Top 10 hilarious and surprising viral videos of 2011

Ojai Valley Taxidermy TV commercial

While the Ojai Valley Taxidermy commercial was made by YouTube video vets, it’s so low-budget and full of terrible acting, we felt it counts for the list. The ridiculous clip has attracted 9.2 million views this year. At first glance, it’s unclear if the video is for real, but Ojai Valley Taxidermy owner Chuck Testa came out later to insist that his company is legit and yes, that’s his phone number.

Reverse psychology on a child

This 26-second clip of a small child being manipulated with reverse psychology might be the epitome of a viral video. It’s short, funny and makes you think about the ridiculous aspects of human nature. With more than 11 million views to date, you have to wonder how many parents went out and tried this on their kids.

Talking twin babies

When twin babies have what appears to be an animated 2-minute conversation, you’ve got yourself a hit. With more than 56 million views, the twin babies clip is probably one you’ve seen in an e-mail or your Facebook page, but it’s still fascinating. Is it possible these two small children who share their physiology are having a real conversation in gibberish baby talk? Since only The Doctor speaks baby, we’ll never know.

Ultimate dog tease

This half-dumb, half-clever video that has a dog reacting like a person to a conversation about food attracted an astonishing 77 million views this year. It’s pretty simple to dub a person’s voice over an animal’s noises, but to make it work at the level that makes you want to share it with everyone else is pretty special in itself.

Zach Wahls Speaks About Family

This heartfelt testimonial by 19-year-old Zach Wahls in the Iowa House of Representatives attracted 16 million views in a flashpoint year for gay rights in the United States. Regardless of your position on the matter Wahls discusses, this shoddily shot testimony in a government building became an Internet phenom that continues to rack up the hits.

On a final note, what was your favorite viral video of the year?