{"id":39455,"date":"2026-02-20T10:19:19","date_gmt":"2026-02-20T04:49:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.veefly.com\/?p=39455"},"modified":"2026-06-15T15:59:15","modified_gmt":"2026-06-15T10:29:15","slug":"how-me-at-the-zoo-became-a-historic-internet-icon-at-the-va-museum","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/veefly.com\/blog\/creator-stories\/how-me-at-the-zoo-became-a-historic-internet-icon-at-the-va-museum\/","title":{"rendered":"How \u201cMe at the Zoo\u201d Became a Historic Internet Icon at the V&#038;A Museum?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>Key Takeaways<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Me at the Zoo was the very first video uploaded to YouTube, on April 23, 2005.<\/li>\n<li>The video uploaded by YouTube co-founder Javed Karim is now preserved for exhibition at the Victoria &amp; Albert Museum in London.<\/li>\n<li>It has attracted over 382 million views since it was first uploaded on the platform.<\/li>\n<li>The original look of the video&#8217;s design is preserved. A UX developer has recreated its look for the exhibit.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The 19-second clip &#8216;Me at the Zoo&#8217; features Javed Karim discussing the elephants. Since its upload, it has become an internet landmark. After two decades, the video&#8217;s layout has received a special honour at the Victoria &amp; Albert Museum in London.<\/p>\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_72 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-transparent ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/veefly.com\/blog\/creator-stories\/how-me-at-the-zoo-became-a-historic-internet-icon-at-the-va-museum\/#V_A_Museum_Acquires_YouTubes_First_Video\" title=\"V&amp;A Museum Acquires YouTube&#8217;s First Video\">V&amp;A Museum Acquires YouTube&#8217;s First Video<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/veefly.com\/blog\/creator-stories\/how-me-at-the-zoo-became-a-historic-internet-icon-at-the-va-museum\/#Why_this_Milestone_Matters_For_the_Creators\" title=\"Why this Milestone Matters For the Creators?\">Why this Milestone Matters For the Creators?<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/veefly.com\/blog\/creator-stories\/how-me-at-the-zoo-became-a-historic-internet-icon-at-the-va-museum\/#Final_Thoughts\" title=\"Final Thoughts\">Final Thoughts<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"V_A_Museum_Acquires_YouTubes_First_Video\"><\/span>V&amp;A Museum Acquires YouTube&#8217;s First Video<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>The museum acquired the video&#8217;s view page, which was revealed on February 18th, 2026. The museum\u2019s goal is to preserve and document Internet history. The museum officials hired a UX designer to recreate the look of YouTube in 2005. The old interface had a simple design, a basic rating system, and a much smaller description box.<\/p>\n<p>There is a stark difference in the look and feel of YouTube&#8217;s interface then and now. Which is exactly why the Me at the Zoo and its vintage look are now on display at the V&amp;A East storehouse.<\/p>\n<p><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-39467\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.veefly.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/YouTubes-first-video.jpg\" alt=\"me at the zoo\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blog.veefly.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/YouTubes-first-video.jpg 1920w, https:\/\/blog.veefly.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/YouTubes-first-video-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blog.veefly.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/YouTubes-first-video-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/blog.veefly.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/YouTubes-first-video-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blog.veefly.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/YouTubes-first-video-1536x864.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>It is not the first time that the video has received such a prestigious recognition. In April 2025, YouTube honoured this video by replacing the scroll button with a special cake graphic. YouTube only gives this type of recognition to iconic videos. Now, in Feb 2026, the video view page has earned a place in the museum.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Why_this_Milestone_Matters_For_the_Creators\"><\/span>Why this Milestone Matters For the Creators?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>The video proves that taking the <strong>first step is important<\/strong>, no matter the result. Who knew the first-ever video uploaded on YouTube would create history in the world of the internet and mark the beginning of YouTube? Also, the video is not high-production or high-budget. It is raw, authentic, and simple. Take that leap of faith: begin your journey by <a href=\"https:\/\/blog.veefly.com\/youtube\/how-to-start-a-yt-channel\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">creating your YT channel<\/a> and uploading the first video.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Final_Thoughts\"><\/span>Final Thoughts<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>A simple 19-second video of me at the Zoo is exciting for the creator community. If you are in London, visit the V&amp;A East Storehouse and see the masterpiece in person. YouTube has come a long way, but this moment still reminds us that humble beginnings can create a huge impact.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>YouTube\u2019s iconic first video is now a permanent exhibit at London\u2019s V&#038;A Museum.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":39477,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1368],"tags":[1334,1389,1563,210],"class_list":["post-39455","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-creator-stories","tag-content-creator","tag-creator-stories","tag-first-youtube-video","tag-youtube-video"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v25.3.1 (Yoast SEO v25.3.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Me at the Zoo Historic YouTube Video at V&amp;A Museum<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The first 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