What is Dick In A Box?

'Dick in a Box' is a 2006 SNL Digital Short by The Lonely Island in which Andy Samberg and Justin Timberlake sing an R&B parody about giving their genitals in a Christmas-wrapped gift box.

Where did Dick In A Box come from?

The video first aired on Saturday Night Live on December 16, 2006, produced by The Lonely Island with Justin Timberlake as guest host.

What does Dick In A Box mean?

In the sketch it refers to a literal gift, a man's genitals presented inside a gift-wrapped box as a romantic offering, punchlined with the three-step recipe 'cut a hole, put your junk in, let her open it'.

How do you use Dick In A Box?

People usually quote the three-step recipe during the holidays or recreate it as a costume by tying a small wrapped box to the belt, often paired with matching suits like the ones Samberg and Timberlake wore.

Is Dick In A Box still popular?

It's a classic mid-2000s SNL bit; Hulu's 2008 YouTube upload passed 36.9 million views within five years, keeping the sketch widely shared long after its original air date.

Dick In A Box

2006viral videoclassic

Published August 17, 2026

'Dick in a Box' is a 2006 SNL Digital Short by The Lonely Island, starring Andy Samberg and Justin Timberlake as R&B crooners pitching their gift-wrapped genitals as the ultimate present. It first aired on December 16, 2006, and its three-step 'cut a hole in the box' recipe was widely quoted and turned into a Christmas costume staple.

snl memes parody song memes hornyposting memes late 2000s memes catchphrase memes

Overview

'Dick in a Box' is a 2006 comedy music video from The Lonely Island, the trio behind other Saturday Night Live Digital Shorts like 'I'm on a Boat' and 'Like a Boss'3. The bit stars Andy Samberg and Justin Timberlake as two R&B crooners pitching the ultimate romantic gift: their own genitals, wrapped up in a Christmas-style gift box tied at the waist4.

The song parodies late-1980s R&B slow jams, complete with matching suits, synchronized choreography, and a deadpan list of steps for assembling the present3. The joke runs on the gap between smooth, straight-faced ballad delivery and the crude payoff, plus a three-step recipe fans still quote: cut a hole in the box, put your junk in the box, and have her open the box4.

Gallery

Origin & Background

Platform

Saturday Night Live (TV broadcast) / YouTube (viral spread)

Creator

The Lonely Island

Date

2006

The video premiered as a Digital Short on Saturday Night Live on December 16, 2006, with Justin Timberlake as guest host and The Lonely Island (Andy Samberg, Akiva Schaffer, and Jorma Taccone) producing3. Urban Dictionary users called it one of SNL's best sketches in a decade, praising the straight-faced delivery with Christmas-wrapped boxes fastened to the pair's pants4. The routine also pitches the arrangement as an all-occasion present, from Christmas to 'backstage at the CMAs'3.

How It Spread

The clip circulated online almost immediately after airing, and within a week several Urban Dictionary entries had been submitted for 'dick in a box'4. On December 22, 2006, tech blog Kottke published 'Ikea instructions for making Dick in the Box,' an illustrated flat-pack style guide to assembling the gift at home2.

Hulu uploaded the video to YouTube on March 12, 2008, where it pulled more than 36.9 million views and 22,000 comments over the following five years3. The joke also spilled into costume culture, with a 'dick in a box' tag on Flickr gathering real-life recreations for parties and holidays5.

For pop-culture context, io9 later pointed out that the gag predates SNL by more than a century: in 2008, Christie's auctioned 'a spring-loaded erotic carved wood novelty box, perhaps 19th century' for $1,214, essentially a Victorian version of the same joke1.

How to Use This Meme

The bit typically shows up around Christmas and Valentine's Day, quoted line-for-line ('cut a hole in the box, put your junk in the box') or acted out as a costume by tying a small wrapped box to a belt5. Home versions often include matching dark suits to match the Samberg and Timberlake staging4.