Information AboutCrazy Frog |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT CRAZY FROG | |
| 2000s fads | |
| advertising characters | |
| fictional frogs and toads | |
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The original Crazy Frog music is actually Beverly Hills music, with Crazy Frog animation. The Crazy Frog spawned a worldwide hit single with a remix of " Axel F ", which reached the number one spot in the UK , Australia and most of Europe , although relatively unknown (aside from a few internet pop-up ads, and several commercials) in the United States. The album '' Crazy Frog Presents Crazy Hits '' and second single " Popcorn " continue to enjoy worldwide chart success. The Crazy Frog has also spawned a range of merchandise and toys which were very popular for Christmas 2005. Negotiations are also underway for a TV Series based on the character. HISTORY In 1997 , 17-year-old Swede Daniel Malmedahl recorded himself impersonating the sounds produced by Internal Combustion engines. He posted this on a website and caught the attention of a Swedish Television researcher, who convinced Daniel to perform the sound live on air. After Daniel's television debut, recordings of his performance began appearing on Peer To Peer file sharing networks and various websites under the filename "2TAKTARE. MP3 " ("Tvåtaktare" is Swedish for " Two Stroker "). The sound effect was quickly included in other Flash Animation s that spread Virally among Internet users. The most notable example was the Insanity test, which required test subjects to keep a straight face while staring at a still photograph of Rubens Barrichello in a Ferrari Formula 1 car as the sound effect was played. In late-2000, Malmedahl's fellow Swede Erik Wernquist encountered the sound effect and was inspired to create the 3D Animation "The Annoying Thing" to accompany it. Erik used the LightWave 3D Modelling application to produce the animation and posted it on his website. The animation was a popular attraction at Erik's website, but the sound was credited to "Anonymous". Eventually, word reached Daniel that his impressions had been used in a now well-known animation. He contacted Erik, apparently giving an impromptu performance to confirm his claims. Erik was convinced, and gave due credit to Daniel for his creation. It was broadcast for the first time on two Belgian commercials for Ringtone Europe and Jamster België (now both merged into Jamba!) in mid-2001. DESCRIPTION The title character in ''The Annoying Thing'' is an Anthropomorphic Amphibian that is quite Frog -like in appearance. The character wears only a white Motorcycle Helmet with the chinstrap unfastened, a Leather Jacket , and Goggles . His toes are webbed, and the Iris of the left eye is significantly larger than that of the right. An upper right front tooth is missing. Also present is a set of ambiguous but controversial Genitalia . In the original animation, the character imitates the hand movements required to Rotate the twistgrip controls of a Motorcycle while making the sound of an engine Ignition . As the imaginary engine starts, the character begins to Levitate as Exhaust fumes are discharged from his body. The character then disappears into the distance at high speed. RINGTONE In 2004, the Germany based Jamba! group (ultimately owned by VeriSign ) licensed the animation and sound for distribution as a Mobile Phone Ringtone . Jamba! (trading under names such as ''Jamster!'', ''RingtoneKing'', and others) accompanied the release of the Ringtone with a barrage of Advertising . It soon became the most recognisable commercially available Ringtone in the United Kingdom . The ringtone had become popular in the United States by mid-to-late 2005.
