Fact-Checking Blippi's Harlem Shake Past: What Really Happened in 2013

Uncover key developments surrounding Fact-Checking Blippi's Harlem Shake Past: What Really Happened in 2013 in this special report.

In early 2013, music producer Baauer's trap song "Harlem Shake" detonated across the internet, sparking one of the most widespread video memes in history. The template was universally recognizable: a solitary figure danced nonchalantly in a room of oblivious people until the bass dropped at the 15-second mark, cutting abruptly to everyone thrashing wildly in absurd costumes. Thousands of corporate offices, college dorms, and sports teams made their own versions.

John filmed his own rendition in February 2013, publishing it under the Steezy Grossman moniker on a dedicated shock-video website. The scene was set inside an austere, tiled bathroom. John stood dressed in a costume, swaying while a friend lay naked on his stomach across the floor beneath him. When the beat dropped, the clip did not cut to harmless dancing. John climbed over the toilet, positioned himself directly over his friend, and evacuated his bowels directly onto the man's exposed rear end.

The video ended immediately after the act, preserving the typical 30-second runtime of the meme. It was pure gross-out comedy, intended to elicit disgust and morbid amusement from shock-content forums. At the time, John had no public profile, no corporate sponsors, and zero connection to early childhood education. Once he conceptualized Blippi roughly a year later, he scrubbed the original hosting site and attempted to erase every trace of Steezy Grossman from the web.