Charlie Bit My Finger now: See a 2017 photo of boys from viral YouTube video
REMEMBER these kids? They’ve changed a bit since they became viral internet stars thanks to a hilarious YouTube finger biting clip 10 years ago.
Online
Don't miss out on the headlines from Online. Followed categories will be added to My News.
REMEMBER these kids?
They’ve changed a bit since they became viral internet stars thanks to a hilarious YouTube finger biting clip 10 years ago.
The amusing clip, which featured brothers Harry and Charlie, has been viewed almost 850 million times, The Sunreported.
Ten years ago today, proud dad Howard Davies-Carr hit record on his camcorder, hoping that he could get some cute footage of his two boys.
The clip started off normal enough, as Harry and baby Charlie happily grinned as they relaxed on an armchair. But what happened next changed their lives forever — as it’s since raked in roughly $1.74 million in royalties and flung the boys into the spotlight.
The video, which was uploaded to YouTube on 22 May 2007, was actually never actually intended to go public.
Dad Howard explained: “It was only meant for family members.
“In 2007, sharing video files — about 50 megabytes — was hard. It was too big for email, so YouTube stood out as a great vehicle to share videos.”
Howard even went back to delete the video on YouTube, but changed his mind when he saw how many views it had racked up.
He revealed: “After people had seen it, I didn’t see any point in it being on there any longer.
“But when I went back to delete it, it was then I realised the video had a lot of views — almost doubling every day, so we decided to embrace it.”
By October 2009, Charlie Bit My Finger had become YouTube’s most watched video with 129 million hits.
Although Harry and Charlie kept their crown for 171 days, they were soon dethroned by Lady Gaga’s Bad Romance.
The family still uploads videos to their YouTube channel, which has amassed more than a billion views.
Following their rise to internet stardom, Harry and Charlie have made countless TV appearances.
They have starred in adverts for Renault, EE, Delta Air Lines, Ragu and Gerber; a firm that makes ‘finger food’ for toddlers.
A decade after the hilarious clip was first uploaded, the Davies-Carr family has completely changed.
Not only do Harry and Charlie look completely unrecognisable, Howard and Shelley have had another two boys — Jasper, nine, and Rupert, six.
Mum Shelley, 40, admitted that having more kids wouldn’t have been possible without royalties from YouTube.
She said: “Without the clip, we couldn’t have had Rupert.”
Even though the family have earned a fortune from the viral clip, they have not splashed the cash on a mansion or any luxury cars.
They have remained in their Thames Valley home, which even has the very same sofa that featured in the famous clip.
Dad Howard, 48, hasn’t given up his role as an IT consultant, where he currently works fulltime.
The family has decided to use their YouTube cash to put their children through private education.
Howard explained: “Charlie once came home and said, ‘Is it true you can buy me a Ferrari?’
“In reality, we don’t actually treat them that much.”
Charlie, now 13, joked: “The video has made money? What money?”
Harry mischievously added: “He keeps it very secret, don’t you Daddy?”
This article has been reprinted with permission from The Sun.
Originally published as Charlie Bit My Finger now: See a 2017 photo of boys from viral YouTube video
‘No, Alexa!’: Mum stops AI at vital moment
Home assistants and chatbots powered by AI are going rogue, with chilling examples emerging.
‘No safe age’: Dolly’s charity call on tech
A tough 16-and-over social media limit could give parents a false sense of security against predators and damaging, exploitative content, a key teen charity says.