CONTROVERSY Advertising Origins Broadcast Belgium Compacts S.A. got to be the pioneer of the adverts of the Crazy Frog and Jamba! (then called Ringtone Europe) was giving away Crazy Frog adverts. And the Frog was broadcast for the first time on two Belgian commercials from Ringtone Europe and Jamster België in mid-2001. Moving to elsewhere By 2004, the adverts moved all over the world. But there was a problem:
The ASA did not uphold the complaints, pointing out that the advert was already classified as inappropriate for airing during children's television programmes as it contained a Premium Rate Telephone Number , and furthermore added that it was the broadcasters' decision as to how often an advertisement should be shown. However, Jamba! voluntarily Censored the character's genital area in later broadcasts of its advertisements. The full adjudication (PDF) is available online. Similar action occurred in Australia, with similar results. complaints dismissed (PDF) In April 2005 , television viewers complained about misleading advertisements produced by Jamba!, trading as Jamster! and RingtoneKing. Viewers felt that it was not made sufficiently clear that they were subscribing to a service, rather than paying a one-time fee for their Ringtone . The complaints were upheld; the full adjudication (PDF) is available online. It costs £3 a week to subscribe to Jamster!'s service. In 2005 ) As the authority had already adjudicated on the matter and confirmed the matter was not within its remit, the unusual step was taken of adding a notice to their online and telephone complaints system informing viewers that Jamster!-related complaints should be directed towards the broadcaster or the regulator, Ofcom {Link without Title} {Link without Title} . On 21 September 2005 , the ASA ruled that the Crazy Frog, along with other Jamba ringtone advertisements, must be shown after 9pm. This adjudication was revised on 25 January 2006 , maintaining the 'upheld' decision but revising the wording of one of the points. [http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/09/21/crazy_frog_off_air/ . Computer virus In March 2005 , Anti-virus vendors discovered the W32/Crog.worm Computer Virus (a Contraction of Crazy Frog), which spreads through File-sharing networks and MSN Messenger , exploiting the ''Crazy Frog'''s notoriety with a promise of an Animation depicting his demise {Link without Title} {Link without Title} .SINGLE RELEASES Crazy Frog - Axel F ''Main article: Axel F (Crazy Frog Song) '' A German dance duo named , by three or four copies to one. This is the official song endorsed by Jamster! and actually samples the original sound; subsequent songs created their own samples of the sound. An example of this is Robert Mackle's "Crazy Frog vs Coldplay" {Link without Title} , which parodied the chart drama between the two. Coldplay said that they would like to cut a thigh off of the Crazy Frog and eat it. In the summer of 2005, the song remained in the Top Ten in many European music charts and #50 on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart. Music video The Ministry Of Sound commissioned Kaktus Film and Erik Wernquist, the original creator of the Crazy Frog, to produce a full-length Animated Music Video to accompany the release of "Axel F" and featuring the Crazy Frog character. The Animation is set in the Future and centers on the pursuit of the Crazy Frog by a Bounty Hunter called Deathunter. The bounty hunter receives notification of a $50,000 reward for the capture of the Crazy Frog, who is only identified as "The most annoying thing in the world", a reference to Wernquist's original name for the creature. Despite the song's popularity, the music video has received very little airplay in the UK. Both VH1 and TMF have also omitted it from their Number Ones marathons, despite the fact that other chart-topping "annoying" novelty singles such as Mr. Blobby and Bob The Builder were included. In 2005 this was the #1 song on charts across the world: See the video at: Crazy Frog Website: iTunes release The Register reports that ITunes has the single with an illustration of an emasculated frog. They also link to a site where you can beat the frog with a baseball bat. Crazy Frog - Popcorn ''Main article: Popcorn (song) '' The next official Crazy Frog single, "Popcorn", premiered on Top Of The Pops in the UK. It is a remix of Gershon Kingsley original " Popcorn " from 1969 and best known as Hot Butter 's hit from 1972. It was released