Terrified Noot Noot

About

Terrified Noot Noot, also known as Staring Noot Noot, refers to a viral video of Pingu the penguin saying Noot Noot while a dramatic, symphony orchestra/opera plays in the background, leading to him looking terrified or uncanny. The video was originally shared on YouTube in May 2022 but soon spread to TikTok where it was used to demonstrate a mood shift in videos placed above it.

Origin

On May 5th, 2022, YouTuber^[1] Telepurte posted a video, wherein, Pingu the penguin calls out "Noot, noot!" and then looks at the camera as it zooms in on his terrified face. In the background of the entire video, Mozart's song "Lacrimosa" ^[2] is playing. Over three weeks, the video received roughly 1.8 million views (shown below).

The animation was seemingly an homage to the ending scene of the 1985 film Come and See in which the protagonist Flyora is shown staring as "Lacrimosa" plays.^[7]

Spread

On May 3rd, 2022, the YouTube channel Pitchi Animation posted a video that made Telepurte's into a 3D animation, earning roughly 278,000 views over the course of three weeks (shown below, left). Also on May 3rd, YouTuber Citizen used Telepurte video but overlayed Roblox footage, showing Pingu having a flashback to the oversaturation "Noot Noot" in the game. In three weeks, the video received roughly 86,500 views (shown below, right).

Noot Noot TikToks

On May 14th, 2022, TikToker^[3] offical_lonewolf reposted Telepurte's video, gaining roughly 204,800 plays and 18,300 likes in 12 days (shown below, left). Also on May 14th, TikToker^[4] z4_lom posted a clip from Valorant with Telepurte's "Noot Noot" video underneath it, using it to dramatize the gaming. Over the course of 12 days, the video received roughly 5,800 plays (shown below, right).

Going forward, the two-panel style of the aforementioned video gained traction in car, racing and auto subcultures on TikTok. For instance, on May 17th, 2022, TikToker^[5] solekchees posted a car video with the terrified "Noot Noot" that earned roughly 2.2 million plays and 500,000 likes in nine days (shown below, left). The format then spread outside of car culture and was used for any meme or reference. Like on May 22nd, 2022, TikToker^[6] soundwave_blaster used the template to make fun of Ugly Sonic, earning roughly 41,300 plays and 6,300 likes in four days (shown below, right).

Various Examples

Search Interest

Unavailable.

External References