YouTube Rewind

YouTube Rewind (stylized as YouTube ЯEWIND) is an ongoing annual video series produced by YouTube and digital content studio Portal A Interactive. Each video, released on YouTube's official channel, serves as an overview and recap of the viral videos, notable trends, noteworthy events, and popular music of that year, as well as typically including an increasingly larger cast of guest YouTubers. The first Rewind was released on December 12, 2010, and each episode since is released in December of that year.

Overview
The first two episodes of YouTube Rewind were simple countdown videos, featuring lists of the top ten videos of 2010 and 2011, respectively. 2012 was the first episode to be a continuous music video featuring a long cast of YouTubers, a format that continued until 2019, which, after the massive backlash of the 2018 Rewind, YouTube returned to a montage/countdown format.

Smosh and Smosh Games are regular guests on Rewind, first appearing in 2011 and appearing again (in varying prominence) in 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, and 2017, the last of which also featured Anthony Padilla, who had left Smosh earlier that year.

2010
"Re-watch the year's most popular videos and use the interactive timeline to see the moments that defined YouTube in 2010."

- Description.

"YouTube Rewind 2010: Year in Review", or simply "YouTube Rewind 2010", is the first episode of YouTube Rewind, released on December 12, 2010 on YouTube Trends and reposted on December 13, 2010 on YouTube's official channel.

The video itself is a top-ten countdown list of 2010's most viral hits on the platform, featuring:


 * 1) "Bed Intruder Song" by schmoyoho
 * 2) "Tik Tok Kesha Parody" by barelypolitical.
 * 3) "Greyson Chance Singing Paparazzi" by greyon97
 * 4) "Annoying Orange Wazzup" by realannoyingorange
 * 5) "The Man Your Man Could Smell Like (Old Spice)" by OldSpice
 * 6) "Giant Double Rainbow" by Hungrybear9562
 * 7) "This Too Shall Pass OK Go" by OkGo
 * 8) "The Twilight Saga Eclipse Trailer" by OfficialTwilightFilm
 * 9) "Jimmy Surprises Bieber Fan" by JimmyKimmelLive
 * 10) "Gymkhana Three, Part 2" by DCshoesFILM

2011
"Re-watch the year's most viewed videos and use the interactive timeline to see the moments that defined YouTube in 2011 - the year YouTube hit one trillion views."

- Description.

"YouTube Rewind 2011" is the second episode of YouTube Rewind, released on December 20, 2011 on YouTube's official channel. It was produced by YouTube and Portal A Interactive and was hosted by Rebecca Black.

Similar to 2010, the video is a countdown of 2011's most viral videos, featuring:
 * 1) "Rebecca Black - Friday (OFFICIAL VIDEO) by rebecca
 * 2) "Ultimate Dog Tease" by klaatu42
 * 3) "Jack Sparrow (feat. Michael Bolton)" by thelonelyisland
 * 4) "Talking Twin Babies - PART 2 - OFFICIAL VIDEO" by jayrandall22011
 * 5) "Nyan Cat [original ]" by saraj00n
 * 6) "Look At Me Now - Chris Brown ft. Lil Wayne, Busta Rhymes (Cover by @KarminMusic)" by karmincovers
 * 7) "The Creep (feat. Nicki Minaj & John Waters)" by thelonelyisland
 * 8) "Maria Aragon - Born This Way (Cover) by Lady Gaga" by rojuanearagon
 * 9) "The Force: Volkswagen Commercial" by Volkswagen
 * 10) "Cat mom hugs baby kitten" by dragomirnet86

Smosh's appearance
"YouTube Rewind 2011" was the first episode to feature a Smosh video, namely a short clip from "THE LEGEND OF ZELDA RAP" of Ian Hecox as Link.

2012
"We invited some YouTubers to star in a mash-up of culturally defining moments of 2012. Can you spot all the references?"

- Description.

