Take Anything You Want

1992viral videoclassic

Take Anything You Want is a catchphrase from the 1992 Japanese TV show Zuiikin' English, where aerobic performers chanted survival English phrases for muggings in a hypnotic techno-pop style. The clip reached international audiences after a 2005 rebroadcast and became one of the earliest Japanese TV oddities to spread across YouTube.

japanese internet memescatchphrase memesearly internet memesdelayed virality memesso bad its good memes

Overview

Take Anything You Want is a catchphrase pulled from Eikaiwa Taisō Zuiikin' English, a short-lived Japanese English-teaching show that paired a normal language skit with a trio of leotard-clad aerobic performers who chanted the target phrase over a techno-pop beat2. The phrase itself belongs to the show's most-shared segment, a lesson in what to say if you get mugged, where the Zuiikin Girls repeat lines like "Take anything you want" while doing rhythmic gymnastic moves2.

The clip is recognizable for its deadpan absurdity: bright studio lighting, matching workout outfits, and three women earnestly instructing viewers to memorize surrender phrases as if leading a morning fitness segment1. That mismatch between the grim subject matter and the cheerful choreography is what carried the video across the early meme web2.

How It Spread

The show was pulled back onto Japanese satellite channels in November 2005, which is when clips first started leaking to international viewers2. An early YouTube upload of the mugging sketch drew roughly half a million views by October 2006 before being taken down for copyright, kicking off a long cycle of reuploads and takedowns as new users kept restoring the footage2.

US television picked it up next. E!'s The Soup ran the segment during its "Souper Fantastic Ultra Wish Time" bits, and CNN's Anderson Cooper 360 featured it in a "What Were They Thinking?" slot2. The Gorgeous Tiny Chicken Machine Show also produced a parody riffing on the format2.

On the blog side, the clip was mirrored on Crackle, Loneleeplanet1, Facebook and Ebaum's World, keeping the Zuiikin Girls in circulation on the mid-2000s viral video web even as YouTube kept scrubbing individual uploads2.

How to Use This Meme

The clip is typically shared as-is, with the appeal being the sincere delivery of "Take anything you want" and the accompanying calisthenics. Common conventions include captioning stills of the Zuiikin Girls with other English phrases, or citing the mugging lesson as an example of the strangest thing Japanese late-night TV has produced.

Frequently Asked Questions

Take Anything You Want

1992viral videoclassic

Take Anything You Want is a catchphrase from the 1992 Japanese TV show Zuiikin' English, where aerobic performers chanted survival English phrases for muggings in a hypnotic techno-pop style. The clip reached international audiences after a 2005 rebroadcast and became one of the earliest Japanese TV oddities to spread across YouTube.

japanese internet memes catchphrase memes early internet memes delayed virality memes so bad its good memes

Overview

Take Anything You Want is a catchphrase pulled from Eikaiwa Taisō Zuiikin' English, a short-lived Japanese English-teaching show that paired a normal language skit with a trio of leotard-clad aerobic performers who chanted the target phrase over a techno-pop beat2. The phrase itself belongs to the show's most-shared segment, a lesson in what to say if you get mugged, where the Zuiikin Girls repeat lines like "Take anything you want" while doing rhythmic gymnastic moves2.

The clip is recognizable for its deadpan absurdity: bright studio lighting, matching workout outfits, and three women earnestly instructing viewers to memorize surrender phrases as if leading a morning fitness segment1. That mismatch between the grim subject matter and the cheerful choreography is what carried the video across the early meme web2.

How It Spread

The show was pulled back onto Japanese satellite channels in November 2005, which is when clips first started leaking to international viewers2. An early YouTube upload of the mugging sketch drew roughly half a million views by October 2006 before being taken down for copyright, kicking off a long cycle of reuploads and takedowns as new users kept restoring the footage2.

US television picked it up next. E!'s The Soup ran the segment during its "Souper Fantastic Ultra Wish Time" bits, and CNN's Anderson Cooper 360 featured it in a "What Were They Thinking?" slot2. The Gorgeous Tiny Chicken Machine Show also produced a parody riffing on the format2.

On the blog side, the clip was mirrored on Crackle, Loneleeplanet1, Facebook and Ebaum's World, keeping the Zuiikin Girls in circulation on the mid-2000s viral video web even as YouTube kept scrubbing individual uploads2.

How to Use This Meme

The clip is typically shared as-is, with the appeal being the sincere delivery of "Take anything you want" and the accompanying calisthenics. Common conventions include captioning stills of the Zuiikin Girls with other English phrases, or citing the mugging lesson as an example of the strangest thing Japanese late-night TV has produced.

Frequently Asked Questions