Gary Brolsma, better known as the “Numa Numa Guy,” became one of the internet’s first viral stars in 2004 with a webcam lip sync to O-Zone’s “Dragostea Din Tei.” Nearly 20 years later, we look back at the accidental meme legend, his rise to fame, how he handled the spotlight, and what he’s been up to since. Spoiler: he’s still online, creating, and embracing the weird internet energy that made him famous.
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00:00Long before TikTok dances ruled the internet, Gary Braulsma, better known as the Numa Numa Guy,
00:05lip-synced his way into history with one grainy webcam video and an insanely catchy Romanian pop
00:10song. Armed with silver headphones, eyeglasses, and a ton of energy, Braulsma created an accidental
00:15masterpiece that would make him one of the internet's first true meme legends.
00:19So, who is Gary Braulsma, and what has he been up to since?
00:22In December 2004, Gary uploaded the now-iconic Numa Numa dance to Newgrounds,
00:27a site famous for flash animations and indie content. The video featured a chubby,
00:31bespeckled Braulsma gleefully lip-syncing and pumping his fists while sitting at his computer
00:35with animated facial expressions that make him look like a real-life Looney Tunes character.
00:40The mainstream media quickly caught on. Braulsma made an appearance on the Fox Morning Show,
00:44and his video hit number one on VH1's top 40 internet superstars, beating out even the Star Wars kid.
00:57Everyone says there's a different side of me, I guess, when I'm alone in my room.
01:00Yes, the dark side.
01:02But, uh, yeah, one of my little friends, like, the opportunities I've been on has been just a ton of fun.
01:07Are you famous, though? Can you walk down the- I mean, I recognized you instantly when you walked in the studio.
01:12Uh, with me, it's weird. It's either, like, they don't know who I am, or they know me, like, so well.
01:18But Gary wasn't ready for internet fame. According to the New York Times, he became an unwilling and
01:23embarrassed web celebrity, canceling appearances after getting overwhelmed. Family members said
01:27he moped around the house for weeks, and even canceled an appearance on NBC's Today Show.
01:32So, why did Gary make the video in the first place? And where did the Numa Numa song come from?
01:36Fun fact! Braulsma discovered Dragosta Dentei through a Japanese Flash animation called
01:40My Yahi by an albino black sheep user called Ikari. The animation featured the Numa Numa song
01:45and the popular shift JIS art cat Mona. Gary reportedly made the video for a group of friends,
01:51posting it online just for fun, without any idea it would blow up.
01:54Dragosta Dentei, better known as the Numa Numa song, was a 2003 Romanian pop hit by the group Ozone.
02:00It's an energetic breakup anthem about a lover begging someone not to leave on a plane.
02:04The Numa Numa nickname comes from the chorus Numa Numa EA, which English speakers heard as
02:09Numa Numa Yay. In 2006, Braulsma returned with New Numa, a professionally produced sequel featuring an
02:15original song by Variety Beats. He also launched the New Numa contest, offering a $45,000 prize pool
02:21to inspire new viral creators. First place won $25,000. The entries were a chaotic mix of memes,
02:27green screens, and classic 2000s era graphics. University of Arkansas student Keith Eddy won
02:31with a comedic video called NewNuma.com 11197 Virus, where the New Numa song triggered a
02:37fictional computer virus outbreak. While New Numa didn't reach the heights of the original,
02:46it showed Braulsma had a great sense of humor about his fame and a genuine love for internet
02:50culture. After New Numa, Gary found even more ways to embrace his accidental fame. In 2008,
02:55he made a cameo in Weezer's Pork and Beans music video, alongside other internet icons like chocolate
03:00rain creator Tay Zonday. In 2014, he posted Numa Numa 10-year reunion on Newgrounds,
03:10lip-syncing to hits like Taylor Swift's Shake It Off and Katy Perry's Roar. Licensing issues later
03:15removed the video from Newgrounds, but it's still up on YouTube. The legacy of Numa Numa continued to
03:19grow. In 2022, Fortnite dropped a Numa Numa-inspired emote, bringing the classic meme to a new
03:25generation. Off-camera, Braulsma built a creative career. In 2007, he teamed up with Lonely Girl 15's
03:31Glenn Rubinstein and the Chad Vader duo for Canon's Battle of the Viral Video Superstars. And in 2008,
03:37a paper-cutout version of him appeared in South Park's Canada on Strike episode,
03:41dancing the Numa Numa dance alongside other early internet legends.
03:44So, what's Gary up to today? These days, Gary Braulsma works in web design and makes music.
03:49He released his debut album, Weird Tempo, blending quirky electronic beats and humor,
03:53and followed it up in 2019 with Haunted House of Pancakes. He also teamed up with Tezande for a
03:59musical collaboration, showing that his creative spirit is still going strong. In 2023, Gary recreated
04:04his original Numa Numa dance nearly shot for shot, sporting a new beard but still bringing the same
04:09energy he had 20 years ago. Today, you can still find Gary online, posting to his YouTube channel and
04:23his ex-account, Gman250. Twenty years later, Gary Braulsma is still proof that sometimes,
04:28the simplest, most joyful moments can leave the biggest mark on internet history.