"Rewind YouTube Style 2012", or simply "YouTube Rewind 2012", is the third episode of YouTube Rewind, released on December 17, 2012 on YouTube's official channel. It was directed by Peter Furia and produced by Furia, Beau Lewis, and Michael Rucker.

"2012" was the first Rewind to be in the continuous musical sketch-type format, rather than a simply a list. It is a mashup of PSY's "Gangnam Style" and Carly Rae Jepsen's "Call Me Maybe", and included references to events such as the 2012 U.S. presidential election, Felix Baumgartner's stratosphere jump for the Red Bull Stratos project, Kony 2012, NASA's Curiosity rover, and the surge in popularity of gaming on YouTube (represented by Minecraft and Halo 4).

In addition to Smosh, featured creators include Ryan Higa, Alphacat, KassemG, Grace Helbig, MysteryGuitarMan, Dave Days, DeStorm Power, Barely Political, Annoying Orange, Freddie Wong, Corridor Digital, Rhett & Link, Felicia Day, Chester See, iJustine, Epic Meal Time, Hannah Hart, Jenna Marbles, Shit Girls Say, juicystar07, GloZell, ClevverTV, HuskyStarcraft, Taryn Southern, EdBassmaster, HeyKayli, and CaseyLavere.

Smosh and Smosh Games' appearance


Ian and Anthony play two employees at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory at the California Institute of Technology who are ecstatic over the successful launch of the Curiosity rover; however, much to their horror, the rover is accidentally destroyed by Freddie Wong. As they cry over the loss of their rover, Anthony tearfully calls up Felicia Day, who continues the video into the "Call Me Maybe"-based segment.

The group dance sequence at the end features Ian and Anthony in their Caltech outfits, as well as Sohinki and Jovenshire of Smosh Games.

2013
"To celebrate 2013, we invited some YouTubers to star in a mashup of popular moments this year. Can you spot all the references?"

- Description.

"YouTube Rewind: What Does 2013 Say?", or simply "YouTube Rewind 2013", is the fourth episode of YouTube Rewind, released on December 11, 2013 on YouTube's official channel. It was directed by Kai Hasson and produced by Nate Houghteling, Zach Blume, Jeffrey Sabin-Matsumoto, and David Iain Johnson, and was produced by YouTube and Portal A Interactive.

"2013"'s full title is a reference to Ylvs's "The Fox (What Does the Fox Say?)", which serves as the video's primary inspiration, in addition to Robin Thicke's "Blurred Lines", Miley Cyrus's "Wrecking Ball" and "We Can't Stop", Lady Gaga's "Applause", Katy Perry's "Roar", Macklemore and Ryan Lewis's "Thrift Shop" "Can't Hold Us", and Martin Garrix's "Animal", Daft Punk's "Get Lucky", PSY's "Gentlemen", and Baauer's "Harlem Shake". Notable 2013 events and topics referenced include the finale of Breaking Bad, Macklemore and Ryan Lewis's album The Heist, and the screaming goats and "Harlem Shake" memes.

In addition to Smosh, old faces include Ryan Higa, MysteryGuitarMan, KassemG, GloZell, DeStorm Power, Taryn Southern, Jenna Marbles, Hannah Hart, Rhett & Link, Epic Meal Time, Chester See, Barely Political, Dave Days, iJustine, Annoying Orange, Corridor Digital, Jimmy Kimmel, Grace Helbig, and Freddie Wong. New guests include Kid President, I.aM.mE, Brittany Mota, Toby Turner, Convis with My 2 Year Old, Alison Gold, Mike Tompkins, Jimmy Fallon, Laina, Tyler Oakley, Prancercise, Quest Crew, Girls' Generation, the Fine Brothers, Hikaru Kaihatsu, D-Trix,  Bart Baker, Alex Day, Kaleb Nation, Jamie Oliver, Epic Rap Battles of History, Porta dos Fundos, MagicofRahat, Sorted Food, Cookie Monster from The Muppets, Macklemore, The Slow Mo Guys, The Warp Zone, and PewDiePie.

