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Crazy Frog is the marketing title of a ring tone based on 'The Annoying Thing', a computer animation created by Erik Wernquist. The animation was originally created to accompany a sound effect produced by Daniel Malmedahl while attempting to imitate the sound of a two-stroke moped engine. The Crazy Frog ring tone spawned a successful chart hit that reached the number one spot in the UK Singles Chart.
As the ring tone has become well known, controversy has arisen over the picture of the frog in its advertising, which shows the frog's genitals. Further, some people find the ring tone irritating.
History
In 1997, 17-year-old Swede Daniel Malmedahl had his impressions of the sounds produced by different internal combustion engines recorded by his friends and posted on a website. There they caught the attention of a Swedish television researcher, who convinced Daniel to perform the sound live on air.
After Daniel's television debut, recordings of his performance began appearing on peer to peer file sharing networks and various websites under the filename "2TAKTARE.MP3" ("Tvåtaktare" is Swedish for "Two stroker").
The sound effect was quickly included in other Flash animations that spread virally among Internet users. The most notable example was the Insanity test, which required test subjects to keep a straight face while staring at a photograph of Rubens Barrichello in a Ferrarri Formula 1 car as the sound effect was played. "If you start laughing, consider yourself legally insane", the site teased visitors.
In 2003, fellow Swede Erik Wernquist encountered the sound effect and was inspired to create the 3D animation "The Annoying Thing" to accompany it. Erik used the popular LightWave 3D modelling application to produce the animation and posted it on his website. The animation was a popular attraction at Erik's website, but the sound was credited to "Anonymous". Eventually, word reached Daniel that his impressions had been used in a now well-known animation. He contacted Erik, apparently giving an impromptu performance to confirm his claims. Erik was convinced, and gave due credit to Daniel for his creation.
Description
The title character in The Annoying Thing is an anthropomorphic amphibian, who is quite frog-like in appearance. The character wears only a white motorcycle helmet with the chinstrap unfastened, a leather jacket, and goggles. His toes are webbed, and the iris of one eye is significantly larger than the other. Also present is a set of ambiguous, but controversial, genitalia.
In the animation, the character imitates the hand movements required to rotate the twistgrip controls of a motorcycle while making the sound of an engine ignition. As the imaginary engine starts, the character begins to levitate as exhaust fumes are discharged from his body. The character then disappears into the distance at high speed.
Ringtone
In 2004, the Germany based Jamba! group (ultimately owned by VeriSign) licensed the animation and sound for distribution as a mobile phone ringtone. Jamba!, trading under names such as Jamster!, RingtoneKing, and others, accompanied the release of the ringtone with a barrage of television, Internet, radio and print advertising, making it the most recognisable commercially available ringtone in the United Kingdom. Jamba! decided to market the ringtone as The Crazy Frog in the United Kingdom and Albert Motàr in Belgium, abandoning the existing title.
Jamba! have earned an estimated £14 million from the ringtone (), making it the most commercially successful ringtone of all time. Attempting to repeat the Frog's success, Jamba! have commissioned new animated creature ringtones, including Sweety the Chick and Nessie the Dragon, and produced other ringtones featuring the Crazy Frog including Crazy DJ Frog' and a series of Crazy Frog World Tour tones featuring the Frog performing his usual vocalisations against backgrounds of various countries' musical styles. These include the sitar-based "Crazy Frog India", reggae-flavoured "Crazy Frog Jamaica" and Jimmy Barnes-esque "Crazy Frog Australian Rock". Jamba also have available "The Crazy Frog is Puking", "Crazy Frog and Its Girlfriend", in which he is apparently making out, and "The Crazy Frog is F**king", in which gasping and smacking skin can be heard.
Lyrics
- A ding ding ding ding dididing ding bing bing pscht,
- Dorhrm bom bom bedom bem bom bedom bom bum ba ba bom bom,
- Bouuuuum bom bom bedahm, Bom be barbedarm bedabedabedabeda
- Bbrrrrrimm bbrrrrramm bbbrrrrrrrrraammmmm ddddddraammm,
- Bah bah baah baah ba wheeeeeee-eeeee-eeeee!
