Crazy Frog facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Crazy Frog
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Crazy Frog at the Australian tour in 2005
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| Background information | |
| Origin | Gothenburg, Sweden |
| Genres | Techno |
| Years active | 2003–2012 |
| Labels | |
The Crazy Frog is a famous 3D animated character. It is well-known for its unique sound and has appeared on many music albums.
Contents
The Story of Crazy Frog
How the Sound Started
The story of Crazy Frog began in 1997. A 17-year-old student named Daniel Malmedahl from Gothenburg, Sweden, recorded himself. He was imitating the sounds of a two-stroke engine, like those in a scooter. Daniel put this sound on a website. Soon, a Swedish TV researcher heard it. The researcher convinced Daniel to perform his sound live on television. After his TV appearance, recordings of Daniel's sound started spreading online. People shared them on various websites.
The sound became popular even before the frog character. By 2001, it was used to sound like a Formula One car. People called these early versions "Deng Deng Form" or "The Insanity Test." They usually featured a picture of a Ferrari race car with the sound playing.
The Annoying Thing Comes to Life
In late 2003, another Swede, Erik Wernquist, found the sound effect. He didn't know its history. The sound inspired him to create a 3D animated character. Erik named his creation "The Annoying Thing."
Wernquist worked on the first animation in his free time. He used a special computer program called LightWave for 3D modeling. The whole process took about six to eight weeks. On October 7, 2003, he posted his animation on his website and an online forum.
The animation quickly became very popular on Wernquist's website. However, the sound was credited to "Anonymous." Eventually, Daniel Malmedahl found out his sounds were used in this famous animation. He contacted Wernquist and even performed the sound to prove it was him. Wernquist was convinced. He then gave credit to Daniel for creating the original sound.
Becoming the Crazy Frog
The animation gained a lot of attention through online sharing and word of mouth. Companies like Ringtone Europe and Jamster België noticed its popularity. They realized they could make money from this underground hit. So, they bought the rights to the creation in mid-2004. They renamed the character "Crazy Frog" and started selling it widely.
Erik Wernquist, the creator of the animation, was not happy with the new name. He said in an interview, "If I had known that this was going to be such a big thing I would not have allowed them to use that stupid name. It has nothing to do with the character. It's not a frog and it's not particularly crazy either."
Crazy Frog's Comeback
After 2009, the Crazy Frog character took a break. In 2018, the original owners, Kaktus Films and Erik Wernquist, made a new claim for the character's rights. Music was listed as one of these rights. On April 22, 2020, an official Twitter account for Crazy Frog was created. Later that day, it was announced that a new music album was being made.
Crazy Frog's Music
The Famous "Axel F" Remix
The Crazy Frog became famous for its music remixes. Members of a group called Bass Bumpers created a dance remix of "Axel-F." This song was the theme from the movie Beverly Hills Cop. They added Daniel Malmedahl’s sound of a scooter engine, often called "Ring-a-ding-dong." They also added other spoken words.
In the music video for this remix, the "Annoying Thing" character makes sounds from Daniel's original recording. The character zooms around on a pretend bike. It tries to escape a robot on a hover bike.
How Popular Was Crazy Frog?
The company that sold Crazy Frog ringtones, Jamba!, made a lot of money from it. They earned about £14 million from the ringtones. This shows how incredibly popular the Crazy Frog became around the world.
See also
In Spanish: Crazy Frog para niños