Smosh's appearance


At one point, while a remixed "The Fox (What Does the Fox Say?)" plays, the video switches focus to Ian and Anthony, who are standing inside an RV pulling Gavin Free and Daniel Guchy of The Slow Mo Guys. Ian and Anthony, wearing only white underpants, green aprons, and lab goggles, spend one moment with their arms crossed and glaring into the camera, and the next moment twerking. Soon after, after a few shots of various other YouTubers, focus returns to Smosh as Ian and Anthony, still inside the RV, dance while showing off the Rewind button.

2014
"YouTube Rewind 2014. Celebrating the moments, memes, and people that made 2014."

- Description.

"YouTube Rewind: Turn Down for 2014", or simply "YouTube Rewind 2014", is the fifth episode of YouTube Rewind, released on December 9, 2014 on YouTube's official channel. It was directed by Kai Hasson and produced by YouTube and Portal A Interactive.

The title is a reference to DJ Snake and Lil Jon's "Turn Down for What". Other music referenced includes The Chainsmokers' "#Selfie", Pharrell Williams' "Happy", Iggy Azalea's "Fancy", Meghan Trainor's "All About That Bass", Nicki Minaj's "Anaconda", Katy Perry's "Dark Horse", Jessie J, Ariana Grande, and Nicki Minaj's "Bang Bang", Taylor Swift's "Shake It Off", and Idina Menzels "Let It Go". Other 2014 trends and topics referenced include the Ice Bucket Challenge, the "First Kiss", "Mutant Giant Spider Dog", and "Devil Baby" videos, Minecraft, Frozen, and Flappy Bird.

In addition to Smosh, old faces include Apollos Hester, Barely Productions, Bart Baker, Bethany Mota, Conan O'Brien, Corridor Digital, Epic Rap Battles of History, Felix Kjellberg (PewDiePie), the Fine Brothers, Freddie Wong, Grace Helbig, Hannah Hart, Jimmy Kimmel, Justine Ezarik, and Kid President. New faces include Action Movie Kid, Adam Dahlberg (SkyDoesMinecraft), Amanda Steele (MakeupByMandy24), Chris Hardwick, Colin Furze, Conchita Wurst, Cyprien, Dan Howell, Dodie Clark, Evan Edinger, fouseyTUBE, Gabriel Valenciano, Germán Garmendia (HolaSoyGerman), Ingrid Nilsen, Jake Roper (Vsauce3), Jenna Mourey, John Oliver, Kevin Lieber (Vsauce2), King Russell (Kingsley), Kurt Hugo Schneider, and Lilly Singh.

Smosh's appearance


At one point, after the initial mashup excitement, a visibly confused Ian and Anthony stand in a black and white filter. They look at each other, both shrug, and both lean in to kiss each other in reference to the "First Kiss" video; however, before they are able to, they are both drenched by a bucket of ice water spilled on them by Peter Shukoff (Nice Peter) and Lloyd Ahlquist {EpicLLOYD) of Epic Rap Battles of History. Seeing this, Ian and Anthony give each other mischievous smiles before drenching the Fine Brothers, prompting a series of YouTubers drenching each other.

2015
"YouTube Rewind 2015. Celebrating the videos, people, music and moves that made 2015."

- Description.

"YouTube Rewind: Now Watch Me 2015", or simply "YouTube Rewind 2015", is the sixth episode of YouTube Rewind, released on December 9, 2015 on YouTube's official channel.

