Hello and thank you for stopping by! My name is Trym Stene, and I had the pleasure of creating the charming Dancing Banana GIF-meme back in 1999. It's hard to believe how much time has passed! I remember working on different GIF-animations on my AMD K6-2 350MHz computer, which was cutting-edge technology at the time. Well, maybe not cutting edge, but it was my first computer and it opened a whole world for me when i was young.

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Creating lighthearted and amusing content has always been a passion of mine, and I enjoyed making quirky GIFs to share with the world. I had a small, dedicated following that I connected with on IRC, where I received valuable feedback and encouragement.

 

Growing up in a rural part of Norway, I didn't have many peers who shared my interests, but that only motivated me to create even more imaginative content. I was inspired by other artists who were pushing the limits of what was possible on the internet.

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I used a simple animation tool called Animation Shop, which came bundled with Paint Shop Pro, to bring my GIF-ideas to life. It was through this software that the Dancing Banana was born.

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Why a banana? I frequently used internet forums and enjoyed creating emojis to express my emotions as I interacted with others online. The Dancing Banana was an extension of this—a festive emoji to celebrate whenever I created something new and exciting.

I also created other GIFs, like an angry toaster and a melting ice-cream cone with big, sad eyes. However, none of them gained popularity like the banana, which gradually captured the hearts of internet users.

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Before Flash animations became popular, I found an opportunity through IRC to create GIF ad-banners for a business owner, and I happily seized it. I eventually sold my creations to others, including a chalkboard ad that I sold for 250 Norwegian Krone (around 25 USD). It might not seem like much now, but back then, it felt like a significant accomplishment.

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When Flash animations gained popularity, The Buckwheat Boyz created a Flash version of the Dancing Banana with the now-iconic song, "Peanut Butter Jelly Time." From then on, the Dancing Banana made various appearances, including a cameo on an episode of Family Guy. It's astonishing to think that my small creation has become such a cultural phenomenon, with good help from the wholesome internet-culture.

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So there you have it—a brief backstory of the Dancing Banana GIF-meme. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed creating it!

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If you want to follow me on Twitter, be sure to do so! @trymstene

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