What does fox say?
It’s an age-old question that Norwegian duo Ylvis is attempting to answer in its latest music video. The group is comprised of Bård and Vegard Ylvisåker, and simply put, they’re weird.
Surprisingly, the video has already racked up nearly 2.5 million views – and counting – since it was uploaded three days ago. Not quite viral by KONY 2012 standards, but we’ll give it the recognition it deserves.
Early reviews for the video are already coming in from around the world, including our San Diego office. Invisible Children co-founder Jason Russell questioned, “Is this real?” and Staff Writer Krista Morgan echoed his sentiments by saying, “Stop it. No way. Seriously?”
But not everyone is amused. Several bloggers and media outlets were quick to respond by criticizing the video for “simplifying a complex animal sound.” Others voiced their concern that the video was perpetuating the “red fox savior complex”, stating that “the red fox didn’t ask to have its sound investigated and therefore should be left alone.” And even more are criticizing the duo for “for only spending 31% of their budget on actual fox costumes.”
But perhaps the most intriguing criticism to come out is from Popular Science, which rips apart Bård and Vegard’s theory in a thought provoking article by Dan Nosowitz. Nosowitz states:
The chorus then suggests a few possibilities, like “Gering-ding-ding-ding-dingeringeding” and “Wa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pow.” Good suggestions, Bård Ylvisåker and Vegard Ylvisåker! But I think we can come up with something slightly more scientifically accurate, and also watch lots of videos of foxes while we do it.
The critics may be right, after all what does a blonde-haired comedy duo from Norway know about foxes and the sounds they make? Are they naive for thinking they can change the way the world views foxes, simply by producing a slick 3 minute YouTube video? Check out the video below, do more research, and then decide for yourself whether you’ll support Ylvis.
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