The title references Silentó's "Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae)", and the video itself also references OMI's "Cheerleader", Major Lazer and DJ Snake's "Lean On", David Guetta's "Hey Mama", Sia's "Elastic Heart", Drake's "Hotline Bling", Justin Bieber's "What Do You Mean?", The Weeknd's "Can't Feel My Face", Avicii's "Broken Arrows". Other 2015-specific topic and trends referenced include the "Love Has No Labels" video, Shia LaBeouf's "JUST DO IT!" videos, the Super Bowl Left Shark, Kung Fury, Back to the Future, Pizza Rat, Five Nights at Freddy's, Carpool Karaoke, and the dress. To celebrate Youtube's 10th anniversary, past years were referenced following the Back to the Future "rewind", namely:


 * The Ice Bucket Challenge from 2014
 * "Volvo Trucks - The Epic Split feat. Van Damme (Live Test)" from 2013
 * Felix Baumgartner's stratosphere freefall from 2013
 * Rebecca Black's "Friday" from 2011
 * Paul Vasquez's "Double Rainbow" video from 2010
 * The "JK Wedding Entrance Dance" video from 2009
 * The Lonely Island's "I'm on a Boat" from 2008
 * The "Charlie Bit My Finger" video from 2007
 * The Diet Coke & Mentos trend and "Evolution of Dance" video from 2006

A total of 129 YouTube celebrities were featured in "2015". In addition to Smosh and Smosh Games, old faces include Barely Productions, Jenna Marbles, Lilly Singh, Kingsley, Grace Helbig, Hannah Hart, iJustine, PewDiePie, HolaSoyGerman, GloZell, Ingrid Nilsen, Tyler Oakley, fouseyTUBE, Bart Baker, Dan Howell, Rhett & Link, the Fine Brothers, John Oliver, The Slo Mo Guys, Vsauce2, and Cyprien. New faces include Anna Akana, Gigi Gorgeous, Flula, Zoella, PointlessBlog, Jenn McAllister, Mamrie Hart, CaptainSparklez, Timothy DeLaGhetto, Todrick hall, Markiplier, MatPat, Ray William Johnson, iHasCupquake, Enchufetv, elrubiusOMG, PrankvsPrank, sWooZie, Rob Dyke, Rosanna Pansino, Matthew Santoro, Miranda Sings, AmazingPhil, MyLifeAsEva, Brizzy Voices, Sophia Grace Brownlee, Judson Laipply, Cameron Dallas, OMI, v, Jesse-Jane McParland, Norman Thavaud, and The Young Turks.

Smosh Games' appearance


The entire Smosh Games Crew (as of 2015), namely Jovenshire, Sohinki, Lasercorn, Mari, Wes, and Flitz, appear in the Five Nights at Freddy's-inspired scene. As Markiplier walks down a poorly illuminated hallway while The Weeknd's "Can't Feel My Face" plays in the background, passing different YouTubers, he is startled when he sees the Smosh Games Crew approaching him. First are Sohinki, who is giving Markiplier and evil smile, and Mari, who smears her lip in a creepy manner. A bit of screen static fast-forwards to the rest of the cast (whose silhouettes were previously visible behind Sohinki and Mari) to reveal Wes, who stares emptily into the camera; Jovenshire, who has one hand behind his neck and the other in his pocket; Lasercorn, who is doing his infamous Laser stare; and Flitz, who is also looking into the camera. After this, Markiplier encounters CaptainSparklez, and the two continue their trek down the hallway.

Soon after, during the rewinding scene, the camera pans out back through the hallway, occasionally slowing to reveal slow-motion action shots. The first is of Wes, Joven, Lasercorn, and Rob Dyke fighting back against the blueberry-colored Freddy Fazbear. The subsequent pan-out shows, among other things, Flitz, Mari, and Sohinki dancing in the hallway.

Smosh's appearance


Later in the video, during the "rewind" to the start of YouTube, the DeLorean-inspired time machine brings viewers back through time, year through year. 2008 is represented by the song "I'm on a Boat" by The Lonely Island, except the band is replaced by a classily-dressed Ian, Anthony, and Tyler Oakley. Ian and Anthony try to clink champagne glasses, but Anthony's completely shatters, spilling the contents.

Trivia

 * "YouTube Rewind 2011" is the only Rewind to lack a special title.