Paffendorf Dance

2007Animated dance video / character animation memesemi-active

Also known as: At-Uut-Uut-Ine-Ine (アッーウッウッイネイネ) · At-Pu-Pu-Pue-Pue (あっーぷっぷっぷぇぷぇ)

Paffendorf Dance is a 2007 animated meme featuring Momoko Kuzuryū from Sumomomo Momomo dancing to a sped-up remix of Under My Skin, with characteristic head bobs and arm pumps that virally spread across Nico Nico Douga in 2008.

The Paffendorf Dance is a series of fan-made animated videos featuring characters bobbing their heads and pumping their arms to a sped-up remix of "Under My Skin" by German dance act Paffendorf. The meme originated on a GeoCities page around 2006-2007 with a looping animation of Momoko Kuzuryū from the anime *Sumomomo Momomo*, and exploded across Japan's Nico Nico Douga in mid-2008 before spreading to YouTube and DeviantArt internationally3. Simple to imitate and powered by an infectious beat, it became one of the signature character-dance memes of the late 2000s alongside Caramelldansen4.

dancing character memesnico nico douga memesanime mangalate 2000s memesflash animation memes

Overview

The Paffendorf Dance follows a simple formula: take a character from anime, games, or any fandom, animate them doing a rhythmic head-bobbing and arm-pumping dance, and sync it to the Jens O. remix of Paffendorf's "Under My Skin." The song is typically sped up, giving it a high-energy, chipmunk-like quality that became the meme's sonic signature4. The animations are deliberately simple, usually featuring a character bouncing in place with minimal detail, making them easy to recreate in Flash or basic animation software3.

The format sits in a family of late-2000s character dance memes that shared a common DNA: catchy European dance music, looping animation, and an open invitation for anyone to make their own version with their favorite character3.

Paffendorf is a German electronic dance music project from Cologne, made up of Ramon Zenker (also behind Fragma), Gottfried Engels, and Nicolas Valli, with Cologne DJ Christian Schmitz as the project's public face4. "Under My Skin" was the group's thirteenth single, released in 20054. The track that actually powers the meme isn't the original club mix but rather the Jens O. remix included in the same release3.

The earliest known version of the meme featured Momoko Kuzuryū, the martial-arts-obsessed heroine from Shinobu Ohtaka's manga and anime series *Sumomomo Momomo*5. The animation showed Momoko bobbing her head and imitating a train engine with her hands while jumping, set to a sped-up arrangement of the Jens O. remix4. This was first uploaded to a GeoCities webpage (now defunct) and later appeared on YouTube in April 20073.

Origin & Background

Platform
GeoCities (original animation), Nico Nico Douga (viral spread)
Key People
Unknown, community-created derivatives
Date
2007

Paffendorf is a German electronic dance music project from Cologne, made up of Ramon Zenker (also behind Fragma), Gottfried Engels, and Nicolas Valli, with Cologne DJ Christian Schmitz as the project's public face. "Under My Skin" was the group's thirteenth single, released in 2005. The track that actually powers the meme isn't the original club mix but rather the Jens O. remix included in the same release.

The earliest known version of the meme featured Momoko Kuzuryū, the martial-arts-obsessed heroine from Shinobu Ohtaka's manga and anime series *Sumomomo Momomo*. The animation showed Momoko bobbing her head and imitating a train engine with her hands while jumping, set to a sped-up arrangement of the Jens O. remix. This was first uploaded to a GeoCities webpage (now defunct) and later appeared on YouTube in April 2007.

How It Spread

The Paffendorf Dance animation was imported to Nico Nico Douga (NND) by February 2008, where it found a receptive audience among the platform's music-savvy users. NND viewers coined the onomatopoeic nickname "At-Uut-Uut-Ine-Ine" (アッーウッウッイネイネ(0ﾟ・∀・)), a phonetic interpretation of a scratch segment in the song.

The meme's real explosion on NND came at the end of June 2008 with two key videos. The first was a handmade animation featuring Tewi Inaba from *Touhou Project*, imitating the head-bobbing style of the original. The second was a MAD-style remix video using characters from the anime *Lucky Star*. Both reached large audiences quickly. Because the format was so simple to copy and the song so infectious, other users started churning out their own character versions at scale.

The Lucky Star remix developed its own sub-identity. NND users gave it the separate nickname "At-Pu-Pu-Pue-Pue" (あっーぷっぷっぷぇぷぇ(0ﾟ＝ω＝.)), based on the voice of Konata that appeared in the video, and it gained independent popularity within the NND community.

By October 2011, more than 700 Paffendorf Dance videos, spanning both the original style and the Lucky Star variant, had been posted to NND.

Internationally, the meme spread through videos imported from NND to YouTube starting in late 2008. DeviantArt became another major hub, with users creating their own character animations and art based on the format. The DeviantArt community produced dozens of Paffendorf-themed animations through the early 2010s, featuring everything from Vocaloid characters to original furry designs. The meme's format was frequently compared to Caramelldansen and Caipirinha Dance, two other European-dance-track-meets-anime-animation memes that thrived in the same era.