on August 22 2005 in the UK , reaching #12 on the UK Singles Chart . Crazy Frog - Jingle Bells/U Can't Touch This ''Main article: Jingle Bells/U Can't Touch This '' The at #5 on 18 December . Pondlife - Ring Ding Ding On February 17 , 2005 , a group of producers naming themselves Pondlife announced that the Crazy Frog would be released as a single. The people behind this were radio DJs Wes Butters , Trevor Jordan and Daryl Denham along with studio-owner Maurice Cheetham . On March 19 , 2005 , Pondlife held Open Auditions to find a Live Action Crazy Frog to star in their accompanying Music Video . Clips of the Live Action frog can be found here The track is called "Ring Ding Ding," and was released on 6 June 2005 . It reached #11 on the UK Singles Chart , two weeks after the Axel F version had charted. Frog Must Die - Kill The Frog On June 20 2005 , a song called "Kill The Frog" by Frog Must Die was released in the UK. Since the song did not appear in the top 250 of the UK Singles Chart, it is unclear whether the single was postponed, or simply failed to sell enough copies. As the name suggests, this CD is about killing the Crazy Frog. L.O.C. - Ring Ding Ding (Frog) On June 27 2005 , a dancehall reggae song called "Ring Ding Ding (Frog)" by L.O.C. was released in the UK. It reached number 58 in the UK Singles Chart (and higher on reggae charts). This song sampled the Crazy Frog sound. Singles - Discography Axel F CD1 Of 3 #Axel F (Radio Mix) #Axel F (Bounce Mix) #Axel F (Bounce Mix Instrumental) #Axel F (Reservoir Frogs Mix) #Axel F (Video) CD2 Of 3 #Axel F (Radio Mix) #Axel F (Bounce Mix) CD3 Of 3 (DVD Import - Not Released In UK) #Axel F (Video) #Axel F (Making Of The Video) #Axel F (Behind The Scenes Of The Video) Popcorn (Crazy Frog Song) CD1 Of 1 #Popcorn (Radio Mix) #Popcorn (Reservoir Mix) #Popcorn (Reservoir Instrumental Mix) #Popcorn (Bounce Mix) #Popcorn (Video) Jingle Bells/U Can't Touch This CD1 Of 2 #Jingle Bells (Radio Mix) #U Can't Touch This (Video Mix) #Jingle Bells (Club Vocal Mix) #I Like To Move It (Club Mix) #Jingle Bells (Video) #U Can't Touch This (Video) #Jingle Bells (U-Myx Format) CD2 Of 2 (Import Not Released In The UK) #U Can't Touch This (Album Mix) #Jingle Bells (Radio Mix) #Last Christmas (Album Exclusive) #U Can't Touch This (Video Mix) #Jingle Bells (Club Vocal Mix) #Jingle Bells/U Can't Touch This (Medley Mix) #U Can't Touch This (Reservoir Mix) #Jingle Bells (Reservoir Mix) #U Can't Touch This (Bounce Mix) #Jingle Bells (Bounce Mix) #U Can't Touch This (Boucne Mix Instrumental) #Jingle Bells (Boucne Mix Instrumental) #U Can't Touch This (Video) #Jingle Bells (Video) #U Can't Touch This (U-Myx Format) #Jingle Bells (U-Myx Format) Australian Singles Peak Positions
ALBUM RELEASES Crazy Hits ''Main article: Crazy Frog Presents Crazy Hits '' An album entitled ''Crazy Frog Presents Crazy Hits'' was released on and #19 on the US Billboard 200 Albums Chart. VIDEO GAMES Crazy Frog Racer On July 1 , 2005 , UK-based Publishers Digital Jesters announced that they had acquired the rights to the Video Game licence for the Crazy Frog. ''Crazy Frog Racer'', released in December 2005 , is a Racing Game for the PlayStation 2 , Game Boy Advance and PC {Link without Title} . MERCHANDISE A recent string of Crazy Frog merchandise has been released in the UK {Link without Title} , under the name "The Annoying Thing" due to copyright and licensing restrictions. These items were picked as big sellers for Christmas 2005, particularly the Annoying Thing Singing Plush which plays the ringtone when squeezed. Other products available include a Board Game , a desktop nodder, Keyring , Backpack , lunchbox and Air Freshener . However, there are bootlegged versions of the Crazy Frog plush. The only way to tell the difference is the goggles; the imitations have big padded goggles whereas the originals have small, rounded open goggles. TV SERIES The German production company The League Of Good People is in talks with broadcasters about a TV series based on Crazy Frog.
Video clips of Crazy Frog can be seen on Cartoon Network . You could also see it in: TOUR On November 23 2005 , music news site Undercover announced that the Crazy Frog will be touring Australia, beginning in Perth on December 4 and continuing through other major capital cities. Venues and dates have been confirmed - the Frog will be playing shopping centres and major hospitals. {Link without Title} SEE ALSO
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