# Somersault Kiss

Somersault Kiss is a 2014 Chinese stunt trend where couples attempted an acrobatic kiss by flipping a crouched partner backward into the other partner's lap. Guangzhou Daily posted compilation GIFs on Weibo on April 17, 2014, and the hashtag #翻跟头亲亲 passed 440,000 mentions within five days. By April 21, the Chinese Ministry of Public Security was issuing warnings about the cracked tailbones and busted noses piling up from failed attempts.

## Origin
On April 17th, 2014, the Guangzhou Daily Weibo account shared an animated GIF compilation of young Chinese couples attempting the backward-flip kiss[2]. Within 24 hours, imitators were filming the gag in dorm rooms and apartment hallways across the mainland, and new clips flooded the platform[1].

The maneuver had an English-language antecedent: a YouTube uploader had posted 'flip kissing' footage of friends practicing a similar acrobatic smooch in May 2013[6]. That earlier clip stayed niche and only picked up attention once Chinese writers started pointing to it as a precursor during the 2014 Weibo surge[5].

- **Platform:** Weibo
- **Creator:** Unknown
- **Date:** 2014

## Overview
The move starts with one partner in a low crouch, arms locked with the standing partner. A quick backward motion flips the crouched person heels-over-head, and the pair is supposed to finish with the flipped partner seated in the other's lap for a kiss[2]. Half the appeal was that most attempts went wrong. Weibo compilations mixed clean landings with bloody noses, cracked tailbones and participants collapsing in tangles on the floor[1].

Some clips presented the stunt as a sincere romantic gesture, but most shared GIFs were failure reels, often ending with one partner face-planting on tile or losing grip mid-flip[4]. English-speaking YouTube had circulated similar acrobatics as 'flip kissing' since May 2013, though those clips did not spread widely until the Chinese version hit Weibo[5].

## How to Use
The format typically involves filming a short clip or GIF of two people attempting the flip, with success optional. Many of the most-shared posts were compilations stitching together six or eight attempts in a row, often weighted toward the fails.

## Frequently Asked Questions
### What is Somersault Kiss?
Somersault Kiss is a 2014 Chinese stunt trend in which one partner flips backward out of a crouch into the other partner's lap for a kiss, with failed attempts making up most of the viral GIFs[1].

### Where did Somersault Kiss come from?
It broke out on Weibo on April 17, 2014, when the Guangzhou Daily account posted a compilation of young Chinese couples attempting the flip[2].

### What does Somersault Kiss mean?
The name translates the Weibo hashtag #翻跟头亲亲 (translated from Chinese), referring to the backward-somersault kiss stunt; English writers also called it 'Kiss Stir Fry' and 'flip kiss' before Somersault Kiss stuck[1].

### How do you use Somersault Kiss?
People filmed short clips or GIFs of couples and friends attempting the flip, often stitching several tries into a single reel where the botched landings carry the joke[4].

### Is Somersault Kiss still popular?
No. The trend faded after the April 2014 injury warnings from the Chinese Ministry of Public Security and received little renewed attention afterward[3].

## References
1. [https://www.thenanfang.com/blog/watch-this-the-kiss-stir-fry-your-chinese-internet-meme-of-the-day/](<https://www.thenanfang.com/blog/watch-this-the-kiss-stir-fry-your-chinese-internet-meme-of-the-day/>)
2. [https://www.weibo.com/1887790981/B09KWsDi3](<https://www.weibo.com/1887790981/B09KWsDi3>)
3. [https://blogs.wsj.com/chinarealtime/2014/04/22/so-much-for-romance-somersault-kiss-meme-sets-off-wave-of-injuries/](<https://blogs.wsj.com/chinarealtime/2014/04/22/so-much-for-romance-somersault-kiss-meme-sets-off-wave-of-injuries/>)
4. [https://socialnewsdaily.com/36378/kiss-stir-fry-flip-kiss-meme-is-funnier-when-it-fails-gifs/](<https://socialnewsdaily.com/36378/kiss-stir-fry-flip-kiss-meme-is-funnier-when-it-fails-gifs/>)
5. [https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/somersault-kiss](<https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/somersault-kiss>)
6. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VDGYElqDXn4](<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VDGYElqDXn4>)
7. [http://huati.weibo.com/976526?from=object](<http://huati.weibo.com/976526?from=object>)

---
Source: https://meme.com/memes/somersault-kiss
Published by meme.com — The Internet Meme Library