Five 3D-rendered Dancing Baby characters displayed in different dancing poses against black background.

Dancing Baby

1996

Published March 10, 2026

Dancing Baby, also known as Baby Cha-Cha and Oogachacka Baby, is a viral video of a 3D-rendered baby dancing to the intro of “Hooked on a Feeling” by the Swedish rock band Blue Swede.

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Overview

Dancing Baby, also known as Baby Cha-Cha and Oogachacka Baby, is a viral video of a 3D-rendered baby dancing to the intro of “Hooked on a Feeling” by the Swedish rock band Blue Swede. Widely cited as one of the earliest examples ofan Internetphenomenon, the Dancing Baby became globally popular via e-mail chains in 1996.

Origin & Background

Creator
John Woodell

How It Spread

Over the next year, a slew of modified editions were made by fans across the world, including " Kung Fu baby", " Rasta baby" and " Samurai baby." In 1998, the baby began appearing as a recurring hallucination on the TV comedy-drama series Ally Mc Beal. In December, the online retailer Crash Designsbegan selling Dancing Baby merchandise. In December 2000, a parody of the Dancing Baby was featured in Season 12 Episode 6 of The Simpsonstitled " The Computer Wore Menace Shoes," in which Homer Simpsons visits a website highlighting an animation of Jesus Christdancing like the baby. On January 15th, 2006, the original " Oogachaka Baby" video was uploaded to YouTube, where it gathered upwards of 3.3 million views and 1,300 comments over the next 11 years.On February 24th, 2013, YouTuber Truebones uploaded footage a computer animation of a baby performing the" Gangnam Style" dance.