Butterfly Swarm Attacks Man in Astounding, Possibly Fake Video

This article is over 14 years old and may contain outdated information

Recommended Videos

From the video description on YouTube: “Angry swarm of butterflies viciously attacks man in palo alto. don’t know who he is or if he was okay.”

You know what? This “Butterfly Swarm Attacks Man” video, which was uploaded yesterday, is almost certainly going to turn out to be a ‘viral marketing campaign’ for some inevitably disappointing media product. But goldurn if I didn’t just watch it five times in a row.

Why, for instance, was the word “ereader” one of the four YouTube tags for the video, along with “butterfly,” “attack,” and “swarm?” And why does the “palo alto” part feel not like some extraneous detail, but a key secret message? And why is the “play again” text at the end of the video in Dutch? (“Opnieuw afspelen.”)

Based on the painstaking research method known as “typing Dutch+butterfly into Google and seeing what is autosuggested,” here’s betting that this ends up being for an ebook about a quirky Palo Alto teen who is made fun of by his picnic table-sitting friends who investigates the Dutch butterfly man crop circle. Failing that: new Animorphs!

Again: for all of the frontal lobe questions the video raises, there’s quite a limbic payoff, and you may find yourself watching it repeatedly:

Update: now with new butterfly attack:

(h/t Presurfer)


The Mary Sue is supported by our audience. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn a small affiliate commission. Learn more about our Affiliate Policy
Author