About
The Flying Kid is a Vine remix series based on a video clip of a child getting carried away off the ground and flown in a circle by a gyrating soft-foam cylindrical beam at an inflatable playground in Indianapolis, Indiana.
Origin
On July 20th, 2015, Indiana University student Keirra Santillan uploaded a Vine video clip of an unsuspecting child getting scooped up and carried away for a few seconds by a gyrating soft-foam beam while playing in an inflatable castle at the Indiana Black Expo in Indianapolis, Indiana. The original Vine clip accrued more than 20 million views within the first three weeks of upload.
Spread
On August 10th, Viner Danny LoPriore Jr.[2] uploaded a remix based on the original clip featuring the chorus of R. Kelly’s 1996 R&B hit single “I Believe I Can Fly,” which garnered more than 730,000 views and nearly 2,000 comments in less than 24 hours.
Throughout the day, a number of additional remixes featuring uplifting pop songs surfaced on Vine[3], including Idina Menzel’s Frozen theme song “Let It Go”, Josh Groban’s “You Raise Me Up,” Whitney Houston’s “I’ll Always Love You,” and Enya’s “Only Time,” in a similar vein to the Flying Lawnmower remixes. On August 11th, the emerging Vine remix meme was compiled into articles by Bustle[4] and BuzzFeed UK.[5]
Various Examples
External References
[1]Vine – Kierra Santillian’s Vine
[2]Vine – Danny LoPriore Jr.’s Vine
[3]Vine – Search Results for #Soaring
[4]Bustle – The Flying Kid Meme Sweeping The Internet Is Hilarious Enough To Make You Forget It’s Only Tuesday -- VIDEO
[5]BuzzFeed – This Kid Flew Around A In A Circle On A Giant Arm And People Are Really Into It