In the vast digital library of YouTube, few videos hold the same historical significance as “Me at the zoo.” Uploaded in 2005 by Jawed Karim, a co-founder of the platform, the grainy 18-second clip of elephants at San Diego Zoo marked the very first video ever uploaded to the site.
For years, the video’s thumbnail remained unchanged: a simple image of Karim’s raised hand against the elephants’ enclosure. Then, on December 14, 2023, the internet woke up to a bizarre sight. The “Me at the Zoo” thumbnail had undergone a radical makeover, transformed into a MrBeast-style clickbait explosion.
Gone were the elephants and Karim’s hand. In their place: an overly edited image of Jawed complete with a Mr. Beast red arrow. The video’s description had also been altered, now reading “Noob vs Pro vs Hacker at the zoo AKA I Spent/ Survived 1 Day Trapped At The Zoo AKA $1 AI Elephant vs $1,000,000 Al Elephant AKA Last To Leave Zoo Wins! AKA Never Do This At The Zoo (WHAT HAPPENS NEXT WILL SHOCK YOU)”
The internet collectively scratched its head. Was this a legitimate update from Karim, a playful homage to YouTube’s biggest star? Or something more nefarious, a hack or prank targeting the platform’s historical artifact?
However, the plot twist arrived swiftly. Within hours, the MrBeast-ified thumbnail and description vanished. The video reverted to its original state, leaving behind a trail of internet sleuths and unanswered questions.
