Alabama Leprechaun : On the 14th of March 2006, a news crew was dispatched to the neighbourhood of Mobile, Alabama, to deploy some harsh-hit journalism following several calls from a local NBC affiliate about leprosy that apparently had resided in a tree in the Crichton region.
Three days after the segment was broadcast, the video was uploaded to a website called YouTube, which was just like that.
The 15th anniversary of this moment in the history of the Internet is today; St. Patrick’s Day marks the birth of what I would argue is still the largest viral video ever.
I know that there are many people who disagree with that claim because there are countless contenders with an equally valid throne claim for that crown. Earlier this year, we were discussed as the clip closest to unseating the Alabama Leprechaun when a lawyer uttered “I’m not a cat” after the feline-themed Zoom filter had temporarily erased a court case, but you could also mention many videos Ellen Degeneres relied on in order to keep her work afloat before they torpedoed her with their toxic personality.
You can not claim this courageously without using evidence to back it up, and thus, 15 years after the first Internet hit, I decided to make another visit to the Alabama Leprechaun video to rank as the best of the aspects that strengthen its position as the G.O.A.T. in an attempt to make my case.
The Voice Of Reason
The man who suggested the leprechaun sightings were simply the result of an optical illusion caused by a shadow cast by the limbs of the tree it was posting up in is probably the most reasonable person who appears in the segment.
He is, however, the least amusing of the group, which is why he is confined to the basement.
The True Voice Of Reason
While the man in the previous entry makes a compelling case, you could argue that the woman who suggested the leprechaun “could be a crackhead who got ahold of the wrong stuff” made an equally compelling case—and, based on a story that surfaced eight years after the leprechaun was spotted, it turns out she was closer to solving the case than anyone realised at the time.
In 2014, a couple of radio show hosts travelled to Mobile in an attempt to solve the case, and they were able to track down a small man named “Midget Sean,” who admitted to donning green clothing and climbing into the tree as a joke. While the investigators were given the option of purchasing crack while conducting their investigation, there’s no reason to believe Sean was under the influence of that substance at the time, though he did admit to drinking with some friends when the master plan was devised.
While this may have been the end of the series, we’re just starting.
Brian Johnson
Brian Johne’s shy reporter never got the Pulitzer he had earned because he had broken this story open, but was also deprived of any major time on the screen during his grand opus, which is especially brutal when you think he spent years covering beauty pageants and food contests at local fairs before stumbling over his career’s biggest storey.
He may not have had the time to focus, but I hope he will be able to reassure him that I regard him as the local news legend he is.
The Backhoe-Renting Opportunist
While some people flocked to the tree that found the leprechaun trying to capture a mythical image with a flip phone like LeBron James in a show at the WWE, this man realised that he had literally stumbled upon a golden opportunity and was willing to go so far as to get a piece of heavy equipment temporarily to take advantage.
This is the type of business spirit I love to see.
The ‘Say Yeah!’ Guy
Most people would argue the “Say Yeah!” guy is the undisputed star of this video (he was even immortalized in an episode of South Park) and it’s easy to understand why. His unbridled enthusiasm simply radiates through the screen, and if the American Film Institute ever ranks the best Viral Video Quotes of All Time, “To me, it looks like a leprechaun to me” should be near the top of that list
However, as you will soon see, he was unable to top it for a reason.
The Amateur Sketch
The sudden appearance of the leprechaun amateur sketch, which Crichton resident Nina Thomas Brown delivered to the outlet, is simply a master class in comedy.
Whilst Johnson managed to approach this story with a lot of journalistic gravity, this serious approach only raises the hilarity of this just incredible rendition which was seemingly scratched in a legal pad before it was deemed to be necessary enough to appear on the radio.
Name a picture that’s more iconic. I’m going to wait.
The Guy In A Bulletproof Jacket With A Magic Flood
This man was never at the top of this list. There was never a question.
Likewise, if you put in a room the most brilliant comedic thinking on the planet and gave them a week to come up with the funniest character imaginable, they wouldn’t have come near to dreaming of someone like Demarco Morrissette.
After hearing of the leprechaun, Morrissasse apparently decided to take action by throwing what appears to be a bulletproof jacket over a camouflage shirt, armed with a “special leprechaun flute” from “thousands of years ago”, with the capacity to “go off” his grandfather’s spells (who was apparently Irish.)
I still don’t know if he’s serious or really dedicated to an incredible bit. That’s why Flute Guy’s appearance is high in his video every second moment. He seems to be preparing his entire life for the exact moment; you just know that he’s seen every single film in the French franchise in Leprechaun several times and he’ll not underestimate his opponent (I’m honestly shocked not to have a shoemaker slung over his shoulder, he could deploy as a diversion in an emergency).
It’s been some time since I saw this video, but I literally laughed loudly when Morrissette shouted, “Don’t fear, man!” on a by, securing his status as the best part of the video left on the internet fifteen years after it first appeared.
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