WE ALL KNEW... once we saw it a year ago. We knew that the image of wee Xiao Liwu, the San Diego Zoo's new young panda cub, cuddling his roly-poly arms around a ball, would probably exist across all time and all space. We knew that people hundreds of years in the future would also know and love this video, given that it was that preposterously cute and that extravagantly aww-inducing. So when we learned on the last day of 2013 that that particular video was one of the most watched San Diego Zoo clips of the year, even though it was actually from the previous, there was no surprise in our eyes. We shrugged and said to ourselves, "uh, of course. We mean, isn't Xiao Liwu with his ball going to make every top ten list of videos ever for the rest of eternity? And, if for some reason, there's an oversight, and the ball-hugging clip is left off a list, won't someone correct that?" Because videos don't come sweeter.
BUT THEY COME CLOSE: The zoo's top ten videos make for a happy and all-too-brief watch. Hooting Kookaburra Crikey was a 2013 favorite, as was a Galapagos tortoise gnawing at a watermelon. And, yep, Xiao Liwu makes more than one appearance (though the ball video came in at an impressive #3). And, yep, you'll notice that not all the videos on the list are actually from this year, but videos have a way of reappearing, and gaining new energy, years after their debut. We know, newsflash, right? If you've been on the internet for more than twelve minutes, you know this. So we're glad that Crikey, from 2011, and the ball video, from 2012, have made the 2013 hot vids list. They so should. And why don't we all go into 2014 with as much pizzazz as Crikey? Not that we need to do his particular bird call, because that might frighten the neighbors. We're just recommending that his panache is something we can all strive for in the coming months.