How to Use This Meme

Creating a Paffendorf Dance video typically follows these steps:

1

Pick a character from any fandom (anime, games, cartoons, or original characters)

2

Animate them doing the signature head bob and arm pump. The motion is simple and repetitive, usually just a few frames looping

3

Set the animation to the Jens O. remix of "Under My Skin" by Paffendorf, usually sped up

4

The animation is commonly done in a chibi or simplified art style, since the format rewards quick production over polish

Cultural Impact

The Paffendorf Dance was part of a specific wave of late-2000s memes that bridged Japanese internet culture with the global web. Alongside Caramelldansen, it helped establish the template of "European dance track + anime character animation = viral loop" that defined a generation of Nico Nico Douga content. Wikipedia's entry on Paffendorf specifically notes "Under My Skin" as having become an internet meme, particularly through its success on NicoNico Douga in Japan.

The meme also marked one of the early examples of a Western music act gaining significant Japanese internet fame through fan-created content rather than official promotion. The Jens O. remix of "Under My Skin" became far more recognizable online than the original mix thanks entirely to the meme community.

Fun Facts

The song that powers the entire meme is technically a B-side remix. The Jens O. remix was included alongside the original mix on the "Under My Skin" single, but it's the remix version that went viral.

NND users gave the meme two different onomatopoeic nicknames depending on which version they were watching, essentially creating a naming fork within a single meme.

*Sumomomo Momomo*, the anime that provided the original character, was written by Shinobu Ohtaka, who later created the hit series *Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic*.

Paffendorf's biggest Western hit was "Be Cool," which reached #7 on the UK Singles Chart in 2002. "Under My Skin" never charted in the West but became their most internet-famous track.

The original GeoCities page hosting the first animation is long gone, making the April 2007 YouTube upload the oldest surviving copy.

Derivatives & Variations

Lucky Star remix variant

— A MAD-style video using Lucky Star characters that developed its own identity and nickname ("At-Pu-Pu-Pue-Pue") on NND, building a fanbase separate from the original Momoko version[3]

Touhou Project version

— A Tewi Inaba animation that was one of the two key videos sparking the June 2008 boom on NND[3]

Vocaloid Paffendorf Dance

— Multiple fan animations featuring Vocaloid characters, including versions posted to DeviantArt and YouTube[1]

DeviantArt community animations

— A wide range of fan-made Paffendorf animations featuring original characters, furry designs, and characters from various franchises, produced throughout the late 2000s and early 2010s[2]

Frequently Asked Questions

Paffendorf Dance

2007Animated dance video / character animation memesemi-active

Also known as: At-Uut-Uut-Ine-Ine (アッーウッウッイネイネ) · At-Pu-Pu-Pue-Pue (あっーぷっぷっぷぇぷぇ)

Paffendorf Dance is a 2007 animated meme featuring Momoko Kuzuryū from Sumomomo Momomo dancing to a sped-up remix of Under My Skin, with characteristic head bobs and arm pumps that virally spread across Nico Nico Douga in 2008.

The Paffendorf Dance is a series of fan-made animated videos featuring characters bobbing their heads and pumping their arms to a sped-up remix of "Under My Skin" by German dance act Paffendorf. The meme originated on a GeoCities page around 2006-2007 with a looping animation of Momoko Kuzuryū from the anime *Sumomomo Momomo*, and exploded across Japan's Nico Nico Douga in mid-2008 before spreading to YouTube and DeviantArt internationally. Simple to imitate and powered by an infectious beat, it became one of the signature character-dance memes of the late 2000s alongside Caramelldansen.

dancing character memes nico nico douga memes anime manga late 2000s memes flash animation memes

Overview

The Paffendorf Dance follows a simple formula: take a character from anime, games, or any fandom, animate them doing a rhythmic head-bobbing and arm-pumping dance, and sync it to the Jens O. remix of Paffendorf's "Under My Skin." The song is typically sped up, giving it a high-energy, chipmunk-like quality that became the meme's sonic signature. The animations are deliberately simple, usually featuring a character bouncing in place with minimal detail, making them easy to recreate in Flash or basic animation software.

The format sits in a family of late-2000s character dance memes that shared a common DNA: catchy European dance music, looping animation, and an open invitation for anyone to make their own version with their favorite character.

Paffendorf is a German electronic dance music project from Cologne, made up of Ramon Zenker (also behind Fragma), Gottfried Engels, and Nicolas Valli, with Cologne DJ Christian Schmitz as the project's public face. "Under My Skin" was the group's thirteenth single, released in 2005. The track that actually powers the meme isn't the original club mix but rather the Jens O. remix included in the same release.

The earliest known version of the meme featured Momoko Kuzuryū, the martial-arts-obsessed heroine from Shinobu Ohtaka's manga and anime series *Sumomomo Momomo*. The animation showed Momoko bobbing her head and imitating a train engine with her hands while jumping, set to a sped-up arrangement of the Jens O. remix. This was first uploaded to a GeoCities webpage (now defunct) and later appeared on YouTube in April 2007.