Single releases
Crazy Frog - Axel F
Main article: Axel F (Crazy Frog song)
A German dance duo named Bass Bumpers made a dance single starring the Crazy Frog, mixed with Harold Faltermeyer's "Axel F". The single was released on May 23, 2005 and reached the number one spot in the UK Singles Chart (), outselling the nearest contender, Coldplay, by three or four copies to one. This is the official song endorsed by Jamster! and actually samples the original sound; subsequent songs created their own samples of the sound.
As of the summer of 2005, the song remained in the Top Ten in many European music charts and #50 on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart.
Music video
The Ministry of Sound commissioned Kaktus Film and Erik Wernquist, the original creator of the Crazy Frog, to produce a full-length animated music video to accompany the release of "Axel F", featuring the Crazy Frog character. The animation is set in the future and centers on the pursuit of the Crazy Frog by a bounty hunter. The bounty hunter receives notification of a $50,000 reward for the capture of the Crazy Frog, who is only identified as "The most annoying thing in the world," a reference to Wernquist's original name for the creature.
Despite the song's popularity, the music video has received very little airplay in the UK. Both VH1 and TMF have also omitted it from their Number Ones marathons, despite the fact that other chart-topping "annoying" novelty singles such as Mr. Blobby and Bob The Builder were included.
Crazy Frog - Popcorn
Main article: Popcorn (Crazy Frog song)
The next official Crazy Frog single was "Popcorn", which premiered on Top of the Pops in the UK. It is a remix of Hot Butter's original "Popcorn" and it was released on August 22nd 2005 in the UK, reaching #12 on the UK Singles Chart.
Pondlife - Ring Ding Ding
On February 17, 2005, a group of producers naming themselves Pondlife announced that the Crazy Frog would be released as a single. The people behind this were radio DJs Wes Butters, Trevor Jordan and Daryl Denham along with studio-owner Maurice Cheetham.
On March 19, 2005, Pondlife held open auditions to find a live action Crazy Frog to star in their accompanying music video. Clips of the live action frog can be found here
The track is called "Ring Ding Ding," and was released on 6 June 2005. It reached #11 on the UK Singles Chart, two weeks after the Axel F version had charted.
Frog Must Die - Kill The Frog
On June 20 2005, a song called "Kill The Frog" by Frog Must Die was released in the UK. Since the song did not appear in the top 250 of the UK Singles Chart, it is unclear whether the single was postponed, or simply failed to sell enough copies. As the name suggests, this CD is about killing the Crazy Frog.
L.O.C. - Ring Ding Ding (Frog)
On June 27 2005, a song called "Ring Ding Ding (Frog)" by L.O.C. was released in the UK. It reached number 58 in the UK Singles Chart. This song sampled the Crazy Frog sound.
Het Feestteam - 50cc
In the winter of 2004, Dutch skihut act Het Feestteam released a single called "50cc" containing the sound. A remix single was released in April 2005.
Album releases
Crazy Hits
Main article: Crazy Frog Presents Crazy Hits
An album entitled Crazy Frog Presents Crazy Hits was released on July 25, 2005. . Samples from the song are available on the Crazy Hits website. It reached #5 on the UK Albums Chart and #19 on the US Billboard 200 Albums Chart.
Video Games
Crazy Frog Racer
On July 1, 2005, UK-based publishers Digital Jesters announced that they had acquired the rights to the video game licence for the Crazy Frog. Crazy Frog Racer, to be released in November 2005, is a racing game for the PlayStation 2 and PC.
Merchandise
A recent string of Crazy Frog merchandise has been released in the UK , under the name "The Annoying Thing" due to copyright and licensing restrictions. These items are picked as big sellers for Christmas 2005, particularly the Annoying Thing Singing Plush which plays the ringtone when squeezed. Other products available include a board game, a desktop nodder, keyring, backpack, lunchbox and air freshener.
See also
- Ringtone
- Mobile phone
- LightWave
- The Crazy Frog has been parodied on the British children's television programme, Ministry of Mayhem.
- The Crazy Frog has also been parodied by the BBC Television Show Dead Ringers, where the frog was replaced with David Frost.
- Schnappi, a similar phenomenon.
External links and references
- BBC article: Fourth week at top for Crazy Frog.
- The Times: Crazy Frog turns into a real prince.
- ASA: A Frog's Tale that spawned viewer outrage.
- Erik Wernquist interview
- The Annoying Thing Homepage
- German MTV tells Crazy Frog to hop it requires registration
- Naked insanity
- The Insanity test Flash animation and a later version