from their most successful album Back in Black. AC/DC are an Australian Hard rock band formed in Sydney, Australia in 1973 by brothers Angus and Malcolm Young.
On the Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip episode "4 A. Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip was an American M. Miracle", when Danny asks Cal to repair a baby doll that is computerized and reacts like a real baby, Cal asks "Want me to make it dance, too?"
In the EA Sports football game FIFA 99, the editor includes an animation of a player doing a version of the Dancing Baby. EA Sports is a brand name used by Electronic Arts since 1993 to distribute games based on Sports Formerly a gimmick inside Electronic Arts sports FIFA Football, also known as FIFA Soccer or FIFA in some regions is a series of football (soccer Video games
The Dancing Baby was used in an animation featured at the end of a level in the game RollerTyping.
In the Journeyman episode "The Year of the Rabbit", a scene from Ally McBeal with the Dancing Baby appeared anachronistically in a 1997 scene. Journeyman is a 2007 American Science fiction Ally McBeal is an American Television series which ran on the FOX network from 1997 to 2002 An anachronism (from the Greek "ana" " ανά " "against anti-" and "chronos" " χρόνος " Year 1997 ( MCMXCVII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1997 Gregorian calendar In actuality, the Dancing Baby first appeared on Ally McBeal in a 1998 episode.
In the computer game Zoo Tycoon, the gorillas will sometime do the same dance as the dancing baby.
See also
References
External links
- "Dancing Baby cha-chas from the Internet to the networks" - Sci-Tech Story Page, CNN, Jan 1998
- Source of original animation and technology
- Variations of the original dancing baby by various artists
- Dancing Baby Dance Club - dancing baby fan website with movie downloads
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