Origin & Background

Platform
GeoCities (original animation), Nico Nico Douga (viral spread)
Key People
Unknown, community-created derivatives
Date
2007

Paffendorf is a German electronic dance music project from Cologne, made up of Ramon Zenker (also behind Fragma), Gottfried Engels, and Nicolas Valli, with Cologne DJ Christian Schmitz as the project's public face. "Under My Skin" was the group's thirteenth single, released in 2005. The track that actually powers the meme isn't the original club mix but rather the Jens O. remix included in the same release.

The earliest known version of the meme featured Momoko Kuzuryū, the martial-arts-obsessed heroine from Shinobu Ohtaka's manga and anime series *Sumomomo Momomo*. The animation showed Momoko bobbing her head and imitating a train engine with her hands while jumping, set to a sped-up arrangement of the Jens O. remix. This was first uploaded to a GeoCities webpage (now defunct) and later appeared on YouTube in April 2007.

How It Spread

The Paffendorf Dance animation was imported to Nico Nico Douga (NND) by February 2008, where it found a receptive audience among the platform's music-savvy users. NND viewers coined the onomatopoeic nickname "At-Uut-Uut-Ine-Ine" (アッーウッウッイネイネ(0ﾟ・∀・)), a phonetic interpretation of a scratch segment in the song.

The meme's real explosion on NND came at the end of June 2008 with two key videos. The first was a handmade animation featuring Tewi Inaba from *Touhou Project*, imitating the head-bobbing style of the original. The second was a MAD-style remix video using characters from the anime *Lucky Star*. Both reached large audiences quickly. Because the format was so simple to copy and the song so infectious, other users started churning out their own character versions at scale.

The Lucky Star remix developed its own sub-identity. NND users gave it the separate nickname "At-Pu-Pu-Pue-Pue" (あっーぷっぷっぷぇぷぇ(0ﾟ＝ω＝.)), based on the voice of Konata that appeared in the video, and it gained independent popularity within the NND community.

By October 2011, more than 700 Paffendorf Dance videos, spanning both the original style and the Lucky Star variant, had been posted to NND.

Internationally, the meme spread through videos imported from NND to YouTube starting in late 2008. DeviantArt became another major hub, with users creating their own character animations and art based on the format. The DeviantArt community produced dozens of Paffendorf-themed animations through the early 2010s, featuring everything from Vocaloid characters to original furry designs. The meme's format was frequently compared to Caramelldansen and Caipirinha Dance, two other European-dance-track-meets-anime-animation memes that thrived in the same era.

How to Use This Meme

Creating a Paffendorf Dance video typically follows these steps:

1

Pick a character from any fandom (anime, games, cartoons, or original characters)

2

Animate them doing the signature head bob and arm pump. The motion is simple and repetitive, usually just a few frames looping

3

Set the animation to the Jens O. remix of "Under My Skin" by Paffendorf, usually sped up

4

The animation is commonly done in a chibi or simplified art style, since the format rewards quick production over polish

Cultural Impact

The Paffendorf Dance was part of a specific wave of late-2000s memes that bridged Japanese internet culture with the global web. Alongside Caramelldansen, it helped establish the template of "European dance track + anime character animation = viral loop" that defined a generation of Nico Nico Douga content. Wikipedia's entry on Paffendorf specifically notes "Under My Skin" as having become an internet meme, particularly through its success on NicoNico Douga in Japan.

The meme also marked one of the early examples of a Western music act gaining significant Japanese internet fame through fan-created content rather than official promotion. The Jens O. remix of "Under My Skin" became far more recognizable online than the original mix thanks entirely to the meme community.

Fun Facts

The song that powers the entire meme is technically a B-side remix. The Jens O. remix was included alongside the original mix on the "Under My Skin" single, but it's the remix version that went viral.

NND users gave the meme two different onomatopoeic nicknames depending on which version they were watching, essentially creating a naming fork within a single meme.

*Sumomomo Momomo*, the anime that provided the original character, was written by Shinobu Ohtaka, who later created the hit series *Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic*.

Paffendorf's biggest Western hit was "Be Cool," which reached #7 on the UK Singles Chart in 2002. "Under My Skin" never charted in the West but became their most internet-famous track.

The original GeoCities page hosting the first animation is long gone, making the April 2007 YouTube upload the oldest surviving copy.

Derivatives & Variations

Lucky Star remix variant

— A MAD-style video using Lucky Star characters that developed its own identity and nickname ("At-Pu-Pu-Pue-Pue") on NND, building a fanbase separate from the original Momoko version[3]

Touhou Project version

— A Tewi Inaba animation that was one of the two key videos sparking the June 2008 boom on NND[3]

Vocaloid Paffendorf Dance

— Multiple fan animations featuring Vocaloid characters, including versions posted to DeviantArt and YouTube[1]

DeviantArt community animations

— A wide range of fan-made Paffendorf animations featuring original characters, furry designs, and characters from various franchises, produced throughout the late 2000s and early 2010s[2]

Frequently Asked Questions