Culture Buzz Let’s collaboratively create a huge “meme tree” that starts with early viral hits and extends forward through the history of the viral web. Post memes. Post responses to those memes. Post responses to the responses. Keep going until we have a big branching tree of related memes. Start with the big classics viral hits and work forward to the present. Where possible embed actual videos or screen shots using the video and image post formats.
DJ Daisy Dukes Mashes Up Internet Memes
The badger song was one that went out around 2003. Nonsensical song that is oddly catchy. Close relative to Banana Phone.
lolcats!

http://internetfamo.us/class/advice-dog-dispens...
Advice dog image macros help you make good life decisions.

http://www.mobilephone-reviews.com/images/hands...
This was the first handsfree kit I bought for my cellphone. I first saw it on eBay and knew I had to have it.
The Hamster Dance! Dee Daa Dee Daa Dee Dee Do Do…

http://www.southparkstuff.com/specials/the_spir...
Jesus vs. Santa Claus: More than a year before they came to South Park in 1997, Stan, Kyle, Cartman, and Kenny were the stars of a proto-viral video called “The Spirit of Christmas,” featuring a duel between Jesus and Santa Claus. Their early Internet popularity helped pave the way for a long line of funny and often filthy-minded animated shorts that would amass millions of viewers on the Web …
I remember that CG Dancing Baby as originally being an animated GIF, but here it is as a video.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neiman_Marcus#The_...
The Neiman Marcus cookie recipe meme supposedly started off as a viral photocopy-meme, but extended into the days when everyone's mom discovered chain emails.
All Your Base Are Belong To Us: The first widespread viral that was just a weird/random snippet of culture. Appeared and spread as a Flash file in 2001-2002. Probably the biggest example of Engrish as a meme.
MAHIR! The first (?) in a long line of geeks, fools, a-holes, and otherwise clueless people to accidentally become “Internet Famous”. This is the start of a huge branch of the Meme Tree - who else is important here?

http://research.microsoft.com/~mbj/Smiley/Smile...
Emoticons :-) The first smiley emoticon was invented in 1982 by Scott Fahlman. Here is the original bulletin board post. This was the start of a virtual Renaissance in emoticon and ASCII art. Hint: Respond to this post with examples.