How Did Rickrolling Start? (And Did Rick Astley Really Only Make $12 Off the Meme)

TL;DR

Rickrolling, a popular internet prank, originated from duckrolling and involves tricking someone into clicking a link that leads to Rick Astley's music video "Never Gonna Give You Up."

Transcript

To begin with, for anyone who’s somehow managed to avoid the more than a decade old phenomenon of Rickrolling, in a nutshell this involves tricking someone into clicking on a link that takes them to the video for the relentlessly upbeat and infinitely cheesy 1980s anthem, usually by suggesting it’s a link to something else which is a particularly c... Read More

Key Insights

• 😜 Rickrolling originated from the internet message board 4chan as a spin-off of the duckrolling prank.
• 😜 The first known Rickroll prank involved deceiving users with a fake Grand Theft Auto IV trailer.
• 😜 YouTube's April Fools' Day prank in 2008 drove Rickrolling's popularity to its peak.
• 🎼 Rick Astley embraced Rickrolling and found it amusing, appreciating the exposure it brought to his music.
• ❓ Rickrolling had a positive impact on Astley's career, with increased album sales and a successful comeback album in 2016.
• 🫒 Astley performed the world's first live Rickroll at the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade in 2009.

Questions & Answers

Q: How did Rickrolling originate?

Rickrolling was a spin-off of duckrolling on 4chan, where the word "egg" was autocorrected to "duck."

Q: What was the first Rickroll prank?

It was a link shared on 4chan in May 2007, disguised as the Grand Theft Auto IV trailer but redirected users to Rick Astley's music video for "Never Gonna Give You Up."

Q: How did Rickrolling become popular?

The prank gained popularity when YouTube redirected all clicks on its main page to the Rick Astley music video on April 1, 2008.

Q: How did Rick Astley react to Rickrolling?

Astley found the prank amusing and embraced it, appreciating the humor and the renewed attention it brought to his music.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• Rickrolling started as a spin-off of duckrolling, where the word "egg" was autocorrected to "duck" on an internet message board called 4chan.

• In May 2007, a link pretending to be the Grand Theft Auto IV trailer redirected users to a Rick Astley music video, leading to the creation of Rickrolling.

• Rickroll phenomenon peaked when YouTube redirected all clicks on April 1, 2008, to the music video.